

Discover more from Reshelving Alexandria
The Alexandrian Scribe, a bulletin
The Season 1 finale episode of Stories from the Ashes is now live!
Titled “Self Care in a Wintering Season” you’ll hear Amanda and me dive into our own self care tips, as well as those from the RA community, and share our plans for the podcast in Season 2. Click through for show notes with all the books and resources we covered in the episode listed!
So many in our community are currently pouring from empty cups.
We see you. We feel honored that you share your stories with us. I feel it wasn’t an accident that season one of Stories from the Ashes had so many episodes on grief, wintering, and hope.
I (Ambre), was led to Athena Avellanet on Instagram right before we recorded our last episode of the season and was so encouraged by a short video she recorded. She’s agreed to let me share with all of you. Here are two thoughts that really hit home for me from it:
“We don’t think that what we have is sufficient enough to do what God is calling you- calling us, to do. The resources, the talent, the support… and guess what? It’s not. But that’s the point. The point is to rely on Him to use what we have and make it more.” -Athena Avellanet
“Our God is more than enough and He’s gonna take what you have and do something miraculous with it to accomplish His purpose!” -Athena Avellanet
I encourage you to listen to her short reel and pray it will encourage you as well.
In our interview with Apothecary Mary we discussed the genre of hopepunk and I declared that I needed a t-shirt. Some of you reached out to request we make it a reality- so we did! Thank you so much to Charlesa who took what was in my head and made it even better! My girls have been wearing their hopepunk hoodies as a new wardrobe staple and it makes me smile to be reminded that so many of us are working so hard to raise up a generation of warriors for hope and lovers of true community.
If you’ve missed that we have shirts you should definitely run over to Redbubble and see all the different merch options! I’m particularly fond of the stickers- likely because I’m still not over my treasured sticker book being stolen while I was in Sunday school when I was eight. I’m still filling that sticker hole in my heart! Lol!
Here’s a $15 off $50 voucher for new customers if you’re looking at the sweatshirts- or a LOT of stickers!
A bit ago, on FB, I shared about how Strider’s riddle in The Fellowship of the Rings was so meaningful to me, especially the portion about “deep roots”. Alicia Pyle, an RA member, found them to be extra meaningful during her last read through, in a wintering season, and was inspired to turn it into art.
“All that is gold does not glitter,
Not all those who wander are lost;
The old that is strong does not wither,
Deep roots are not reached by the frost.
From the ashes a fire shall be woken,
A light from the shadows shall spring;
Renewed shall be blade that was broken,
The crownless again shall be king.”
-J.R.R Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Rings
She turned this lovely watercolor into a print and is offering a 70% off code to our community bringing the total for the download to $2.80! I already know what wall it’s going on as soon as it arrives from the printer. I clearly did a horrible cropping job to assure her art doesn’t get stolen. Consider it a lowkey watermark.
This can be purchased from her Etsy shop using the code RAHOLIDAY. If you add one to your home, please be sure to share a picture with us!
A reminder that the book The George MacDonald Christmas Collection: An All-New Assortment of Festive Tales and Poems by the man who inspired C S Lewis (Unabridged, with Illustrations) that Nancy Kelly and I both recommended in our Christmas book episode, is now available in lovely gift worthy hardcovers! If you’d like to purchase through our affiliate link to support what we do just click through to the link in the show notes!
As we wind down for the holidays please email us at storiesfromtheashespodcast@gmail.com with any feedback about Season 1 of the podcast or requests/recommendations you have for Season 2! We want this to be a conversation, not a monologue. May you have a blessed holiday season.