Hope in a broken world: a newsletter project

I am not an adventurous person, and there are certain things I would rather not try anytime soon (entering a submarine, skiing downhill, and climbing a mountain are on that list), but even I must recognize that it is good to try new things. We don't have to love whatever new thing we try, and we don't have to do a good job. We probably won't do a good job. Still, utilizing a growth mindset and simply trying--and learning from failure--is good for us. It helps us stretch, grow, and develop. 

Well, it's important to "practice what you preach," so here we go...

A few years ago, I thought it would be fun to create a newsletter for this blog. No huge vision or ambitions, but it would be fun, right? So, I looked into it, and discovered that it wouldn't be feasible at that time. There were lots of elements involved and I didn't feel like shelling out money for a newsletter on a blog that makes no money. I shelved that idea, and didn't think of it again...until 2020. 

I can't even remember what caused me to think of a newsletter, but in Fall of 2020, I decided to look into it more. I researched marketing companies, obsessed over the pros and cons, and an unexpected vision for a newsletter began to form in my mind. 

Feathered was born after much prayer, a lot of thought, a late-night coding session with my computer scientist husband, and hours upon hours of overthinking, deliberating, researching, and reading internet tutorials. I'm still figuring out how this all works. I'm not a professional, and I really don't know what I'm doing. Yet, I feel strongly about sending out this imperfect newsletter, especially in light of recent events in America...because Feathered is about hope. 

Yes, it'll give updates about my writing life and links to articles I've written or articles I found and want to share. Yes, it'll provide sneak peaks into the beauty that I'm savoring among the messiness of life. More than all that, though, this newsletter will be focused on the virtue of hope. I don't know about y'all, but there have been numerous times in the past several months where I've struggled with hope. I figure that if I want to grow in hope, I might as well dedicate time to reflect on it. And, since I may not be the only one out there frantically grasping at this virtue right now, I figured I'd invite others to stumble along with me. 

So, if you want to join the fun, make sure to fill out the form! If it doesn't work, please let me know-like I said, I have no idea what I'm doing ;)