link love

This week blew by so fast and I am so exhausted. SO exhausted. But I promised myself I'd post these every week, so here we are.

This dude shares a name with Taylor Swift and is really cool about it. I laughed when he read some fan mail and sheepishly said, "Thank you!"

Liz shared this post about grief on Facebook the other day and I'm going to go ahead and call it a must-read.

If you like the idea of ending oppression, give this a read.

I find it strange and disappointing when people deny the existence of racism, but just in case there was any doubt, look at this article about places named with racial slurs. Racism is real and color blindness is convenient.

Other stories that show white privilege/racism: affluent white districts vote down proposals meant to help predominantly black schools and two black cops are charged with murder after shooting and killing a white little boy. (To be clear, I am glad they are being charged. They should go to jail. But we also shouldn't ignore that black kids are killed by white cops frequently and when those cops are put on trial, society tends to jump to their defense. This is one of the many reasons the Black Lives Matters movement is necessary.)

I enjoyed (and probably needed?) this post about happily being single, and I admire the message that you shouldn't put your life on hold while waiting for a serious relationship. That said, there's some privilege in this woman's story - fine, but I could see how women with less money might be a little weary of the post. (Sorta related: this list of things to do while you're single. I'm generally annoyed by these kinds of lists, because life doesn't end when you have kids and people who say it does add to the negative perception of growing up and/or having a family. But some of these are more doable when you're single than they'd be if you were in a serious relationship or if you had the responsibilities that come with being a parent. But I don't know, keep in mind that none of these things are impossible if you're not single.)

I recently discovered John Granger and I've been pouring through reviews of his books. I need to be friends with this person.

Christmas is coming which means people are going to be extra giving. If you usually participate in Operation Christmas Child (I have), reconsider. There are better ways to help.

I love books and I love names so I ate up this article about how characters got their names!!

A while back, I wrote this post about being a burden. How all of us are burdens to other people, but how we're worth it. It is worth suffering to know another person. And so I really enjoyed this post about selfishness masked as charity. Here's an excerpt:

It is truly our selfishness, masked as mercy, that parades as charity today. We have more wealth and resources than at arguably any other time and place and yet we can’t spare the time and effort to care and love the most vulnerable of society. We’d rather kill them, for their own good, and call it our good deed of the day.

Perfect.

Pope Francis has won hearts (again) by calling for women's rights.

A little heartwarming, inspiring video.

I cannot wait to see Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. It looks amazing.

Stress is bad bad bad for the body. I can personally attest to that.

I've mentioned before that I suck at praying and can use all the help I can get. I really appreciated this post on ways to improve your prayer life. (Also enjoyed this post on always preparing for a holy death.)

My ideal wedding would take place between mid October and early January, so of course I liked this post of winter beauty inspiration for brides.

Don't listen to Gwyneth Paltrow. Ever.

Did you hear about the app that will allow everyone to be review-able? Like, Yelp for humans. Bad idea. Maybe worse than a dislike button on Facebook.

I don't usually love kitchens that use a ton of white, but I adore this one!

These homes made of plastic bottles are great for the economy, affordable, warm, and bulletproof. I think it's great, though... I don't know. Something is rubbing me the wrong way. Those of us living in developed countries make a ton of waste and give it no thought and then people in developing countries are cleaning up the mess.  

Think I might need to go see both of these movies!

Loved this list of French names that could get popular here.

And I'll leave with the gift that is Prince Harry. And his beard.

<3
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Charlotte