NewsLetter: April Edition!
Spring, Life, Books, Podcasts, Ideas
It’s spring here in the northern hemisphere, and these days of gentle sunshine and longer light come as a gift. I hope you’re in a place – literally and figuratively – where you can enjoy it! Maybe a little more time outdoors, maybe a little more connection in your community, maybe a little more care for your own wondrous self?
Some of you have already discovered that I’m moving the newsletter and updates to Substack, a platform that gives us lots of capacity and flexibility.
And if you received Sunday’s post, you know that along with monthly newsy updates like this one, I’ll also be sharing some short essays and reflections here.
I’ll be exploring some big themes. Love. Mortality. Wonder. Spirituality. How we hold grief and gratitude and hope and longing and despair and goodness and loss and faith and doubt and fear and abundance – all the things – in our hearts and minds. How we navigate this labyrinth of life. And how we love and nurture and challenge and encourage each other, but especially how we love.
*I promise not to flood your inbox. You can expect a post most Wednesdays.
My hope is that these posts will resonate with you or with someone you know, and will give us a space to think, feel, explore, share, encourage, and support this life journey we’ve been given.
Please share this with your friends and help us build this supportive community!
So, here comes April and all things spring!
First, I hope you’re in a place where you can see something blooming or stretching or flying, as all this spring life emerges and explodes around us. As for me – azaleas! They’re going nuts here.
The abundance is well, abundant – in lots of ways. I’ve been writing, traveling, pondering, and experiencing some lovely connections with friends, old and new, and old and young.
I’m learning when to say Yes to invitations and events, and when to say No, thank you very much, and how to listen to my heart and sometimes change my mind.
This spring I’ll be speaking locally to a few private groups, and working on some new writing projects.
This summer will include a week at Silver Springs on Lake George in New York, speaking a little, leading a workshop, and writing.
Connecting with readers continues to fuel extraordinary conversations. Sometimes we talk about Trouble the Water and Robert Smalls, sometimes we explore the world of inspiration and creativity, sometimes we lean into big life changes and pivots and adventures. Thank you for all the ways we get to connect!
You can visit my website for all event details: RebeccaBruff.com
Currently Exploring:
Books:
Blue Mind: The Surprising Science that Shows How Being Near, In, On or Under Water Can Make You Happier, Healthier, More Connected and Better at What You Do, by Wallace J. Nichols This one gets the prize for the longest subtitle ever, and is a fascinating exploration of our connection with water and its mystical, emotional, physical, and environmental effects on us and the world we share.
What Makes You Come Alive: A Spiritual Walk with Howard Thurman, by Lerita Coleman Brown I’ve long appreciated the mystical and practical theology of Howard Thurman, so I was thrilled when I got to meet Dr. Brown and discover her new book. For weeks now, I’ve been reflecting on one of Thurman’s many wise nuggets: “Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.” Spend some time with that, my friends.
The Little Prince, by Antoine de Saint-Exupery Oh, it’s been too long and this treasure of a book is for everyone! I was reminded of its magic when I visited the Livrario Lello, Porto’s gorgeous bookstore where an entire room is devoted to The Little Prince.
Podcasts:
On Being with Krista Tippett *my favorite from 2023 is from last April: Barbara Brown Taylor “This Thirst for Holiness”, but don’t miss Vivek Murthy, Kate Bowler, and Nick Cave and all her other fabulous conversations!
More Than Sunday, from First United Methodist Church Richardson, “…where we'll take a deeper dive into the stories, themes, and questions of our faith.”
The Next Right Thing with Emily P. Freeman, who believes “What matters more than the decisions you make is the person you're becoming.”
Maybe I’m Amazed with Dr. James Howell, “a collection of amazing conversations James has with amazing people experiencing everyday miracles.”
Help us share a little birthday love for Robert Smalls and Trouble the Water!
April 5, 1839! Robert Smalls was born 185 years ago, and his life and legacy continue to make our lives better. Schools, roads, and even an active US Naval vessel bear his name. His passion for freedom, literacy, and public service lives on.
Please help a new generation of readers learn more about this unsung American hero. Here are a few ways you might do that:
Ask your local libraries and bookstores to stock Trouble the Water and other books about Smalls.
Engage civic groups, book clubs, and other organizations in “community reads” and conversations.
Support local historical societies and museums by providing books or speakers about Smalls.
And if you’re lucky enough to be in the lowcountry on April 5, please join us at 5:00p at the Beaufort Black Chamber of Commerce for a birthday party, with special guest Michael B. Moore, great-great-grandson of Robert Smalls!
If you’ve read this far, I want to say Thank you!
This new format is an experiment and a work in progress (aren’t we all?!) so please give feedback and make suggestions and share with others. I’m grateful for our community of thinkers and feelers and learners and seekers, adventurers and creators and wanderers and readers and writers – our human family!
We’re better together. Know that you’re not alone!
Gentle grace to you,
Rebecca
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Rebecca, I am thrilled for you and for us to share this journey together! So glad "you have a question" or two! It sounds as if your senses and sensibilities are SATED. Remember that word from a trip to CB? Love you so much, and a blessed Easter rising!