Friday & Favourites Vol. 63

Dear friends,

It is that time of year again, where my (Julia’s) yard becomes a jungle of weeds. The weed whacker, foreign appendage, is loud and smells of gasoline. I shall ask my husband for help restringing it this weekend, but until then, my garden is a portal to a new world, full of colorful blooms that my plant app says are invasive.

Lingering is an art form. Especially when bugs tickle your arms, or trickle down the bridge of your nose. Sometimes discomfort for the sake of imbibing an image is worth it. As writers, we are told that experiences are key to building an inner world that will fuel our work. But how we experience the world shapes what we write.

Traveling by train, taking in the world as it speeds past our windows, gives a broad picture of the landscape. But it is hard to ground yourself that way. Instead, if we linger in one place, with one image, we might find ourselves reflected back to us. A weed in a garden, out of place. A bird, building a home in the gutters. Each image evokes a different emotion. A different inner reality.

The other day, I (Emily) had to help my daughter with her lawn care business by helping her pull out weeds. The horsetails gave in to the force of hands without putting up a fight. But the thistles fought me every step of the way, biting me whenever I tried pulling. God is a poet that way, when he said, “Thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you.” That Spirit breathed image immediately takes me to Genesis 3 every time a thistle thorn buries itself deep in my palms. In the same way, some images in your environment are so strong that they illuminate the path for your shadow self to emerge on the shore of your page.

Here are some pools to dive into this week:

1. Art: The Symbolist Imagination

2. Recipe: Julia & I <3 Sardines

3. Poem: The Blessing by James Wright

4. Book: Man and His Symbols by Carl G.Jung

5. Listen: EAT by Brooke Ligertwood

May you all have a blessed weekend!

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