Happy Thanksgiving!

Nov 24, 2022

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Beauty Abounds
November 24, 2022

Dear ,

Happy Thanksgiving!

If you’re new around here, you probably found me through the 30 Prayers For When You Feel Lonely and Left Out Ebook. I write about belonging, identity, loneliness, culture, feeling like an outsider, faith, and finding beauty in this broken yet beautiful world.

Wells of Gratitude

In his book, A Hidden Wholeness, Parker Palmer shares this quote by Douglas Wood, about Jack pine trees:

“Jack pines…are not lumber tress [and they] won’t win many beauty contests either. But to me this valiant old tree, solitary on its own rocky point, is as beautiful as a living thing can be…..In the calligraphy of its shape against the sky is written strength of character and perseverance, survival of wind, drought, cold, heat, disease….In its silence it speaks of…wholeness…an integrity that comes from being what you are.” – Douglas Wood

“An integrity that comes from being what you are.”

Words we need, especially now.

It’s no secret we live in a world with duplicity and hypocrisy. People who are nice to you online but not in person. People not nice online but you never see in person. People unkind in general, online and in person. And everything in between. Admittedly it feels strange to include “online people” as part of the story of our lives now. It feels disconnected, disjointed. Who would have thought? But here we are.

Perhaps that is why I am drawn to trees. Yeah, I admit I have a particular fondness for trees. Even with its unique symmetry, a tree possesses its own particular lines and jagged edges, and a distinct pattern of branches. But the thing about a tree is that it exists as a tree in any imperfection. Its unique design is part of its wholeness. Any difference in leaf shape, bark texture, or branch direction does not make it any less a tree.

I’m grateful for that truth. We aren’t perfect people. Humanity will fail, again and again. Yet at the same time, humanity exceeds my expectations over and over, when I see an unselfish deed, when someone shares a genuinely encouraging word, when a new baby is born. These are signs of hope. We need them. Despite the bad news, the darkness, and all that is flawed, the world is still dripping with hope, brimming with beauty.

I truly believe that. May I never grow so bitter with pain that I fail to see the beauty and hope that exists within this world. May I never forget that our world is not forgotten by God.

To be whole means to bring all of our pieces—all of who we are—to God, to others, to ourselves. We bring all of our broken fragments, lay them out at God’s feet. To live with integrity is acknowledging we don’t have the answers, that we are broken, that we are imperfect, that we are a people who need Someone bigger than us to take all that is broken in this world and make it whole again. We can’t do this on our own.

To live with integrity means also that I live in the wholeness of my ethnic and cultural identity, something I have been growing and learning in the past decade. It wasn’t always this way: I wanted to reject my ethnic background. I didn’t want to be brown-skinned. But I have learned to appreciate this aspect of my identity—and to understand this is part of God’s good design. God made us all unique, and wants us to revel in the fullness and wholeness of our full identity. I want to be in that place of living with that integrity.

If you feel alone, I want to remind you you’re not alone. I’m here, wading through the muck and mire and beauty and ache of this life right with you. And more than that, God is with you. May God wrap his shawl of Shalom around you. You are beloved, just as you are.

"Examine all things intensely and relentlessly. Probe and search each object in a piece of art; do not leave it, do not course over it, as if it were understood, but instead follow it down until you see it in the mystery of its own specificity and strength." ~ Annie Dillard

Five Things I’m Thankful For

On this Thanksgiving holiday, I remember all the beauty and goodness that surrounds us. Here are a five things I am thankful for this week.

1) I am thankful for YOU, for being here, for reading my words, which encourages me more than you know. Just you reading this free newsletter is a way to support me as a writer and I don’t take that lightly. Thank you for being here and walking with me on the ups and downs of life and this writing journey!

2) Redbud Writers Retreat. I belong to small writing guild full of women who write words of hope and inspiration to the world. Last week, we met for the first time in four years. It was a gift to be together, in person, and hug so many folks. I needed that. I needed to be among others who also write words—and to be encouraged on the writing journey, which can often be quite lonely. It was fun to sing in a surprise ensemble at the end, too! Here’s the group!

3) As part of the retreat, I was honored to speak on a topic that I care about: diversity and representation. My session was titled “Diversity, Demographics, and Audience,” and In the session I spoke about Jhumpa Lahiri, one of my favorite authors, and the importance of reading diverse books and representation in literature. Here are a couple photos. I will also admit that I am one of those weirdos who does truly enjoy public speaking.
Fun Fact: Did you know that 7% of Americans have the fear of public speaking (called “glossophobia”)? That’s 27 million people! (Source: https://magneticspeaking.com/7-unbelievable-fear-of-public-speaking-statistics/)

4) I’ve been participating in a project for a new The Message Women’s Devotional Bible. I’m honored that I’ll have several devotionals published in this new Bible version coming out in 2024!

5) Visiting Chicago for a day—going to the Art Institute and stopping in to pick some homemade chai at a chai shop downtown!

What are you grateful for? Studies have shown that keeping a gratitude journal can add to your joy and well-being. Have you tried this? If you have, I’d love to know how it worked out. I did this some years ago, jotting down a few things daily or weekly, a practice I continued for about two years.

If you have a moment this weekend, try jotting down five things you are grateful for. It can be as simple as eating a piece of your favorite pie, the sun shining, or meeting a friend for coffee. Anything big or small that you are thankful for counts. If you have the inclination, try keeping a gratitude journal for the rest of the year. If it works well, you might want to carry this practice into the new year.

At a certain point, you say to the woods, to the sea, to the mountains, to the world, Now I am ready. Now I will stop and be wholly attentive. You empty yourself and wait, listening. - Annie Dillard

On the Bookshelf

So far this year, I’ve read over 60 books—which is a first for me, to reach this milestone. My goal was 40—and there are a few more weeks left, so I’m chuffed to add a few more.

Here is a list of titles I've read or am currently reading since my last newsletter:

Start With Hello by Shannan Martin
Beyond Welcome by Karen Gonzalez
Belonging by Geoffrey Cohen
I Take My Coffee Black by Tyler Merritt (audiobook)
A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Bachman
Life Together by Dietrich Bonhoeffer
The Anthropocene Reviewd by John Green
Solito by Javier Zamora

If you’re looking for a dynamic and interesting audiobook, I recommend I Take My Coffee Black, read by the author.

Start With Hello is an excellent read as well—with words of encouragement and inspiration on opening our doors to others, with easy tips on how we can get to know our neighbors.

I also highly recommend Beyond Welcome for an excellent view of immigration—I highlighted so much in this book.

For fiction, A Man Called Ove was delightful and funny, and made me tear up at unexpected moments.

I’m still reading The Anthropocene, Belonging, and I just started Solito.

What have you been reading lately? Hit reply and let me know!

“In the visible world of nature, a great truth is concealed in plain sight: diminishment and beauty, darkness and light, death and life are not opposites. They are held together in the paradox of the “hidden wholeness.” - Parker Palmer

Book Writing Update

I’ve made more progress! I’m about 80% done with the first draft. If you’re new here, I’m writing a book about ethnic loneliness and belonging; you can read more details about the book project .).
If you want to chart progress, here’s and here’s .

"Writing uses all of you – everything you have learned, all your patience, your sense of humor, your beliefs, your imagination, your sense of composition, and ultimately your entire character. Thus it is deeply rewarding, and it never runs out.” ~ Philip Gerard

Poetry

Besides the Autumn Poets Sing
by Emily Dickinson

Besides the Autumn poets sing
A few prosaic days
A little this side of the snow
And that side of the Haze —

A few incisive Mornings —
A few Ascetic Eves —
Gone — Mr. Bryant’s “Golden Rod” —
And Mr. Thomson’s “sheaves.”

Still, is the bustle in the Brook —
Sealed are the spicy valves —
Mesmeric fingers softly touch
The Eyes of many Elves —

Perhaps a squirrel may remain —
My sentiments to share —
Grant me, Oh Lord, a sunny mind —
Thy windy will to bear!

“There is nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed.” - Ernest Hemingway

, it would make my day to hear from you. Hit reply and let me know what beauty you’re witnessing around you, what you’re reading, or something else that’s inspiring you. If you’re making your way through the 30 Prayers for When You Feel Lonely and Left Out eBook, I’d love to hear how that’s going, too. As always, if there’s a topic you’d like me to cover in this newsletter, please let me know!

Until next time, remember beauty abounds. What beauty and daily wonders surround you?

Warmly,
Prasanta

Thank you for being here! If this is your first newsletter from me, you probably subscribed from my website, signed up for the prayer Ebook, a giveaway, my Chai Recipe, or When I Write booklet. I share helpful links, resources, and inspiration regularly, particularly in regard to belonging, identity, culture, faith, race, cultural intelligence, and loneliness. As always, I’m interested in hearing from readers. If there’s a topic you’d like me to cover, please hit reply and let me know! If this newsletter encouraged you in some way, would you consider sharing with a friend? (Make sure you check your spam folder and move this email to your inbox!)

Until next time, make it a lovely one,
Prasanta

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