As we stare down the second half of August, I think our collective minds are filled with questions and a longing for some normalcy. Today’s links might not provide answers, but I hope they offer some encouragement, insight, and perhaps a new perspective or two to consider.

Why you Need to use the Lens of Love in Writing Your Story, by Ann Swindell

“Getting honest about my questions and unanswered prayers and the path my life had taken — this would cost me. The work before me on that library table wasn’t a putting together. It was an undoing. Writing my story — honestly, truthfully, fully — would be perhaps the hardest work of my life.”

To Sit With an Onion, by Elizabeth Hartwell

“When we delight in the world with its Maker, we can also grieve it properly. Do we feel the world is broken? We certainly do. Should we speak against the brokenness? We absolutely must. We love it too much to let it suffer. We love our neighbor too much to look away.”

Learning to Look Forward and Press On, by Mary Carver

“We’re living in dark days right now, and life is hard enough without me taking away your security blanket of nostalgia. I’m not telling you to stop finding solace in comforts, like TV shows from your childhood. But if we’re seeking real solace, if we’re looking for a true way out of our current struggles, if we’re desperate to satisfy our hunger for direction, for certainty, for hope, for everything good our hearts desire, God is clear in His Word: Now is the time to let the past go and look forward to whatever He has for us.”

The Workforce Is About to Change Dramatically: Three predictions for what the future might look like, by Derek Thompson

“If white-collar workers are told the downtown office is forever optional, some will take their superstar-city jobs out of superstar cities. That much is obvious. But these shifts, even if they are initially moderate, could lead to more surprising and significant changes to America’s cultural, economic, and political future.”

Why Time Feels So Weird in 2020, by Feilding Cage

“Psychologists have found that it’s common when recalling a long-ago event to think that it happened more recently than it did. But if the event happened within the past three years, we often think that it happened longer ago. This effect is called telescoping.”

The Stoic Way to Find More Time in Your Day, by Donald J. Robertson

“Before engaging in an activity — at least one that might be of questionable value — ask yourself: Is this really necessary? Pause and consider whether doing it will actually be good for your well-being.”

My Big Old Rant, by Sean of the South

“Wildflowers. We have way too many of them. There are acres of flowers growing near my house and it’s getting out of hand. I’m complaining about it because when I go for walks in the evenings, I get so overcome by the majesty of it all that I have to stop and think to myself: ‘Does it get any prettier than this?’ No. It doesn’t. And if I’m being perfectly honest, this world is full of colorful things that I seldom notice.”

This Is Your Gap Year, by Erin Loechner

“Try on the wild idea that you might know more about educating your child than an institution does. Think about what your family values. Think about what makes your kid light up. Then: guide your child toward both. If you can’t muster up the confidence to call this exploration of undiscovered passion an actual “education,” then call it something else: call it a gap year.”

What’s the best link you’ve stumbled upon lately? Feel free to share it in the Comments!