Pope Leo's bro; Sucker for BGT; Wool Zombies

3 Things this week and a poem

I'm so thankful for my mom. I’m blessed to have an amazing mother-in-law. I'm in I awe as I see my wife as a mom to our kids.

Happy Mother's Day, Marg, Mary and Petra!

And to all those moms reading, here's a shout out for who you are. I hope you feel loved and seen today!

Thanks for spending part of your weekend with Things I Wrote Down. Here are three things that stood out this week on the web and a poem.

Pope Leo's bro

The white smoke rose to the sky. The masses gathered in St. Peter's Square erupted with rapturous cheers. And the Pope's brother watched it all from Chicago. But when he called to say hi, the bro missed the FaceTime calls from the newly elected Pope Leo, because he was busy talking to the media.

Can you imagine your family member suddenly becoming one of the most famous people in the world? John Prevost, a retired principal in Chicago, shared a lot of fun tidbits about his brother.

Mr. Prevost shared this family photo with the Daily Herald:

We've learned that the Pope watched Conclave, plays Wordle, and decidedly does NOT cheer for the Cubs.

(The Cubs jumped the gun when they boldly claimed Pope Leo as their own with a Wrigley Field marquee proclaiming, “Hey, Chicago, He’s a Cubs fan!” But John shut that down fast, declaring, “He was never, ever a Cubs fan. He’s Sox, and always has been!” The White Sox, thrilled to claim the papal fan, even sent a personalized jersey and hat to the Vatican).

Puts a new spin on holey socks.

A sucker for BGT

I'm legit impressed with how the producers of the Got Talent series (UK and America) package and distill stories in such short, emotive segments. Anyone else out there a sucker for this kind of content?

There's something about people taking the risk to pursue their dream that always hits me, like this story about a guy who tried to get on stage with Simon for 19 years.

I love seeing people go after it.

Feels like this would be the perfect time to reference the poetry contest I'm hosting for subscribers, which closes May 31st.

Wool Zombies

This advertisement hits. I saw it while I was scrolling LinkedIn, which highlights why it's effective. A summary: synthetic fabrics take over the world like so many zombies. It's an ingenious argument for sustainable fabrics like wool.

I'll never look at my clothes the same again.

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A poem

Here's a poem about finding the right words at the right time. May this be true for you, exactly when you need them.

~ AK