My first GPS would say “recalibrating” when I took a wrong turn and reroute me. That’s what I want spiritually—to quickly find out when I’m lost and reorient.

If Wendell Berry were a musician, I think he’d have been Allen Levi. Allen is a man tied to the land and a man who chooses his words and stories with care and compassion. He’s a man who loves Jesus, truly listens to people, and makes beautiful music.

I met Leslie at the magical Laity Lodge at a conference in the summer of 2019. Little did either of us know what the next year would hold. The way she sees, the way she writes about what she sees, and the way she embraces her life and family reminds me of Annie Dillard’s quote, “How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives. What we do with this hour, and that one, is what we are doing.”  

It's my joy that one of my favorite artists, Amy Grimes, is also a friend and neighbor. To take a walk with her is to enter a more hopeful and magical world and see things differently.

Are you trying to find ways to smile this year? Follow Here a Chick, There a Chick on Instagram. Kerry Leasure is an Alabama artist creating mixed media jewelry from antiques, found objects, and a healthy sense of humor.

Now more than ever, we need hope. "A Beauty Refresher" is a window into the world of touching and tasting, smelling and sensing, seeing and reading and hearing hope through artists.

It’s not my mother’s fault. She told me to stand up straight. But after years slouching over my computer keyboard, I confess I am a “slumper.” A slumper who also is easily distracted and frets too much.

Because of that, I developed a recalibrating practice I call my “morning stand,” a way to engage my whole body to anchor my scattered soul as well as straighten my sagging posture.

The third voice in this series of thoughtful people is Jim Branch, author of the Blue Book and other books, challenging us that this season may be teaching us less is more.

In this disorienting year, we’re doing a good amount of spinning and teetering, but not much giggling or clapping. Many days I look more like the sour-faced, double-chinned, horned giantess behind the little girl.

The world has changed in a heartbeat—changed in ways that we could never have thought before. Sometimes I think of Mother Earth shaking us off her back because we have been handling her so poorly and now she is telling us to stop, become sensible, and listen.

I’ve been thinking a lot about habits and how my daily rhythms steer the direction of my heart. This is true all the time, but there are particular things I’m aware of right now. The use of my smartphone is one of them.

Through this season, guest contributors will share their thoughts on this year of pandemics, social unrest, fire tornadoes, murder hornets, and whatever else 2020 throws at us.