October Musings & Things

A list of things to read, watch, and listen to, plus a pretty killer pumpkin muffin recipe!

It’s good to be here, on this Halloween and the last day of October, knowing that I’m right where I’m meant to be. That feeling is a rare one, I’ll admit. But today, with my fingers on the keys, listening to the leaves outside my window brush along the pavement, I know I am doing the thing I was made to do. And later, I will go to the north part of the county to vote, and when the boys get home from school, we will likely have roast chicken for dinner and then perhaps go trick-or-treating up the road (if the rain holds out). It’s all right, and all good, for today, and I’m resting in the handful of hours between one sleep and the next. 

We are word people, here on this silly orange app. I am such a word person that in preparation for a VIM (very important meeting) earlier this week, I wrote myself notes, bullet point style. Silver ink from a Gelly Roll pen on black lined paper. I do this often; I need to write down (or type out) the main things that I want to remember, the things I need to know, so I can read them and receive them back into my brain, where they settle into something like understanding. For whatever reason, the ideas in their originating form don’t hit quite the same–but some magic happens in the expression that transforms them into what we call WORDS, and then my brain is like, oh yeah, I get it. So I write the words on a sticky note, and I glance at the words during the VIM, and my train of thought stays on the proverbial track, and good things are communicated that could even be called true things. 

And this is why I must keep coming to the page. The place where my inner life takes the form of language and then (only then) makes some kind of sense. I’m grateful to have a cozy internet home here on Substack to house these thoughts (feelings, ideas, etc. etc.) and it’s still a thrill to stumble into new rooms where I can read other (your?) thoughts as well. Apologies if this newsletter is a bit disjointed, but I’ll do my best to pull it together. Pull up a chair, put your feet on the coffee table, and let’s get into it. 

Here’s a giant image of my face BUT (if you are an American) I hope you will vote, and maybe even wear red lipstick while doing so. I give my official endorsement to Elevate Beauty! This lipstick did not budge all day, and I had a 1/2 sandwich, soup, and a salad for lunch. I know!

Here is an assortment of things I’ve read/listened to/watched lately and a few thoughts:

1. READ - Why I Celebrate Halloween (Nathan Finochio) - loved this take by our friend and brother-in-the-Lord (please tell me you read that in your best Southern Baptist accent) about Christian colonization of pagan holidays. I’ve always loved anything involving costumes, so I’m an easy sell. 

2. READ -  The Mythmakers: The Remarkable Fellowship of C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien (A Graphic Novel) - What a fun (and beautiful) read over a long fall-ish weekend. It was my first graphic novel, and I was surprised at how much I enjoyed the reading experience! And, as a bonus, it provided some common ground for my twelve-year-old (graphic novel-loving) son and I to bond over. Joel mentioned the book in his recent roundup, along with a couple of related biographies I’ll have to check out. The Wade Center at Wheaton also hosted Hendrix on Monday night for an excellent talk on his journey as an artist and unlikely author–you can watch the recording here. 

3. READ - Sir Gibbie - This 1879 novel by George MacDonald is my first reading of one of his ‘Scottish novels.’ It presents a bit of a challenge because some of the dialogue is in the difficult Doric dialect of Scottish. It's likely not the best way to get through it, but I find myself quickly skimming over the sentences to get a sense of what is being talked about and then going back and trying to read it out loud. Something about the pace of saying it relatively fast and reading phonetically helps me understand about 90% of what is being said. [Note: I’ve linked a version of the book above that includes the translation of the Doric dialogue.] The story, however…the story moves along as if a Father is telling it to his children at their bedside. But that’s not to say this is a children’s story (whatever that means to you–to me, not a story that would appeal to my three sons at first blush). Some parts are excruciatingly sad and heartbreaking to read, while others will bring a laugh to your lips. The story follows the life of Gibbie, a mute boy orphaned by the time he is about 7 or 8, and the many people and circumstances he must endure (and yes, overcome–but Sir Gibbie is not the typical survival story…more of a Christ-like being in the midst of this stormy life). The Fatherly narrator's voice will occasionally break through the narrative to comment on a particular character’s trajectory or give a bit of moral encouragement, and I find these remarks provide a nice moment of reflection, as well as a glimpse into MacDonald’s thinking. However, some readers may not appreciate that particular aspect. 

4. LISTEN - To this 2019 podcast interview with Greg McKeown, “How to Master Essentialism.” The principles that Greg and Tim discuss in this episode are timeless (and timely for me personally) on getting to the essential priorities of life. I’m going through a major shift of life-season and want to be responsible with my decisions about my time, energy, and resources. Greg guides Tim through a series of poignant questions about a project he is procrastinating, so it’s kind of like listening in on a vocation-based therapy session. His advice challenges me to review elements of my life through the BIG LENSE: will this matter in 10 years? 30 years? 100 years? Does this project (or item or relationship) help guide me in the direction I want to go, or lead me astray? If I say ‘yes’ to this, what am I saying ‘no’ to instead? 

5. WATCH - Howards End (BBC/Starz miniseries) - How does the scripture go…I don’t do what I want to do, and I do what I don’t want to, or something? I really should have followed my own golden rule and read E.M. Forester’s 1910 novel, considered by experts (or, Wikipedia) to be his masterpiece, before watching the show. With that said, I wonder what those of you who have both read the book and watched this four-part series about a family and their house, called ‘Howard’s End,’ would say about the screen adaptation. Does the overall tone ring true? Is the pacing too weird? I found the first three episodes interesting, even beautiful at times, although with some odd characterization of a few roles (especially Helen…is she really that flighty and annoying in the book?). But the fourth (and final, although I didn’t realize it was the last one until the entire thing was over!) episode had such strange pacing from the other three, rather slowly building, storylines that I was kind of whiplashed by the end. No spoilers here, but please shoot me an email if you can tell me with confidence that the book is better and I read the room on this show. Matthew Macfayden (of Pride & Prejudice and Succession fame) was perfection, of course. 

6. WATCH - We Live in Time (dir John Crowley) - Michael and I saw this last night and couldn’t stop talking about it on the way home afterwards. It’s about falling in love, the nature of time, and all of the beauty and pain that we have the capacity to experience as humans. The storytelling is so well done…heartbreaking, hilarious, and poignant, the film renewed in me the big picture perspective to cherish the one life I have been given, and especially the ones I love. (Fair warning, this film is for mature audiences.)

What is it about this time of year that makes me take inventory? Lately, I’m in a serious mode of paring down, taking stock, and reassessing just about everything in my life. Looking at habits and behaviors, items of clothing and the contents of cabinets, at outward relationships and inner mental/emotional identities, and plainly asking myself…does this still belong? 

Maybe it’s the inevitable response to being a mid-life, forty-something wife and mother who has limited time/energy/resources. Most of my days are structured for optimal use: the lunches are packed the night before, the school uniforms are washed and ready for Monday morning, the meal plan is posted on the side of the fridge. Google calendar alerts remind me of birthdays and Apple reminders alert me to take my vitamins. It’s a season that requires strategy and planning for the benefit of all who surround me. And there, in the middle of the crazy, I’m finding an unexpected well of deeper creativity and desire than I’ve known in a very long while. 

The act of culling clears the way, but a willingness to submit to the process is a prerequisite. Twentieth-century abstract painter Piet Mondrian said, “The position of the artist is humble. He is essentially a channel.” Earlier, and more essentially, the Eighteenth-century poet William Blake put it this way, “I myself do nothing. The Holy Spirit accomplishes all through me.” They both know something that I am only barely beginning to see through the clutter. To reflect the beauty and truth of the Logos, one must become a willing participant in his ways of expression. And his ways are exact.   

At the risk of sounding trite, I’ve been mulling over the image of a fruit tree (let’s say a pear tree, because I love a good pear and it’s very autumnal, don’t you think?) After the tree has borne its crop for the year, it must be pruned; there’s no getting around that plain fact. Certain branches must be cut back to allow for the best (and right kind of) growth. But guess what the pruning prepares the tree to produce? Glorious, juicy, ripe golden pears! The tree that is most lovingly attended by the gardener, even with the sharp and purposeful blade, is the one that will bring him the most glory in its proper season. 

Oh, let me be the willing tree that bends easily at the gardener’s hand! Let me trust his pruning of things (that have been good and useful in their time) that I don’t want to let go of but must be set aside to make way for the better things to come. Help me not to be the tree that looks longingly at the branches being tossed onto the fire, but turns ever upward toward the bright and approving sun. 

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The rain has settled over our little holler, so I decided to whip up a batch of pumpkin muffins. Is that possibly the coziest sentence I’ve ever typed? Well, just to complete the scene, I also sliced the tip of my right pointer finger as I was trying to get the pumpkin out of the can and it bled like it was starring in a slasher flick, so Happy Halloween! Anyways, here’s the recipe that ChatGPT gave me after a couple of prompts (nothing healthy about these, but they smell heavenly!) 

Easy Pumpkin Muffins

Ingredients:

- 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

- 1 cup granulated sugar

- 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed

- 1 teaspoon baking soda

- 1/2 teaspoon salt

- 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice (or 1 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 tsp nutmeg, 1/2 tsp ginger)

- 2 large eggs

- 1 cup canned pumpkin puree

- 1/2 cup vegetable oil (or melted butter)

- 1/4 cup milk (or almond milk)

- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Optional add-ins: 1/2 cup chocolate chips, chopped nuts, or raisins (or spooky sprinkles!) 

Instructions:

1. Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C). Line a muffin tin with paper liners or spray with non-stick cooking spray.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, granulated sugar, brown sugar, baking soda, salt, and pumpkin pie spice.

3. In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs, pumpkin puree, oil, milk, and vanilla extract until smooth.

4. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir until just combined. Avoid over-mixing to keep the muffins tender.

5. Fold in any optional add-ins if desired.

6. Divide the batter evenly among the muffin cups, filling each about 2/3 full.

7. Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

8. Let the muffins cool in the pan for a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

I hope you are able to spend today with someone you love, costumes or not, and can take a moment to meditate on the brevity of this life. It’s precious, fleeting, and oh so beautiful. And we are lucky to be in it, so let’s live it, all the way till the end.

Until next time,

SBL