the examined family

This profile floored me—Laura X. got spousal rape banned in California the year I was born. Was raised wealthy and now lives in a YMCA. Of her childhood she said: “I was tortured into being glamorous,” said Laura. “I was a bookworm who was forced to be the queen of the whole city.” (h/t Simone)

A sumi ink painting I did. Learn why as you keep reading… I’m co-creating a series on the books Hospicing and Outgrowing Modernity with the pastor of my church, Marcus Leifert (and friends!). You might remember that I sent along the book report I made on the books awhile back. You can check out the book report I made here. To read the first dispatch from the launch of the series, go here.

I wish I didn’t have to point you to this amazing piece by Soraya Chemaly about the dynamics behind the Cornell story. Did you know that 50% of campus rapes happen between the beginning of the year and Thanksgiving? I wish I didn’t have to know that, either.

I’m co-creating a series on the books Hospicing and Outgrowing Modernity with the pastor of my church, Marcus Leifert (and friends!). You might remember that I sent along the book report I made on the books awhile back. You can revisit it here. This week, I thought I’d offer up a bit on what we did on Sunday to launch it… Let’s start with the title of the first word: hopsicing. Don’t worry about modernity—it’s too much for now. What do you think of when you hear the word?

I loved this site where 100 millions kids’ drawings were analyzed for trends. What a treasure trove. (h/t Austin Kleon ) Speaking of kids, I absolutely LOVED Mac Barnett’s little book for adults about children’s literature: Make Believe. The underlying theme is that kids are people, too, and deserve to be treated with the same ki…

If you believe the personal is the political, if you grapple with how to be a decent caregiver and a decent citizen, if you want a community of people to travel alongside during this truly precarious time in the world, Examined Family is for you. Become a paid subscriber today, and invest in a space that will help you feel whole and awake. There was a particularly poignant moment in 4th grade for my eldest daughter.

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I just read a book I think a lot of people slept on: A Marriage at Sea. It is the real life story. told so poetically, about a couple who spent 118 days lost in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. It is riveting.

My dad, like more and more of us, didn’t want a traditional funeral. He didn’t want to have an open casket or be buried. He didn’t want to have a bunch of people in suits that made them hot and itchy sitting through a ceremony that they didn’t relate to. He didn’t want long, aggrandizing speeches or mountains of food no one eats because they’re too sad. What did he want? Well, we never really got around to asking that in a detailed way when he was still of sound mind and body.

My friends at Next River created this really cool new thing called FREEDOM RADIO. The question is simple and epic: when did you feel most free, and who was there with you?