Thank you for this good post. I purposed to hear you last weekend at my daughter's church, St. Mo's, but I had guests. She sent me a link to your message , though, and it was a God sighting. I, too, love Christian Wiman and met him a few weeks ago at the Hopewords Writers' Conference. Thank you for coming to the U.S. I know we're messy and unattractive now, but we love our friends and neighbors who are willing to take the trouble to visit us in our affliction.
Thank you for your reflections - really appreciate the poem and will be coming back to it often.
And how fun to learn you are a Middlemarch fan! It has been my favorite novel for years, in particular for the following passage, which, I believe, speaks beautifully to learning to see those around us as sacred:
We are all of us born in moral stupidity, taking the world as an udder to feed our supreme selves: Dorothea had early begun to emerge from that stupidity, but yet it had been easier to her to imagine how she would devote herself to Mr. Casaubon, and become wise and strong in his strength and wisdom, than to conceive with that distinctness which is no longer reflection but feeling-- an idea wrought back to the directness of sense, like the solidity of objects--that he had an equivalent centre of self, whence the lights and shadows must always fall with a certain difference.
Thank you Elizabeth for your recent reflections on The Sacred, your Substack posts, your interviews...so much of what you say and express resonates deeply. I particularly love your vulnerability, transparency, honesty which again, resonates. As you say on the Sacred, I think that we could actually become friends :-). Your invitation to meet the other who is not like us/me, with whom we may not become friends, who we disagree with and/or whose stance we might find challenging and yet, to find some common ground on which to love that neighbour...well...this has to be at the core of what it means to be a human being created in the image of God. Thank you so much again!
I won’t make tea in the microwave either. I have a proper electric kettle. Some of us Yanks are capable of new learning. Glad to hear you enjoyed your trip Elizabeth. If you were anywhere near Philadelphia I will kick myself for missing it.
Elizabeth, what a beautiful collection. I share your love/hate relationship for Philip Larkin. :) His "Church Going" poem will forever have a place in my heart and continued spiritual formation. However, that line from Faith Healing: "In everyone there sleeps a sense of life lived according to love." Phew, what a line.
And Middlemarch! I'm 42 and picked it up last summer for the first time, and my American brain had the hardest time getting into the flow! I SO want to read it though. Of course, I'll give her another try.
I'm bummed to miss you at the Mockingbird conference this weekend. (I enjoy writing for the website occasionally). All the best 🥂
As usual so many kernels of refuge. I too had a re-reckoning with Dorothea as an adult. I remember almost nothing from college but I do remember throwing the book across the room when she announced she intended to marry Causobon. I see her better now.
Thank you for the beautiful Joshua Luke Smith poem and Christian Wiman excerpt. And thank you for you! I feel somehow transfigured (well I know it was divine providence working through you) having been in your presence yesterday. “May all the angels in their beauty bless you, may they turn toward you streams of blessing!” (I quote John O’Donahue most of the time because my gifts are non-verbal😊🎶)
I'm smiling at how many things seem to make both my heart and yours sing, Elizabeth (which is often how I feel when I read your writing). I just started reading Wiman's "My Bright Abyss" two nights ago, and I love Bon Iver's new album in its entirety AND Jacob Collier's Mahogany Sessions. Call me biased, but you have great taste!
Thank you for this good post. I purposed to hear you last weekend at my daughter's church, St. Mo's, but I had guests. She sent me a link to your message , though, and it was a God sighting. I, too, love Christian Wiman and met him a few weeks ago at the Hopewords Writers' Conference. Thank you for coming to the U.S. I know we're messy and unattractive now, but we love our friends and neighbors who are willing to take the trouble to visit us in our affliction.
Oh Julie. Thank you. Xx
Thank you for your reflections - really appreciate the poem and will be coming back to it often.
And how fun to learn you are a Middlemarch fan! It has been my favorite novel for years, in particular for the following passage, which, I believe, speaks beautifully to learning to see those around us as sacred:
We are all of us born in moral stupidity, taking the world as an udder to feed our supreme selves: Dorothea had early begun to emerge from that stupidity, but yet it had been easier to her to imagine how she would devote herself to Mr. Casaubon, and become wise and strong in his strength and wisdom, than to conceive with that distinctness which is no longer reflection but feeling-- an idea wrought back to the directness of sense, like the solidity of objects--that he had an equivalent centre of self, whence the lights and shadows must always fall with a certain difference.
Thank you Elizabeth for your recent reflections on The Sacred, your Substack posts, your interviews...so much of what you say and express resonates deeply. I particularly love your vulnerability, transparency, honesty which again, resonates. As you say on the Sacred, I think that we could actually become friends :-). Your invitation to meet the other who is not like us/me, with whom we may not become friends, who we disagree with and/or whose stance we might find challenging and yet, to find some common ground on which to love that neighbour...well...this has to be at the core of what it means to be a human being created in the image of God. Thank you so much again!
I won’t make tea in the microwave either. I have a proper electric kettle. Some of us Yanks are capable of new learning. Glad to hear you enjoyed your trip Elizabeth. If you were anywhere near Philadelphia I will kick myself for missing it.
Elizabeth, what a beautiful collection. I share your love/hate relationship for Philip Larkin. :) His "Church Going" poem will forever have a place in my heart and continued spiritual formation. However, that line from Faith Healing: "In everyone there sleeps a sense of life lived according to love." Phew, what a line.
And Middlemarch! I'm 42 and picked it up last summer for the first time, and my American brain had the hardest time getting into the flow! I SO want to read it though. Of course, I'll give her another try.
I'm bummed to miss you at the Mockingbird conference this weekend. (I enjoy writing for the website occasionally). All the best 🥂
Superb poem that lifts the lid off something deeper.
As usual so many kernels of refuge. I too had a re-reckoning with Dorothea as an adult. I remember almost nothing from college but I do remember throwing the book across the room when she announced she intended to marry Causobon. I see her better now.
Welcome to NYC!
Thank you for the beautiful Joshua Luke Smith poem and Christian Wiman excerpt. And thank you for you! I feel somehow transfigured (well I know it was divine providence working through you) having been in your presence yesterday. “May all the angels in their beauty bless you, may they turn toward you streams of blessing!” (I quote John O’Donahue most of the time because my gifts are non-verbal😊🎶)
Ahhhh! Christian Wiman for the win. I always come back to that book.
Thanks for this collection. Food for the journey.
I'm smiling at how many things seem to make both my heart and yours sing, Elizabeth (which is often how I feel when I read your writing). I just started reading Wiman's "My Bright Abyss" two nights ago, and I love Bon Iver's new album in its entirety AND Jacob Collier's Mahogany Sessions. Call me biased, but you have great taste!
Nice one Elizabeth, welcome to America.
I loved this, thank you.