Treasure Box Tuesday Free Version, May 5, 2026
Colombia, Pentecost, and More!
Welcome to Treasure Box Tuesday Premium from Traci Smith. My weekly links are always included after the Premium Content. If you are new to the Premium version of this email, be sure to join the Facebook Group if you are interested. Please note that if you need support with your subscription, including changing your payment or email address, please reach out to Substack Support.
Some thoughts about the “behind-the-scenes” realities of a curated life…
Today, friends, for the premium version of the treasure box, I thought I’d take you behind the scenes a little bit. I recently posted THIS PICTURE of me writing final edits of my forthcoming book (with Dave Csinos) called Church Together. I’m really excited about the book. It’s a great mash-up between theory/academic reflection and practical ideas. It was fun to write, and looking through the final edits was every bit the treat I made it look like in that picture. I posted it because, as I sat down, I thought “Oh, this looks like an Instagram Picture.”
As I’ve been thinking about that, though, I’ve been thinking about the curated/instagrammable life (more on that in my conversation with Arianne, linked in the main box.)
Instagram is usually the highlight reel, even those posts that purport to be more “real life” and “authentic” — It’s always curated in some way, by definition. Some of the filters and criteria for curating vary, creator to creator.
What you don’t see in that photo were the 9 (yes NINE) previous versions of typesetting that Dave and I waded through, pulling out errors and stray commas and dodgy word choices. It felt like whack-a-mole sometimes.
What you don’t see in the photo were the tears (actual roll-down-your-face tears) when, at one point, I had a crisis of confidence about the whole project for reasons that are now resolved.
You don’t see the 17 open browser tabs, the footnotes not behaving, the tough calls about what to include and what had to be left out (every single contribution we received was valuable and important and the calls were truly tough.)
You don’t see the hundreds of track changes from multiple editors.
All you see is a beautiful moment, savoring delicious coffee and leisurely marking edits. That moment was real. Photogenic, for sure.
There’s just a lot more to the story.
Can’t wait for you to read Church Together.
Welcome to Treasure Box Tuesday, your weekly email of resources for faith + family + spirit from Traci Smith. Every week I share 3-5 interesting links, quotes, and ideas for faith and family. This version is always free, but you can check out the PREMIUM VERSION here which offers weekly additional links, offers, and goodies (and it supports this free version!) This email may contain affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission if you click through and buy. I only link to things I love or use personally
Family Faith Every Day In Conversation — I had a lovely conversation with the Arianne Lehn HERE. Arianne is an ordained minister, artist, the author of the book Ash and Starlight, mother of three, friend, clothing designer, creator of rituals and so many more things. Most important to me, she’s a friend. We talk about faith at home and a lot of other winding things in that conversation. I hope you’ll want to listen in.
Public Service Announcement - As the wife of a Colombian born spouse and mother to three Colombian kids, I’ve got a mini passion for making sure people know how to spell the country of Colombia. (note that second “o”) A good friend knows this is a passion/pet peeve of mine and sent us THIS MAGNET so all of our visitors can be well informed as well. :) Since I’m talking about Colombia, you should know that my favorite Colombian foods include AJIACO, AGUA DE PANELA, and AREPA DE QUESO
Continuing Education Funds? Consider applying for the Faithful Families™ Training and Certification. This round is offered at the lowest pricing available. Learn more HERE.
Pentecost Ideas — This post now feels “vintage” but the ideas all HOLD UP!
St. Francis and the Wolf of Gubbio — One of the things I appreciate about Cameron Trimble’s daily emails is that they consistently bring together useful metaphor/imagery and concrete action. Today’s email was particularly compelling to me, and you can read (and subscribe HERE.)
Verse to Consider — Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. Lamentations 3:22-23 (pair with this beautiful SUNG VERSION)
Enjoy the Treasures,
TS
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