Courtney Ellis

Because we’re deep into Newbornlandia over here (mad props to my mom, who is saving our sanity with laundry and kid wrangling and newborn rocking so I can actually get a gosh darned shower now and then), I don’t have any words of my own to offer this week, but I do have some fantastic reads for you around the Interwebs that have been giving me life.

First, from the lovely and wise Laura Lundgren, two reflections on parenting. First “I Stopped Praying for Patience.” Then its follow-up, “Am I a Good Mom?”

Second, one of the first full reviews of Uncluttered went up Sunday, on the inestimable and brilliant Stephanie Lobdell’s blog. Girl can write, friends. Her book, Signs of Life: Resurrection Hope from Ordinary Losses, comes out next year and I cannot wait to get my hands on it.

From The Cressett, a poem by a former beloved English professor of mine–David Wright–about another beloved English professor–Brett Foster–as they confronted the impending scepter of death together on a bench outside the college. This poem haunts me.

And filed under the “coming soon” category, books by two writers I adore are now available for preorder.

First, Alia Joy’s Glorious Weakness: Discovering God in All We Lack. From the description: “As a girl, Alia Joy came face to face with weakness, poverty, and loss in ways that made her doubt God was good. There were times when it felt as if God had abandoned her. What she didn’t realize then was that God was always there, calling her to abandon herself.”

Second, Cara Meredith’s The Color of Life: A Journey Toward Love and Racial Justice. From the description: “When Cara met and fell in love with the son of black icon, James Meredith, she began to listen to the stories and experiences of others in a new way, taking note of the cultures, sounds and shades of life already present around her. After she married and their little family grew to include two mixed-race sons, Cara knew she would never see the world through a colorless lens again.”