the magician

a poem

in the day i pour 
milk & play 
cars & find
socks & fish 
teeth from the putrid garbage disposal.

in the day i am
song & hum,
hush & tsk;
my children know this.

in the night i stalk
woods & mix
drinks & worship
stars & take
a lover between cool linen sheets.

in the night i am
poetry & dance,
hips & hands;
but my children do not know this.

in the walls of our home i am
bared breast &
bared teeth;
mother earth &
mother nature;
a nest &
a hurricane;
the sparkle in their eyes &
the lisp on their tongues 
when they say
they believe in 
magic.

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Recs for you

Y’all know I delight in curating these lists of random things to love and delivering them into your hands like a bouquet of wildflowers — mismatched, askew, and with no rhyme or reason. I like to think of them as an accurate reflection of what goes on in my brain on any given day. (Or, at least, the parts at least some of you might be remotely interested in…)

• While deliberating over fall shoes, I did what any good elder millennial would do: I polled my IG followers, who nominated loafers or Chelsea boots (with a nod of respect to the Birks clogs loyalists). My sister ponied up the cash to buy me this pair and now I feel so chic.

• I’ve been dipping my toes into the waters of BioSpiritual Focusing lately. If you’re searching for a contemplative practice that is embodied, you might want to check it out too.

• Did you know chickens can carve a pumpkin? Add it to my fall to-do list.

• Eric and I just saw Ruston Kelly play live and are convinced that his song Radio Cloud should be the anthem of those leaving behind toxic religious communities.

• Where my makeup girlies at? Rare Beauty’s lip oils are awesome: like lip gloss, but not so thick and gooey. I just ordered this shade because it looked like fall.

• I have long abandoned the search for parenting advice online, but wouldn’t ya know that once I did, I accidentally found some stellar sources. I follow Meredith Miller on IG, and her new book Woven is really worth a read. (I mean come on: the subtitle is “nurturing a faith your kid doesn’t have to heal from,” and isn’t that what we all want?)

• Another one of the few parenting sources I trust is Mary Van Geffen, who is opening up a course specifically for “moms of spicy ones” in dire need of support. Let me be clear: this is an investment of a course (and I’m an affiliate). If you’re not desperate, the price will have you turning right around. But if you do need professional help of some form or another to parent your high-needs kiddo (I’ve been there!), I really do trust Mary — because she has proven herself consistently trustworthy. You can find out more here.

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Coming up this week

Here’s a fun one for ya! Next Friday (the 22nd), I am joining three of my favorite female authors for an Instagram Live conversation based on the themes of Kat Armas’ fantastic new devotional book, Sacred Belonging. (Seriously, check it out. It’s the devotional of contemplative/theological nerd dreams!)

If you have an Instagram account, you can join us for the live chat on 9/22 at 3:30 CT (or catch the recording afterwards).

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Alright folks, that’s all she wrote.

Sending you love in a bushel and a peck and a hug around the neck,

Shannon