If we were real-life friends, these are the things I probably would have texted to you
The small, good things keeping me going from food to books to movies and beyond
Hi friends,
Welcome, welcome to a brief oasis here in your inbox/web browser! A happy last week of November to all of us and a happy Thanksgiving to our American friends. May your turkey be delicious, your company a delight, and your waistband stretchy.
Before we jump into this week’s Field Notes, I just wanted to thank everyone for your beautiful responses to last week’s essay It’s No Small Thing.
Reading through your emails, comments, and even shares on social media was such a beautiful reminder that we are in this together, trying to find a way through this wilderness season. Thank you, truly.
Here in Calgary, we received about 30 cms of snow this week. It’s beautiful and treacherous out there so it’s nice to curled up in my upstairs “library,”1 writing to you this morning, mug of tea steaming.
But yes, it’s Good Things week! As I started to gather these links and ideas up, it felt like a long time since our last one and when I checked, sure enough, we last did this back in July…which feels like ages ago?? My bad. For our newer subscribers, this is the occasionally-regular edition of Field Notes when we share the small - and sometimes not-so-small - things that have brought us a measure of goodness lately.2 Basically, if we were real-life friends, these are the things I probably would have texted to you.
Below, you’ll find the reels I have sent to my friends lately, a cake I’ve made four times this autumn, a t-shirt that may have been created in a lab for me, a DIY Google Reader replacement, a Winnipeg folk singer my son and I are loving these days, what I’ve been knitting, my winter tea obsessions, a few laughs, and more of the small things bringing me that necessary measure of goodness these days. I can’t wait to read your comments, too - always so many good ideas there!
And just as a reminder, this is a sponsored-content-free zone because I’m nobody’s influencer.3 These are just things I genuinely experienced myself so I feel good talking about them with you.
❤️ As always, first up: A Good Thing That Matters
The temperature is in the basement and winter is here. We dropped off a load of outgrown, but clean and warm winter coats and socks at our local spot. If you have a local shelter or drop-in warming centre, now’s a good time to send in a monetary donation or find a way to come alongside unhoused neighbours. Calgary folks, here’s the link to the Drop-In Centre, Inn from the Cold, and The Mustard Seed.
(And with the Canada Post strike underway, I know a lot of local charities are feeling panicky over not being able to mail anything so take a minute to remember the donations you often send for Christmas and head online early this year.)
📖 A Good Line
“There is nothing love cannot heal. Given time. Given truth. The healing power of love is eternal. It will not relent until the hurt has been comforted. We each carry this restorative love within us. We are natural born healers, of mind, body and spirit. Through our prayers, our touch, our presence: we make whole that which was broken. In love, even death has no dominion.”4 - The Rt. Rev. Steven Charleston
📚 Reading
For my fellow bookworms, our latest Book Corner is right here with all my favourite recent reads and some Kindle deals for you, too. We’re having a great chat in the comments about books there, too.