question marks and messy middles.

Listening To: Shake it Out by Florence + The Machine
Line Obsession: I'm keeping watch from my particular dark, with my question marks and anxieties and messy middles, praying for eyes to see what is the already, and faith to wait for the not yet." - Sara Zarr

I've stumbled upon an abundance of good readery (...?) this week and thought I'd pass the links along. If you're feeling bloggy, here's where to jump:

* Sara Zarr shares a gorgeous essay about Advent on Image. Sara's writing always undoes me a little bit. I adore her fiction but I also harbor a deep-down-hope that she'll write a collection of essays someday. Her non-fiction is wonderful. (Not all writers can transition between fiction and non-fiction so seamlessly.) My favorite quote: "I'm keeping watch from my particular dark, with my question marks and anxieties and messy middles, praying for eyes to see what is the already, and faith to wait for the not yet." 

* Lindsee posted some lovely thoughts over on Living Proof. She's writing about the Taylor Swift song "Fifteen." And she says there's much truth in this lyric: "When you're fifteen and somebody tells you they love you ... you're gonna believe them." But she says the reverse is also true: "When you're fifteen ... and nobody tells you they love you, you're gonna believe it..." Fact: Never hearing "I love you" can break a girl's heart just as much, if not way more, than getting dumped. This is true for any girl, whether she's 15 or 95. Lindsee's post will encourage you regardless of the age-thang. If you work in student ministry (or hope to), I think her post is a must read. It's a great reminder to keep affirming the beauty of the women we know - reminding them that they're talented and cool and wanted and pretty-darn-wonderful. 

* The Nefarious Jenny B. Jones posted a great link about Edinburg's delightfully notorious (and anonymous) Phantom Sculptor. I'm pretty sure I've forwarded the story to everybody I know. Stories like this make the world seem so magical, don't they? That's what libraries do. (Pretty much every cool link comes from Jenny B. Jones. I'm not cool on my own.)

* Once is about to hit Broadway. Must. Get. To NYC. 

* Here's an essay (possibly an excerpt from a speech?) from my Writer Hero Kate DiCamillo. She writes about Wonderbread and marshmellow fluff and dancing and comfort. And how all of that is pretty much the reason she writes.  If you love to write too, you'll be so inspired. 

* I like everything about this song: 

* And I like these pictures:  

This next one is from dad's birthday dinner. The Rogue Accountant was trying to block the gigantic spotlight light shining above our table, because we're both so pale, and the light was coming at such an angle, that we seriously looked like The Phantoms of the Pizza Place.

And this last one ... is a picture of my secret shoes. You cannot mention the secret shoes to my friend Hannah. Because Hannah hates shoes like this and so I've never confessed to her that I own a pair. They're definitely ugly. But they're ugly in an adorable way, right? 

RIGHT?!  

(... maybe don't answer the question.)

(PS: Hannah reads my blog. So she's totally going to find out about the secret shoes.)

Care to share a fun link down in the comments? Also, after reading Sara Zarr's advent essay, I would love to hear about how (or if) you mark Advent in a special way. Hope you're having a happy week!