Blog Posts - Somewhere in the Middle...

March 2020 In Review

3/31/2020

MARCH 2020 | IN REVIEW
READ | WRITE | DISCUSS | PRAY | SERVE | REFLECT

Even in Cambridge

Read

Barbed Wire Baseball

Last summer, my kids wanted to learn more about Zeni, a Japanese American baseball player who was imprisoned in an internment camp during World War II. I told them I would request related titles, but then life got in the way...or maybe I wasn’t ready to face the hard stuff. This winter, when they asked again, we got the books and tried our best to honor the struggles and hopes of those who suffered.

Write

Beyond Handwashing: Writing Class Goes Virtual

Writers, like everyone these days, are trying to cling to normalcy. But how do you write while anxious? Some writer friends I know have detoured from their projects to address how COVID-19 is affecting their lives. Others have been having trouble coaxing any ink from their pens. And I have been treading water, perhaps circling the drain on pre-written work, but not wanting to give way either.

Discuss

Maid

We found Maid to be readable and compelling, if not the best writing we've ever seen. Our eyes were opened to what it is like to live on government assistance, and some of us will start paying our babysitters more because of reading this. We questioned whether this was really the most powerful and effective story Land might have told, and we'll be curious to see what she chooses to write next.

Pray

Sustaining lessons from Ephesians

Prior to the start of this new reality of isolation, my church small group shared many life concerns, and I’m so grateful that this group was already in place when our whole world changed. Like many groups and workplaces, we too are meeting virtually, praying together and reminding each other of God’s love and faithfulness.

Serve

Just Mercy

Reading this book made me wonder if I should have been a lawyer. Mr. Stevenson and his team sure seem to have a gift for delivering justice...even while cultural roadblocks prevent them from succeeding as often as they and their clients would like. So was there anything I could do, as a lay person, to further their message? Well, when my son got yanked off the school bus one day, all of a sudden I got an idea...

Reflect

Reflect

Check out the reflect button on the homepage where you can view this and all monthly newsletters.

Looking forward to reading & discussing with you!

February 2020 In Review

2/29/2020

FEBRUARY 2020 | IN REVIEW
READ | WRITE | DISCUSS | PRAY | SERVE | REFLECT

Even in Cambridge

Read

Reset

Ellen Pao didn’t grow up feeling excluded. She was raised to believe in a meritocracy, and for most of her life, as she worked hard, she saw her efforts pay off. Then she tried her hand at venture capital...and ran into discrimination too blatant to ignore. In her memoir, she reveals an even more painful societal problem: that many of her female employees “never knew before that this wasn’t okay.”

Write

On Writing Groups

Last month, Belmont Books hosted a successful writing group to lead a panel discussion on what makes writing groups work well. Two of my own writing group members met me there to take notes. We left feeling pretty good about the rhythm and routines we had established for ourselves and exhilarated to join the writing conversation with a roomful of aspiring and active writers.

Discuss

The Nickel Boys

This was a challenging read, but those who made it through said they were glad to have read it. When I talk about injustice with my kids -- slavery, the Civil Rights movement and the like -- I try to impress upon them that this isn't history of long ago but rather the current state of our country. The school that Whitehead depicts in The Nickel Boys didn't close until 2014. How many other schools might still exist that may have operated in a similar fashion?

Pray

Want to read the Bible this year?

I read 59 books in 2019. And yet, I was intimidated when my friend asked me to read the Bible with her this year. Sure, there are 66 books in the Protestant Bible, but some of those are less than a page long. What’s the big deal?

Serve

My Social Network

The first time I read this bumper sticker, I nearly rolled my eyes. Over ten years on the East Coast will make you quite fine with remaining in your own bubble, only speaking to others if absolutely necessary. But in the past few years, I have witnessed the power of introductions, and two weeks ago, I learned my lesson all over again when I found a lost wallet on the sidewalk.

Reflect

Reflect

Check out the reflect button on the homepage where you can view this and all monthly newsletters.

Looking forward to reading & discussing with you!

January 2020 In Review

1/31/2020

JANUARY 2020 | IN REVIEW
READ | WRITE | DISCUSS | PRAY | SERVE | REFLECT

Even in Cambridge

Read

Into the Planet: My Life as a Cave Diver

Jill Heinerth’s dive into an iceberg off of Antarctica could have killed her had the water been one-tenth of a degree colder. Why do it at all? Amidst her tale of death-defying diving, Heinerth highlights the contributions of those who are born risk-takers and narrates her own quest for gender equality and water conservation advocacy. Read her book and gain a new perspective on our blue planet.

Write

These are voices to overcome

As I cracked the cover on a brand new calendar in anticipation of adding many wonderful writing sessions to my schedule, I realized that, like writers Rachel Hollis and Glennon Doyle, I needed to work at silencing certain voices in my head that threatened to sabotage my efforts. With new January resolution, I discovered that I have something louder to say.

Discuss

Old Baggage

We had mixed reviews about this book centered on women’s suffrage and feminism. Was it a quaint detour into the past...or too slow? Did the flat minor characters distract from the enjoyable complexity of the main female ones? I liked it overall, especially what I interpreted to be an optimistic ending, and for those interested, check out Crooked Heart, where you can read more about Ida's son following Mattie's death!

Pray

Why do you pray?

You might not click on this one, so I’m going to give you the shortened answers here: Jesus tells us to. Prayer fosters gratitude. Through it, God does great things. And lastly, prayer is foundational for a Christian to grow in faith, hope and love. Now click, and find out how this happens.

Serve

Honor, with a side of canned goods

This year, after our family attended our church’s winter family getaway over Martin Luther King Jr. Day weekend, we made our way over the City Hall in order to participate in the Many Helping Hands MLK Day of Service, grateful for the opportunity to directly apply the lessons we learned about honoring others.

Reflect

Reflect

Check out the reflect button on the homepage where you can view this and all monthly newsletters.

Looking forward to reading & discussing with you!

December 2019 In Review

12/31/2019

DECEMBER 2019 | IN REVIEW
READ | WRITE | DISCUSS | PRAY | SERVE | REFLECT

Even in Cambridge

Read

Locking Up Our Own

What does the legalization of marijuana have to do with mass incarceration? And why did my own town of Cambridge review racial injustices while creating legislation to decriminalize marijuana possession? Put your thinking cap on for this one, and let Pulitzer Prize-winning author James Forman Jr. teach you.

Write

Creating Confidence

Why do women struggle with confidence more than men? And how can women become more confident? Kay and Shipman’s meandering research offers quite a few nuggets of wisdom and taught me a lot about the mindset I need to reach my goals.

Discuss

Holiday Party & Book Swap 2019

This month, we gathered to share holiday cheer as well as enjoyable titles from our shelves. Review our choices, and look ahead with us as we read into 2020.

Pray

Advent, the Gospel, and a Completely Different Spirituality

For Advent, we continued our family tradition of lighting candles at dinner. We talked about the names for Jesus, including the Light of the World, and what it might have been like for people waiting in the darkness that first Christmas. This prompted me to pick up Tim Keller’s book and look at a famous parable in a whole new way.

Serve

How will you serve in the new church?

When our pastors asked us to pray about our role in our new church buildings, I reflected on a ministry I was a part of in the past and compared it to the work God is doing through the relationships in my life now.

Reflect

Reflect

Check out the reflect button on the homepage where you can view this and all monthly newsletters.

Looking forward to reading & discussing with you!

November 2019 In Review

11/30/2019

NOVEMBER 2019 | IN REVIEW
READ | WRITE | DISCUSS | PRAY | SERVE | REFLECT

Even in Cambridge

Read

Cherokee America

The events of this feat of historical fiction take place during the spring of 1875, yet encompass sweeping issues of race, class and culture that live on today. Consider picking up Verble’s work or another work by a native writer and enrich your culture with a complexity that breeds truth and connection.

Write

What the medals don’t show

This month, my husband and I ran the Cambridge Half Marathon for the third time, under a team name we first organized in 2016. “Did you win?” my son asked me afterwards. “No,” I said, and yes, I thought. I enjoyed unexpected company and found a new community. And that truly felt like something to celebrate.

Discuss

The Moment of Lift

While we critiqued the structure and focus of Ms. Gates’s book, we found some strong takeaways. As she presented situations where empowering women led to stronger relationships and communities, she shared her conviction to examine gender equality in her own marriage and workplace. And I felt her invitation to us, to seek connection and equality in our own lives.

Pray

What is God saying to you in this: Reprise

Two months ago, as I anticipated co-leading a small discussion group at church on Daring Greatly, I wrote about the question I was asking God about the uncertainty in my life:
What are you saying to me in this?
This month, my small group completed its book study, and I walked away with a few answers and many more tools in my belt that I hope to reference for a long time.

Serve

Christian Community for Higher Ed Students

When my friend Susan invited me to hear about her outreach to higher education students through InterVarsity, I easily recognized the need to give students a sense of belonging. Consider how you too could support this effort that strives to shepherd them and remind them that they are fully known and loved by God.

Reflect

Reflect

Check out the reflect button on the homepage where you can view this and all monthly newsletters.

Looking forward to reading & discussing with you!

October 2019 Newsletter

10/31/2019

OCTOBER 2019 | NEWSLETTER
READ | WRITE | DISCUSS | PRAY | SERVE | REFLECT

Even in Cambridge

Read

Boundaries For Your Soul

This fall, I found myself overwhelmed by fear. Fortunately, Cook and Miller’s book lay waiting on my bedside table. With their instruction, I was able to get curious about that fear, invite God into my vulnerable state, and learn how to integrate what they call my internal team of rivals.

Write

Stalled at a metaphoric mile 3

As I reflected on my writing process and the state of my current full-length memoir, I realized that while I completed a lot of the training, I felt stalled early in the race of this current marathon. Tamora Pierce’s story provided a much needed a reminder to keep my feet ticking over.

Discuss

The Great Believers

While we had some critiques about plot points along the way, we appreciated Rebecca Makkai's effort to tell a compelling story of inter-generational trauma. While many of us might have been young in the 80s, it is clear that the AIDS epidemic affected our education...and our families. Thank you for sharing your personal stories!

Pray

Choosing to press pause

When the fall began, I assumed I would continue to lead the Christian after school group that some friends and I formed at our kids’ public school. As the fall progressed, I realized it was time to press pause and pray about other ways I could be available to this group of children.

Serve

Serving in the classroom

This year, my family’s sixth year at our public elementary school, I began serving as a class mom for the first time. For better or worse, I had Laurie Gelman’s hilarious character in my head as I dove head first into my duties!

Reflect

Reflect

Check out the reflect button on the homepage where you can view this and all monthly newsletters.

Looking forward to reading & discussing with you!

September 2019 Newsletter

9/30/2019

SEPTEMBER 2019 | NEWSLETTER
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Even in Cambridge

Read

Girl in Black and White

Jessie Morgan-Owens is a friend of a friend. She’s also a gifted writer and historian who gives new life to a previously incompletely told story. She pushed me to question my own biases...and to consider what can we learn from listening to marginalized voices speaking close to us.

Write

Vote for HER

My neighbor Manikka has the patient determination to slow the conversation in order to prevent glossing over minority voices who are all too often silenced by the majority. She speaks for those who need a voice, and she’s up for re-election for the Cambridge School Committee.

Discuss

Maybe You Should Talk to Someone

While we wished her tone could have been a bit more vulnerable at times, we thoroughly enjoyed this lengthy read. In telling her story, Lori Gottlieb gifted us with the added bonus of many therapy sessions along the way! She also encouraged us to consider how our lives are “peopled”...and to work to build connections with others.

Pray

What is God saying to you in this?

In preparation for co-leading a church small group this fall, the other leaders and I were reminded of our role -- to broaden conversations from day to day struggles to a place where our groups members can consider what God is doing in their lives, through a success, hardship, struggle, or grief. And I remember to take a moment to do the same.

Serve

While they wait at the border

There are many ways to support those who wait to cross our southern border. My husband and I decided to support this organization for its specific focus of meeting the needs of women and children in order to have real impact on this small part of the world.

Reflect

Reflect

Check out the reflect button on the homepage where you can view this and all monthly newsletters.

Looking forward to reading & discussing with you!

August 2019 Newsletter

8/31/2019

AUGUST 2019 | NEWSLETTER
READ | WRITE | DISCUSS | PRAY | SERVE | REFLECT

Even in Cambridge

Read

The Library Book
by Susan Orlean

I am so sorry I can’t recommend this book to you, although I wish you would read it all the same. Think about what role the library plays in your community -- and what it means to you personally. Now, don’t you think you better run out and thank your librarian?

Write

The Stranger in the Woods
by Michael Finkel

I don’t know who is responsible for the terrible title, but I found reading this book to be as refreshing as drinking a cool glass of water. Read Knight’s story. Consider the role of solitude in our lives and how each of us either seeks or runs from its cocoon. And wherever your preference falls on that spectrum, enjoy this chance to learn about a person who otherwise would be lost to this world.

Discuss

Summer Social Night | August 2019

This month we gathered for a party and the unveiling of the results from our first ever book club survey. We ranked our favorite nonfiction and fiction reads of this past year. The numbers were close, but Educated and The Hate U Give came out on top.

Pray

Summer Family Getaway 2019

Our church family gathered at Camp Berea for a long weekend filled with teaching and fellowship. As I photographed a fuzzy caterpillar on our cabin’s porch, I thought about how many of us were just hanging on until Labor Day, hoping for life transformation through a new fall schedule.

Serve

Serve Day 2019

Earlier this month, we gathered with members of our congregation at the local high school for an event we call Serve Day. When this tradition first started about five years ago, I didn’t understand the concept. After mulling over the purpose of serving in different capacities, I recalled the words of my former pastor -- that while we likely aren’t able to solve all of the world’s problems, we are called to do something.

Reflect

Reflect

Check out the reflect button on the homepage where you can view this and all monthly newsletters.

Looking forward to reading & discussing with you!

July 2019 Newsletter

7/31/2019

JULY 2019 | NEWSLETTER
READ | WRITE | DISCUSS | PRAY | SERVE | REFLECT

Even in Cambridge

Read

Confronting Christianity: 12 Hard Questions for the World’s Largest Religion
by Rebecca McLaughlin

When you ask me difficult questions about my faith and Christianity, I stutter through a response. Thankfully, God made my friend Rebecca McLaughlin. She gets at the truth without mincing words, volleying arguments as fast as you can think them up. She writes because she figures each of us at some point will need to confront Christianity. What are you waiting for? Give her a try.

Write

Choosing Gratitude: Your Journey to Joy
by Nancy Leigh DeMoss

On my writing days, I begin by adding a few lines to my gratitude journal. One day this past spring, however, I couldn’t think of a single thing to be thankful for. Have you had days like that? Fortunately, later on that same day I received an email from a friend. She provided this book title, an antidote to my attitude problem.

Discuss

Bad Blood
by John Carreyrou

I don’t know what scandalized us more -- the fact that had she not picked a medical device to develop, Elizabeth Holmes' scheme might have gone on indefinitely...or the fact that so many knowledgeable people failed to see what was going on for so long...or the fact that it seems like it's nearly impossible to gain any protection as a whistle blower when corporations seem to have all of the leverage. As one of you pointed out, thank goodness for the continued life of hearty investigative reporting.

Pray

Liturgy of the Ordinary
by Tish Harrison Warren

If you have ever wondered what God has to do with everyday life, please consider picking up Warren’s book. She examines ordinary moments in a new way to shed light on how God sees us, and how we can better see God. I took notes, and I pulled out so many quotes that I might as well have copied and pasted the entire book. Read it. Learn to look for God in your peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

Serve

Summer Blast 2019

During the last week in June, over one hundred volunteers converged to host one hundred and fifty campers at our church’s version of Vacation Bible School. I served a small role in the kitchen and found myself overwhelmed by the extravaganza playing out around me. In the end, I discovered I had a lesson to learn about how to show God and God-like love to children in a way they can understand.

Reflect

Reflect

Check out the reflect button on the homepage where you can view this and all monthly newsletters.

Looking forward to reading & discussing with you!

June 2019 Newsletter

6/30/2019

JUNE 2019 | NEWSLETTER
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Even in Cambridge

Read

Sajni Chakrabarti Fund for DIPG Research

Fifty years ago, Neil Armstrong walked on the moon. Did his grief over the loss of his daughter to DIPG spur him on to this greatness? It’s unclear. But I am similarly in awe of my friends who recently birthed this study at the Broad in order to bring hope to families, even if it is too late for their own. Read their story. Don’t let another fifty years pass without a cure.

Write

The Sympathizer
by Viet Thanh Nguyen

This 2016 Pulitzer Prize Winner for Fiction is a challenge, but I know you’re up to it. Whether you walk away fuming...or whether you walk away thinking this is the “best book you’ve ever read” (one of my mom’s friends thought that), you won’t be sorry you gave it a chance. Reading this book has influenced my writing.
How will it influence you?

Discuss

Spring Social Night | June 2019

This month the Tipsy Mamas convened for an outdoor social night. With twinkle lights overhead, we shared summer plans and exchanged viewing and reading recommendations. Traveling this summer?
Check out our recs here.

Pray

Break my heart for what breaks yours

The more I hear updates from friends lately, the more I wonder if we are coming to an age where things begin to fall apart. These stories are a composite of the pain and suffering of many. They remind me that no one is untouched by grief. And also, that no one need be alone in their suffering either.

Serve

Am I allowed to take free food?

Recently, I set out to find a second-hand bike for my daughter. Little did I know that the walk would take me on a journey of reflection about my place along the continuum of haves and have-nots. By the end, I found myself somewhere in the middle...and grateful for it.

Reflect

Reflect

Check out the reflect button on the homepage where you can view this and all monthly newsletters.

Looking forward to reading & discussing with you!