Just gorgeous, Jane and Jeannine. I love the deceptive simplicity of this interview and the telling of your story. The “getting out of the way” within the stark telling of it. It blooms so large in the spaces you both leave, and in the cracks of the bounty of all you have created, learned, and accepted since. Why isn’t there a verb for wisdom? Because you have both really really wisdomed well and we are all better for it.
I have been learning from Jeannine since I discovered Substack. I tend to lurk in the background of most conversations but I always find value in her words. Thanks for sharing the interview Jane. Also, I just finished Sleeping Giants by Rene Denfeld (which I received through a giveaway here) and it is phenomenal.
I am also a trauma survivor and I believe that we really have to learn to have grace with ourselves. It is a complex path to navigate and for most of us it takes a lifetime. But books and writing and friends and lots of long walks with the dog can work wonders on the soul. Thanks to you both.
Gorgeous. You have a way with love, Jeanine. And you have a beautiful creation in this questionnaire, Jane.
My cousin, with whom I shared a Beyond post a while back, got to Love as. Practice before I could. I hadn’t realized she’d continued reading after the post I shared with her. (She’s a chef who’s just opened her own cafe. So, reading time is sparse, and it says much that you’re in her list.) She said, “Have you read Jane Ratcliffe’s latest? It was with this woman named Jeannine. I get why you’re so in love with Substack now.”
Indeed! Thank you both for being a part of my falling in love with this beautiful writing home. 💕❤️
Great interview questions as usual Jane and even though I've known Jeannine for years there are several things she revealed I hadn't known about her. So much depth and textured layers to her responses here. And the delightful surprise to learn Mary G is David Guterson's sister! Snow Falling on Cedars saved my life when it first came out.
Gorgeous interview. I resonate with so many of Jeannine's words and I particularly love her description of her relationship with Frannie. Learning and being learned by an animal is truly a gift. There is no false self or social mask possible with an animal - it's relationship at its most present and pure ❤ Also love the advice around certainty.... I shall take that into my day and muse on it. Thank you both 🙏
Thank you Jane for this wonderful interview. "Being in the world and attending to the world as a writer makes my life exponentially realer and more loving. For me, writing really is a metaphor for living. It’s all part and parcel." Jeannine, this has become such a reality for me since I committed to writing on Substack. The pausing, reflecting, constructing and revising process is never finished which has given me a more realistic sense of grace for myself and others. And in the end, has made me more loving. Again, thank you Jane and Jeannine for sharing this.
This just about says it all for me: "Life is complicated, and I can be forgiving to my younger self, who was doing her best. But sometimes love means getting out of the way entirely. Sometimes love means letting go. Sometimes love means agreeing to disagree and understanding that people can view the truth differently. And, sure, of course, sometimes love means putting up a fight. It’s the power of discernment that’s so crucial. It’s not easy!"
Thanks, Jane, for the interview, and thank you, Jeannine, for sharing your discernment and wisdom gained through your life experiences, and, of course, as you said, "paying attention." I believe when we attend to the details and what we can learn from them, we are better equipped to live life up to the brim. And you're right about it not being easy. It may have been Mae West who said, "I never said it would be easy. I said it would be worthwhile." That sums it up. It has been and continues to be worthwhile even in the midst of continuing struggles and challenges.
What a joyful gift this article was this evening, well worth the bedtime procrastination to read and savour it! And while I may have added a couple of books to my Amazon "want to read" list, I managed to restrain myself and remember that I have bought lots of books I still need to read before I can buy anymore!
Just what I needed to read today. There’s something for everyone in these answers, and I found a missing piece, as though a raw nerve was sitting close to the surface I didn’t know was there until it was gently and sweetly poked, and then allowed to heal.
So grateful I somehow found both of you within my first days here on Substack. This interview, like so many spring flowers, unfolded and revealed so much in such lovely and engaging way.
Having been a single mom to 2 little ones, involved in an ugly separation/divorce, and once homeless, Jeannine's story greatly resonated with me.
This quote truly stuck with me, because it represents the many times I told myself I could live without writing and each time learned it is not true. I can survive without it, but that is not living.
"Sometimes, we tell ourselves we can get by without the thing we most need, because we’re afraid those things are beyond our reach forever. Sometimes, we try to stop wanting things we’re convinced we’re not meant to have. Sometimes, we count ourselves out. And that’s what I suppose I did. I counted myself out."
Thank you both for the spaces you've created and the work you share.
Just gorgeous, Jane and Jeannine. I love the deceptive simplicity of this interview and the telling of your story. The “getting out of the way” within the stark telling of it. It blooms so large in the spaces you both leave, and in the cracks of the bounty of all you have created, learned, and accepted since. Why isn’t there a verb for wisdom? Because you have both really really wisdomed well and we are all better for it.
I have been learning from Jeannine since I discovered Substack. I tend to lurk in the background of most conversations but I always find value in her words. Thanks for sharing the interview Jane. Also, I just finished Sleeping Giants by Rene Denfeld (which I received through a giveaway here) and it is phenomenal.
I am also a trauma survivor and I believe that we really have to learn to have grace with ourselves. It is a complex path to navigate and for most of us it takes a lifetime. But books and writing and friends and lots of long walks with the dog can work wonders on the soul. Thanks to you both.
Gorgeous. You have a way with love, Jeanine. And you have a beautiful creation in this questionnaire, Jane.
My cousin, with whom I shared a Beyond post a while back, got to Love as. Practice before I could. I hadn’t realized she’d continued reading after the post I shared with her. (She’s a chef who’s just opened her own cafe. So, reading time is sparse, and it says much that you’re in her list.) She said, “Have you read Jane Ratcliffe’s latest? It was with this woman named Jeannine. I get why you’re so in love with Substack now.”
Indeed! Thank you both for being a part of my falling in love with this beautiful writing home. 💕❤️
I wondered why i suddenly had a new slew of subscribers this morning... Thank you for saying such nice things about me. xoxoxo
PS and now i have to buy that sweater
This is what happens when two great women get together and talk about creativity, love, life and art… what a gift!
Great interview questions as usual Jane and even though I've known Jeannine for years there are several things she revealed I hadn't known about her. So much depth and textured layers to her responses here. And the delightful surprise to learn Mary G is David Guterson's sister! Snow Falling on Cedars saved my life when it first came out.
Gorgeous interview. I resonate with so many of Jeannine's words and I particularly love her description of her relationship with Frannie. Learning and being learned by an animal is truly a gift. There is no false self or social mask possible with an animal - it's relationship at its most present and pure ❤ Also love the advice around certainty.... I shall take that into my day and muse on it. Thank you both 🙏
That Maria Popova quote was exactly what I needed. Thank you. <3
Thank you Jane for this wonderful interview. "Being in the world and attending to the world as a writer makes my life exponentially realer and more loving. For me, writing really is a metaphor for living. It’s all part and parcel." Jeannine, this has become such a reality for me since I committed to writing on Substack. The pausing, reflecting, constructing and revising process is never finished which has given me a more realistic sense of grace for myself and others. And in the end, has made me more loving. Again, thank you Jane and Jeannine for sharing this.
This just about says it all for me: "Life is complicated, and I can be forgiving to my younger self, who was doing her best. But sometimes love means getting out of the way entirely. Sometimes love means letting go. Sometimes love means agreeing to disagree and understanding that people can view the truth differently. And, sure, of course, sometimes love means putting up a fight. It’s the power of discernment that’s so crucial. It’s not easy!"
Thanks, Jane, for the interview, and thank you, Jeannine, for sharing your discernment and wisdom gained through your life experiences, and, of course, as you said, "paying attention." I believe when we attend to the details and what we can learn from them, we are better equipped to live life up to the brim. And you're right about it not being easy. It may have been Mae West who said, "I never said it would be easy. I said it would be worthwhile." That sums it up. It has been and continues to be worthwhile even in the midst of continuing struggles and challenges.
What a joyful gift this article was this evening, well worth the bedtime procrastination to read and savour it! And while I may have added a couple of books to my Amazon "want to read" list, I managed to restrain myself and remember that I have bought lots of books I still need to read before I can buy anymore!
What a beautiful love-bomb to start my day with grace, before jumping on the treadmill of busyness. With coffee and a cat in my lap. Perfect.
Just what I needed to read today. There’s something for everyone in these answers, and I found a missing piece, as though a raw nerve was sitting close to the surface I didn’t know was there until it was gently and sweetly poked, and then allowed to heal.
The amount of wisdom this interview provided me with is extremely helpful for a girl like me who's about to turn 20.
I related with the fact that all I can do completely and diligently is to give love to everything and everyone. 💞
So grateful I somehow found both of you within my first days here on Substack. This interview, like so many spring flowers, unfolded and revealed so much in such lovely and engaging way.
Having been a single mom to 2 little ones, involved in an ugly separation/divorce, and once homeless, Jeannine's story greatly resonated with me.
This quote truly stuck with me, because it represents the many times I told myself I could live without writing and each time learned it is not true. I can survive without it, but that is not living.
"Sometimes, we tell ourselves we can get by without the thing we most need, because we’re afraid those things are beyond our reach forever. Sometimes, we try to stop wanting things we’re convinced we’re not meant to have. Sometimes, we count ourselves out. And that’s what I suppose I did. I counted myself out."
Thank you both for the spaces you've created and the work you share.
Really appreciated this! Thank you!