Neighbor Wednesday: Summer plans

Someone the other day asked where I had been on Substack. I said, ‘What do you mean?’ and then realized I left this post in my draft folder for 6 weeks. #facepalm. So, here we are mid-summer, and I’m finally pressing ‘publish’ on my summer plans. ha! Sorry about that, neighbors! And, because it’s bringing me so much joy, here’s a picture of flowers from the backyard. I decided to try roses this year and have become obsessed. Gorgeous! Ok, on to the post…

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Hi neighbors! I’m finally nearly finished with all of my speaking engagements that I had to reschedule because of my face-plant. I’m usually really diligent about having only 1 speaking engagement a month in ‘normal times’. But last year’s fall-face-plant meant I had to reschedule a slew of fun activities to the spring when I could talk/eat/smile/laugh/all-the-things again. So this spring has been double-booked in the best of ways - hence, the lower than usual Substack postings. I’ve traveled more than I ever have in the past few months and have loved getting to meet some of you!

I spoke to students at Pepperdine and Belmont, Christians at the White House National Prayer Breakfast, publishers at the Evangelical Christian Publishing Association conference, collabo-friends at Yale, a few churches, and a few other fun activities. Can I tell you that I come away from most of these events with such a sense of hope - especially talking to students! These kids are asking the right questions and living out a life of neighboring boldly. I never really dreamed of doing any of this type of speaking or work - so, it is not lost on me how much of a privilege and joy it is to do it now! I don’t know if it will ever get old and have a hunch it never will.

At Pepperdine, they are using my book for a class for undergraduate students in pre-health-type degrees. After the event, I had a book signing I need to tell you about. The students brought my book they had used for class, and most were dog-eared, high-lighted, coffee-stained, full of post-it-notes, and sticky-noted. I almost died. As a book-nerd, my books often look like that too - especially the ones that are well-loved. Many of the students came up to me with tears in their eyes and told me about their own dreams to be a good neighbor in this world and how my book helped in a small way. I asked if they could show me some passages they highlighted and it will be one of my favorite memories to date - watching them point to the words they highlighted and tell me why it mattered to them. Oh boy, friends. It was the best and such an honor. It’s a scary thing to launch a book in the world, especially one that is so raw and vulnerable and fully ‘you’. So, to see those words tucked in the students’ hearts and highlighted will never get old.

At Belmont, I experienced the same emotions while speaking in the Chapel service and loved interacting with the students. And this time, I had my daughter there with me. We tacked on a college tour while I was there and had the best time walking around the campus, the city, and eating lots of great BBQ.

In total, I did 14 events. It’s been such a joy, and has become one of my favorite things to do! It’s been a super-busy season, especially since I’m a self-proclamed-homebody. But, it was also a season of me pinching myself over and over, asking how in the world did I get so lucky to be doing this? I’m telling ya. A massive joy!

If you’ve been here a while, you’ll know I have a summer rhythm of quiet - call it a Sabbath or a rest or slowness. I slow way down in all things and spend the days with my family and outside as much as I can. And, I get quiet. Now that my kiddos are 17 and 15, I will also spend much of my time crying. ha! Just kidding, not kidding. They are the best, but my goodness, time is flying. So, I’m soaking it up.

This summer, I’ll be doing my normal summer-pause on posts and back after the semester starts again for school (late August-ish).

I hope you all have the best summer full of whatever it is you need. I’ll be slowly and quietly working the busy and loud world out of my mind and heart. And, eating loads of blackberry cobblers since my backyard blackberries have already bloomed this year! Cheers to ice cream and no school!

-Emily