What if your loneliness was space meant for God? Charlotte Donlon and I continue the conversation about sharing the universal burden of loneliness in Part 2. She also reads a chapter from her book.

There should be no only in lonely. Author, spiritual director, and podcast host, Charlotte Donlon believes its a privilege to share our stories of loneliness, including her own.

Artists see the world differently, and yet, we desperately want to be seen and heard. Illustrator and storyteller Vanessa Brantley Newton's mission is to help children of all backgrounds know they are valued. Her work touches adults just as profoundly, and her story of harnessing dyslexia, synesthesia, and stuttering makes her a powerful advocate for those who feel invisible and out of place.

“2020: I wouldn’t recommend.” Have you seen the t-shirts? It’s funny and true but 2020 has something deep and meaningful to teach us. Pain is not in itself inherently bad or evil. Pain is a signal that something needs mending.

Christiana Peterson is the author of Mystics and Misfits: Meeting God through St. Francis and Other Unlikely Saints. We talk about:

• the artist as contemplative parent, story, and mental health and

• finding space to process crisis in music and story…

Kate Motaung is the author of a beautiful memoir, A Place to Land: A Story of Longing and Belonging and co-author of Influence: Building a Platform that Elevates Jesus (Not Me). She also leads the Five Minute Friday writing community.