Beautiful Things… God Moments

Jan 1 2022 – Beautiful Things… God Moments

1. Owl Song… “hoo-hooing” me to sleep… as it’s night call floated in through the bedroom window.
2. Rest… waking up with no alarm… my body letting me know when it’s had enough sleep.
3. My Morning Walk… soaking up beauty… noticing the textures and colors of the mountain… beautiful even in the barreness of winter.
4. My Faithful Girl… Julie keeping up with me… on the long morning loop… even though her hips giver her more and more trouble… she doesn’t want to be left behind… insisting on not turning back after a short walk.
5. The Rhododendrons… love them every time I’m in the mountains… the way they stay evergreen all winter… tights buds holding the promise of Spring color… how they cling to the side of the mountains… holding soil in place… while towering into 20 foot hedges… along roads and paths… beautiful tenacity.
6. Loving Discernment… my sister and I … talking together… how to best support mom… as the stress of moving … requires more support than we can provide… grateful we don’t need to make these decisions alone.
7. Football… who’d have thought… this girl who was deeply grateful …when I met my beloved… that he didn’t like to watch sports… would love spending 4 hours watching Ohio State … fight their way back from behind… to win the Rose Bowl… texting our housemates in Cincinnati throughout the game… as we all cheered them on together… I am so surprised by myself sometimes.
8. Prayer… love… sent along invisible threads of connection… across time and space… sometimes the only gift we have to offer… is the most powerful gift we have to offer… as the mystery of Love… transforms out loving attention… into felt presence.
9. Companionable Presence… my beloved and I… sinking into the luxury of time… sitting and reading a book… each of us absorbed in our own interests… him taking in the tips for ultralight hiking… me gaining insight into the imaginal realm … a spiritual plane beyond our physical sight… known only with the eye of the heart… blessed by the company of one another… and the Julie-girl.

 

Jan 2 2022 – Beautiful Things… God Moments

1. A Rainy Lullaby… the murmuring of the rain… dripping from trees… to bush… to ground… falling asleep to the song… waking up to hear it still… falling back asleep… as it fell all night.
2. Messengers… the meaning of the Greek word… aggelos…. translated “angel”… in the sacred texts Judaism and Christianity… one who conveys messages…. often imagined as winged creatures … glowing with light… but often they show up hidden in plain sight… dressed in ordinary human garb… like in the book of Tobit … when Raphael appears as a fellow traveler… in order to guide and accompany young Tobias on his journey… reflecting with the good people of St. Simons… on our encounters with “angels” … the stranger who stopped to help us change a tire… on busy road… in the dark… the supervisor who encouraged us towards the perfect job… and the moments Spirit nudged us … to show up as “angels” for others… paying for someone’s groceries… making dinner for others… moved by the generous sharing of so many… felt like the sacred presence among us …bloomed large and fragrant.
3. The Nathaniel Dett Choir… from Canada… singing acapella… transporting us in worship… as they sang black spirituals… “Mary Had a Baby”… and a song for the angels… “Get Thee to a High Mountain”… grateful we have access to this music… for our ZOOM church… that they have made their gift … available to the world… another “angelic” experience.
4. Angels… the generous outpouring… of angel gifts… for a member of our community… who lost her beloved collection… of Willow Tree Angels… in a Christmas fire… some folks sending her new ones… others gifting her with angels from their own collections… love embodied… like a sacrament.
5. A Date… my beloved and I… drifting through pottery stores… admiring the work of  local artists … discovering beautiful fiber art as well… handmade wool and silk creations… a cross between a scarf and a poncho… so excited to bring home a piece of wearable art.
6. Unexpected Finds… stopping… when we notice an open furniture store… we’ve been on the hunt… for a new couch… to replace the tired one in the lakehouse… needs to include a fold out bed… not expecting much… knowing the wait on new furniture is months… astounded to find one we liked… on the floor… within our budget… they will deliver it this week!
7. Sacred Conversation… my beloved asking me about a line in my sermon… I mentioned a dream… of running a retreat center… reflecting with me… on how that dream evolved and changed… into Tikkun Farm… wondering if my original dream … for a more contemplative space… still lives within me… sharing how creating such a space… offering sacred hospitality… moves him to tears… touching on dreams living within him too… to build places of welcome… for those in need of sanctuary… noticing the holy silence… settling over us…as we named these unnamed longings… their fragrance filling the space between us.
8. Anticipation… a Winter Storm Warning… for SNOW!… on our mountain… listening as the rain pours down in steady song… knowing by morning… the dropping temperatures… will transform it… into silently falling snow… creating a winter wonderland… in the woods around us.

 

Jan 3 2022 – Beautiful Things… God Moments

1. A Winter Wonderland… listening in the wee hours… as pattering rain… silenced into falling snow… waking up to 10” of woodland beauty… rhododendron bushes bowed over… branches thickly coated… leaves dipped in white.
2. Devotions… introducing ~20 high school students… volunteering at Tikkun Farm… for their January intersession… to the Celtic Big Book… using a remarkable video about wolves in Yellowstone… discovering how nature can teach us profound spiritual truths… loved hearing their thoughtful reflections… as they tried out this different devotion for the first time.
3. A Day with a Different Plan… expecting to curl up on a snowy day… with reading, praying and writing… Spirit drawing me into different pursuits… as the hurts of the world… called for care, compassion and love… supporting my sister… as she faced challenging moments in mom’s care… grateful for my friend and colleague Mary… who’s beautiful pastoral presence… gathered family together around the beside… of a dear woman we hoped was getting better… and instead left her body today… and journeyed home to Love… so grateful I could pray with her heartbroken sister… even though neither of us was in Cincinnati… grateful for the saints at home … who included me in the prayerful, loving circle of care.
4. A Community Farm… the granddaughter of a Tikkun neighbor and volunteer… meeting Lily our turkey… out for a stroll…. visiting the neighbors… bringing her home… so glad she recognized her… knew where she came from… and felt connected enough to our farm… to be one of our remote farmers.
5. Blue… the biomedical engineer… who rescues pot belly pigs on the side… listening as I shared our woes about Max… who struggles to get up… doesn’t eat enough… and seems so depressed… blown away by how much she knows… more helpful than the vet… and  hopeful …  Max can get back in a happy place.
6. Quiet Companionship… my beloved and I… sharing the view of the snowy lake… as we worked alongside each other… each of us in deep with our work… grateful for the comfort of one another.

 

Jan 4 2022 – Beautiful Things… God Moments

1. Praying with a Tree… remembering the first time I tried this… on retreat in Seminary… thought the chaplain leading the retreat a bit crazy… how do you pray with a tree? … stunned as I sat in the company of tree for a few minutes… the Big Book lesson it taught me… about wounds… healing… resilience… as I noticed scars on the tree… from losing a limb… noticed also how the tree thrived despite it scar… offered me ways to frame my own story…  it’s scars… it’s healing… and how to thrive… inviting the youth on the farm today… to pray with a tree… they may think me a bit crazy too… I hope the trees spoke to them… as profoundly as my tree inspired me.
2. When Breaking is Not for Fixing… amazed how Spirit blesses… offering words in just the moment … to open a portal … for healing… today’s blessing from Jan Richardson… on what to do… and not do… when things fall apart… grateful for her reminder… in a week when so much has shattered… in lives of people I love… that “fixing” is not the same as healing… sometimes shattering is breaking through… rather than breaking apart… the shards must be repurposed… rather than repaired… “This breaking / is not for fixing, / as though, / if we could just find / the fitting tool, / everything would tumble / into its place, / joined and whole…. Perhaps it is time / to let the shards lie / where they have / fallen… the radiant solace knows / what the night / is for— / how it takes / the broken things / and sets them / shining / to light our way / from here.”
3. Cupped Like a “C”… my beloved’s hand… as it anticipates my catching up on our walk… perfectly formed… warm and waiting… to clasp my hand… as I slip my fingers into his.
4. Oh How He Listens… to the Julie-girls adamant demands… interpreting her non-verbal messaging… I think she’s asking to go out… though we just came in… three times she buts her head into my computer… and then into him… he rises to make her eggs… a ritual they share… then, having eaten… she rests … he read her right.
5. The Melting Light… sliding the snow … off the roof… the leaves… the branches… shining through green leaves and lacy ice… nature’s stained glass… creating sanctuary under brilliant blue sky.
   Warmly Tucked In… feeling chilled and tired… I wonder… would my beloved rest beside me for a bit?… warming me in his embrace… until I fall asleep cocooned? … he did… and I napped for two hours… waking to the smells of dinner cooking…while I slept.

 

Jan 5 2022 – Beautiful Things… God Moments

1. Polyculture… reflecting with the students from Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy… on nature’s way of growing multiple plants together… each offering unique contributions to their environment… different root depths in the soil… bringing up minerals no other plant to access… some deterring moles… others attracting pollinators… wondering with them… what spiritual truths nature’s diversity can teach us… about how to live in Love with one another.
2. Generosity… a lovely staff member… working for the Greater Cincinnati Foundation… generously offering her time … to talk with me and a grant writer for Tikkun Farm… about foundation grants we can apply for… helping us consider what elements of Tikkun Farm’s work…. best match with these foundation’s goals…. deeply grateful for the generosity of philanthropists… who create these foundations…. to support healing and compassionate work in the world.
3. Perseverance… my sister’s loving persistence… to get the best care and support for our mom… grateful for good news from the doctor today… thanks to me sister’s research… consistent communication… clarity about what’s working… and what’s challenging… she’s getting closer to understanding how to best support our mom.
4. A New Couch… delivered today… the latest upgrade to our lakehouse… grateful for the gift of the old couch… given by a friend … as she moved to a new state… it served us so well… as we were just getting started renting out this lovely space on Air BnB… grateful we could find a new one… deliverable this week… as the old one was ready to retire.
5. Where It All Began… settling in… finally… to work on my writing assignment… telling the story of how my “Beautiful Things… God Moments” posts began… remembering the fear and hate after the 2016 election… trying to find a way to speak into this environment with Love… realizing 6 months in… this daily practice had become my personal gratitude practice… just in time… for one of the hardest years of m life… so grateful the Spirit led me into this discipline… teaching me to look for the beautiful things… and presence of God… on my hardest days… and they are always there!
6. Starlight… scattered brightly across a clear dark sky… seen through the towering peaks… of pine trees and other evergreens… brilliant beauty… in the dark of night.

 

Jan 6 2022 – Beautiful Things… God Moments

1. Big Book Lessons… devotions with the students from Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy… learning spiritual truths… from the animals on the farm… like the biggest creature is not the most threatening… how to confront a bully by holding your ground… deficits like blindness do not need to hold you back… despite the diversity of appearance we share universal traits… today’s reflection was more animated than any we’ve had so far… grateful for their thoughtful engagement of an unusual devotional practice.
2. Connecting the Dots… between Brené Brown’s research on gratitude… and Bessel van der Kolk’s research on trauma and the brain… noticing how my daily “Beautiful Things… God Moments” post … evolved into a gratitude practice… grateful to learn how practicing gratitude rewires the brain… creating a buffer against the brain’s “negativity bias”… teaching my brain…  that noticing threats in the environment… isn’t the only way to keep me alive…  noticing and holding onto the good…  produces another kind of aliveness…  protecting the body from inflammation … and other conditions caused by stress… always amazed how the practice of writing… helps me know better… what I know.
3. Greyhound… my beloved and I … searching for a change … from the Great British Baking Show… not finding a single 2021 movie we’d like to watch… about to give up… when we find Tom Hanks… in a movie from 2020… in a characteristic role… captaining a naval ship… escorting convoys of supplies across the Atlantic during WWII… to protect them from German submarine attack… full of all we love about Tom Hanks adventure movies…grateful for a story full of character, leadership, compassion and vulnerability.
4. River Song… my beloved and the Julie-girl… walking with me in fading light… hearing the sound of the rushing river… out of sight … beyond the trees… pausing to listen… to the music the water makes… tumbling over the rocks… filling my senses … with nature’s music.

 

Jan 7 2022 – Tikkun Farm Beautiful Things… God Moments

1. Intersession… students from Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy… spending two weeks at Tikkun Farm… supporting all aspects of our work in the world… their hard work transforming the inside of the Green House … as well as the Learning Garden… fiber arts… chopping veggies Crockpot Meals… so grateful for these High Schoolers… their courage to try new things… their generosity to share their time with us… an amazing group of young people … committed to serving and contributing in a purposeful way.
2. Big Book Lessons… beginning every morning… with the CHCA youth… asking what spiritual truths they can learn from Creation… praying with a tree… learning from the barnyard animals… noticing what Creation teaches us about rest… sitting in the same spot every morning… noticing what changes… and what takes time to see.
3. Welcome Back… returning after winter break… stepping into the new year together… reconnecting with leadership coordinators … speaking to vulnerability and strength… thought filled and supportive words… planning together for upcoming events … as well as how to stay mindful.
4. Tree Trimming … pulling down dead trees… between the Learning Garden and Bhutanese Garden… where we hope to build a garden tool storage shed… only possible thanks to a teacher from the school… asking if he could bring his chain saw… just hours after Rejoyce and Mary wondered how they could get more chain saws!
5. Grant Writing… invitations to apply to THREE foundations… including the ELCA Dream Big grant… so grateful for the wisdom and guidance of Lisa at the Greater Cincinnati Foundation… helping us partner our work… with the generosity of philanthropists in our city… and then Robyn… Tikkun Farm’s angel grant writer… having the Letter of Intent ready to submit the next day!
6. Cheeto!… finding laps… and other cozy spots…. to stay of the cold… making friends everywhere.
7. Business School… the wonderful teacher at UC… teaching leadership and non-profit management… building on our Fall visit… this semester we have an intern from last Falls class… she’s giving this semester’s students a project to create a fundraiser for us… so grateful for her support of our work in the world.
8. Gratitude… from a new shopper… sending us the sweetest note… telling us how much she enjoyed her visit to our Farm… and her delight to discover the SPCA folks… so she could get food for her beloved dog as well.

Beautiful Things… God Moments

1. Extending Our Stay… my beloved and I… deciding to stay three more days… soaking up the peace of the mountains… making up for days lost to sickness earlier in our stay…. allowing space for prayers… and deeper conversations with God.
2. Listening to My Soul Speak… a new experience with my Soul Collage cards… each card created by me… an expression of my story… or an expression of God’s presence… usually I pray with four cards… chosen with the Spirit’s direction… each card used by Spirit … to share sacred wisdom … today Spirit led me on a different path… using Soul Collage to heal an old, messy story … one card represented my story…  the other cards revealed three divine guides… Spirit leading me into a visual prayer… in which these divine guides… led me into Mystery… a sacred experience outside of time… much like the Irish do so well…so Love could heal an old wound… and lead me home to myself.  
3. Feedback… sharing my writing … with my sister… and my writing coach… grateful for their affirmations… and constructive guidance… to keep my writing going.
4. Settling In… a phone conversation with my mom… glad to hear her share… about the cardinal visiting her bird feeder… the fluffy snow falling in Michigan… so grateful she’s beginning to feel at home … in her new community.
5. My iPhone… taking an amazing picture… of the stars … sprinkled like glitter… across the clear night sky… seen through the tree canopy… with only the light from the moon… stunned my phone camera is capable of such a nighttime photo… wow!

 

Jan 8 2022 – Beautiful Things… God Moments

1. A Time to Pray… setting aside the temptation… to read about trauma in a spiritual journal … and instead open my heart … to listen to my own trauma … the hardest part of my story… the one that’s lived long in me … in the shadows… waiting until I’m ready… to welcome it home… today I listened… to remembrances of horrible cruelty… terror… unspeakable sadness … finally spoken… I did not turn away… though I wanted to stop writing… stop hearing… stop seeing… I bore witness … felt the sadness locked away decades ago… a hard homecoming… meant to set me free… finally… and make me whole.
2. A Time to Rest… prayers like that empty me out… the journey my story traveled to be known… spent all my energy… grateful to sink into the new couch… rest in a room filled with light… as the darkness conjured up… dissipates in sleep.
3. A Bright, Bright, Bright, Bright Sunshiny Day… sitting in a pool of light… like a cat sunbathing… watching it glisten on the surface of the lake… gathered in some spaces more brightly than others… feeling it soak in be… warming me deep within.
4. Biscuits… “would you like some biscuits?” my beloved queries… seems the Great British Baking Show is rubbing off on him… he woke craving biscuits… wanting to make them… even made his own buttermilk… serving me breakfast in front of the fire… divine timing… to be embraced by his loving gesture… just as I rose out of the horror of my prayer.
5. The Dishwasher… my beloved not only cooking… but cleaning… washing all the dishes … and then taking Julie for a walk… leaving me to continue my sacred dance with Spirit … later in the day setting out dinner in front of the fire … inviting me to step back into familiar rituals… Spirit releasing me into my beloved’s embrace… as we settle in for another episode of the Great British Baking show… pastry week… my beloved inspired … to make pie together when we get home.
6. Hold Me Tight… my beloved encircling me in love… as we call it a day… falling asleep on his shoulder… in the safety of his embrace…inviting the lingering sadness … to join us as we rest.
7. Amazed…how a day could be enough… to break open an old wound… bear witness to a story I’ve avoided for decades… welcome the emotions I’ve been terrified to feel… be laid low by them… then release them finally to Love… deeply grateful for the gift of time… how all the days I’ve been here on the mountain… have been bringing me to this day… the way Kairos time – when all things come together… never synchs with Chronos time – the way we count the hours, days and years… how in Kairos time… something that’s been hiding for decades … can be healed in day… grateful for Spirit… who leads me through the sacred dance… in perfect time.

 

Jan 9 2022 – Beautiful Things… God Moments

1. Returning… Cameron… our UC intern from Fall Semester… coming back to volunteer… remembering our conversation on his last day …. he shared how his time on the farm … led him to reevaluate …. how he wanted to move within the world … and what he found value in… so glad he’s visiting!
2. A Dynamic Duo… Rejoyce and Darby… Rejoyce’s immense appreciation for Darby … her steady presence and reliability… her collaboration … clarifying the next steps with ongoing projects around the farm… her partnership in leading volunteer groups… her joy … at seeing the garden and outdoor spaces coming together… love how these two beautiful women partner together so well.
3. A Light-hearted Moment … in a crazy busy market weekend … Cheeto our community cat… growing impatient … Raeanne would not stay sitting… depriving him of his lap to nap in… … deciding to nap on the top shelves… a shopper thinking Cheeto was a “toy” … reached out to  touch him… Cheeto opened his eyes … SURPRISE!…. the shopper shrieked and jumped back.
4. A Warm House… for Max our Pig… discovering from a woman who rescues Pigs… that straw insulates so much better than hay… Mary finding straw bales… Tess picking them up… the CHCA High School volunteers stacking them around Max’s pig house… Rejoyce and Darby spreading a bale loosely inside… and then staying late… to staple plastic sheeting in front of his entrance… to block the wind… so he’d be warm before the temperatures dropped… such love and care for our cranky Max… his pig house is toasty… so grateful for his team!
5. A New Diet… Max dropping 100 lbs in the last year… when he stopped eating… after hurting himself in some way… offering him eggs as a last ditch effort to keep him alive… finally something he would eat… but not a lot… our Pig Rescue friend helping us out again… suggesting other foods… Max’s diet now includes apples, cereal, vegetable stew, bananas… with company while he eats… as Meghan sits with him… to learn what he likes… and for dessert… a daily donut hole or oatmeal pie from Tonya.. to hide a pain pill in… Max is walking around again… so, so grateful for Blue the Pig Rescuer… she’s helping us rescue Max!
6. Plan B… Omicron doing it’s thing… spreading like wildfire… taking down staff everywhere… schools, hospitals, Dr. offices, businesses… Tikkun Farm facing the same challenges… grateful for the thoughtful discussion with our leaders… deciding to shut down what we can this week… so as not to contribute to the spread… finding Plan B’s for other programs that need to continue… in safer ways.

Beautiful Things… God Moments

1. Ancestor Gifts… noticing the old, moss covered log… fallen in the woods… returning nutrients to the soil…feeding the younger trees as it decomposing… a Big Book lesson… on how my ancestors continue to nourish, support and help me grow… even though they no longer inhabit this world.
2. House of Love… reflecting with the good people of St. Simon’s… on how Love chooses to make a home on the margins… far from the centers of power… growing from the ordinary gestures… in our every day lives… the embrace given to support a friend after a long day… the patience offered to a struggling parent… the gentleness given to colleague in a moment of vulnerability… these gestures create a home for Love to flourish… and joy to be known… grateful to the St. Simon’s folks… who shared stories of joy… reminding us how Love shines… even… and maybe especially… in the darkest rooms.
3. Brunch… in one of our favorite places… slipping in right before they closed the kitchen… the lovely server staying past her shift… grateful to emerge from our cozy little lakehouse… share a meal… look ahead into the year… dream some… plan some.
4. Epiphany… a festival in the church… celebrated on Jan 6^th… telling the Christian story of the mystics from the East… who traveled to meet Jesus… the revelation of God’s Love… to all the people of the world… celebrating it today …. with the good people of St. Simon’s… sharing the message of Bishop Curry… standing in front of the Lincoln Memorial… a year after the insurrection at the Capitol… reminding the world… the spiritual message of Jan 6^th … is the antidote to the violence of Jan 6^th a year ago… love our Bishop!

 

Jan 10 2022 – Beautiful Things… God Moments

1. An Extended Stay II… discovering that members of our house community have COVID … or have been exposed to it… deciding to wait to return home… until the five day window has passed… and housemates are less likely to be contagious… grateful no had booked our lakehouse this week… making it possible for us to stay a few more days.
2. The Gift of Time… grateful for the time I’ve had here in the mountains… creating space for prayer, healing and discernment… stunned to be given four more days… feels like an extraordinary gift … for more sacred conversation and holy listening.
3. Office Partners… my beloved and I … sharing the living room… as we turned it into an office… taking turns talking on the phone… making ZOOM calls… and getting work done… from the best corner office… with the most beautiful views.
4. Culinary Arts… connecting with the Culinary Arts instructor at Mt. Healthy High School… his openness to supporting Tikkun Farm… with two of our programs… chopping fresh prep veggies for our Crockpot Meal Kits… recruiting youth for our Summer Job Training program in Culinary Arts… grateful for his willingness to partner with us… even with creating our curriculum for the summer program.
5. Care for Caregivers… the honor of being invited… to submit a proposal … to a local organization… who’s employees have been on the front line during COVID… that would support them in reflecting on their year… grieving the losses… celebrating the unexpected gifts… considering what they will take with them into the next season… and what they will leave behind… so grateful for an opportunity… to offer the healing gifts of the farm… to those who’ve been healing others for a long season.
6. Dinner & a Walk… taking a break from office duties… walking the Julie-girl together… sharing highlights from our day… my beloved heading out to the grocery store… to restock our provisions… for our longer stay… then making dinner … while I finished up my projects… grateful to end our day in quiet intimacy.

 

Jan 11 2022 – Beautiful Things… God Moments

1. Plan B… new leaders rising up… young leaders taking on new leadership… as Tikkun Farm continued to welcome students from Cincinnati Hill Christian Academy… for their intersession at the farm… as Rejoyce and Jeanne recover from COVID… and so many of our program plans had to cancel… grateful for Darby… our AmeriCorp member… so beautifully mentored by Rejoyce… taking the lead … getting all the students and leaders set up with projects… and grateful for Holly… who usually feeds and waters the animals… taking on a group a students… to assist her with coop chores… glad for what the students helped accomplish… and the new relationships developing among our leaders… another reminder of how Love brings good from the hard.
2. Big Book Lessons… from those Rhododendrons I love… noticing how the leaves go limp and curl in on themselves… when they get very cold… but as soon as the sun kisses them… they open up… becoming strong and glossy again… reminding me of how we curl in on ourselves… and withdraw… when we feel the chill of emotional disconnection… a friend who ghosts us… an unkind word from a colleague… the sibling who knows just how to hurt us… and also how the warmth of Love and connection helps us open up… and live into our best selves.
3. Remembrances… talking with the good people of St. Simon’s… about how we will celebrate our 90^th birthday… love how the list of the church’s ancestors gets longer and longer… usually we tell the story of the church… by telling the history of events… and maybe the history of it’s pastoral leaders… so grateful we are also telling the stories of the “church”… the beautiful people who prepared the altar… taught Sunday School… showed what Love looked like… by living example… ushered… baked… took in strays… shared generously… raised their children to love God and Neighbor… took care of their elders… hearing these stories of the saints so moves me… and makes me love this community even more.
4. Quiet Intimacy… my beloved and I … coming together after a long day of meetings… conversations… spreadsheets… settling in hand in hand… to watch another episode of the Great British Baking Show… glad for this quiet moment … in one another’s company.
5. Subversive Small Groups… reflecting online… with dear saints… committed to embodying the vision of the Episcopal church… to becoming beloved community… resonating with one of the practices… “Unite in small gathered communities…small circles of people … who support each other in following Jesus … with intention and accountability”… remembering the many small groups … I’ve been privileged to belong to over the years… how subversively small groups can shape an institution… challenge it’s rigidity… become containers for Spirit’s transforming energy… witnessing a church I loved… come alive and vibrant… as the love and connection folks experienced in their small groups… spilled out into the larger community… remembering Dietrich Bonhoeffer… how he mentored a small group of Christians… in Nazi Germany… in the practices of Love in Life Together… as subversive counter-balance to the institutional Church’s alignment with the State… who had betrayed all the values and practices of the Kingdom of God… Bonhoeffer’s little band… shining a light in darkness.
6. Mystical Union… being led in a lovely meditation … as I gathered with my becoming beloved community group… “imagine Jesus inviting you to come and rest”… the Spirit gives me the image of sitting on the shore of my beloved Assateague next to Jesus… “imagine Jesus loving you”… shocked to see the image of Jesus kissing me full of on the mouth… loving me with passion… pretty sure this is not how the others in my group imagine being loved by Jesus… nonetheless grateful… in week when Spirit has drawn me back into my story of childhood sexual abuse… to discover Jesus loving me… by honoring the sacred quality of sexuality… rather than the way abuse distorts it into something shameful… knowing a passionate kiss from God… is another expression of sacred intimacy… and for me right now… the healing image my spirit needs… grateful for the saints and mystics before me… who also has visions of sexual union with God … reminding me that even though the Church doesn’t talk much about this… its part of our sacred tradition.

 

Jan 12 2022 – Beautiful Things… God Moments

1. “We Made a Pie”… my beloved’s triumphant call… as he heads off to bed… inspired by our nightly visit with the Great British Baking Show… a Canadian meat pie… reminiscent of Cincinnati chili… flavored with cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and allspice… and an unplanned bit of ginger… when he pulled out the wrong jar… thinking he had garlic… “a happy accident”… and no soggy bottom! … so fun to bake together… love his courage to try something he’s never done.
2. Terminal Buds… another Big Book Lesson… with the students from CHCA… taking a closer look at the bare winter apple branches… noticing the tiny buds… full of Spring flowers… and Summer fruit… taking in the full amazement of these winter clusters… watching them unfurl in Spring … thanks to time lapse photography… such an important reminder… of what lives in us… often unnoticed… especially in our winter seasons… just waiting for the warmth of loving attention … to unfurl in us and bloom … revealing the fullness of our gifts.
3. A Pain Lesson… Blue the Pig Rescuer… telling us the reason Max our piggie stopped eating … he hurt his shoulder… the pain takes away his desire for food… he’s lost 100 lbs… we had all but given up thinking we could help him… “try putting a pain pill in a donut hole”… we did… he ate it… then his dinner became more interesting… and then… Holly brought him his breakfast this week… and he ran to meet her… he was so excited … tonight he came out of his piggie house… as soon as he heard Tonya coming with his dinner… didn’t’ even need her help getting up this time… feels miraculous… so grateful for team Max… and what Max has taught us about how to care for him.
4. A Budget Coach… Robyn … Tikkun Farm’s volunteer grant writer… offering years of experience writing grants… to helps us secure thousands of dollars … for our work in the world… sitting with me on ZOOM for two hours… going through our 2022 budget… line by line… helping me clean it up and clarify it… such a learning curve for me… she’s the most patient teacher… deeply, deeply grateful … for the generous way she’s offered her gifts to the farm.
5. Winter Light… brilliant on bare branches… catching the morning sun… glowing luminous… like a burning bush … alight over the rushing river.

 

Jan 13 2022 – Beautiful Things… God Moments

1. Not Plant or Animal… A Big Book Lesson… from Fungi… introducing the CHCA intersession students… to the beautiful world of mushrooms… thanks to the photography of Stephen Axford … who taught us about the Woodwide Web… the crucial role fungi have in tree health… helping trees communicate… share water and nutrients… reminding us how important our connections to one another are… solitary trees not connected to other trees through the fungi soil network … never live as long… ending the day with a fungi treasure hunt … the students sharing pictures of all the mushrooms they found on the farm.
2. Spirit Practices… visits with beautiful pilgrims… eager to hear Spirit’s voice in their life… wondering how to cultivate these sacred conversations… sharing what I’ve learned from my journey… how I notice Spirit’s presence most when I’m quiet… on my yoga mat… in meditation and prayer… walking in nature… Spirit of course shows up in many other ways… but these are great places to start… and go back to again and again.
3. Always Something New… when I slow down… to read Bible… today reflecting with the good people of St. Simon… on the Baptism of Jesus… one person who’s been reading the bible for decades… noticing for the first time… Jesus prays… after his baptism… and then the Holy Spirit comes upon him… I had never noticed that detail either… today I noticed for the first time… the contrast between how John describes what Jesus’ baptism will be like… Spirit and Fire and Judgement… and what Jesus’ baptism actually is… Spirit and Dove and Grace… realizing in a new way… what John imagines Jesus will be like… is not actually how Jesus shows up… so familiar… so many of us expect a God full of judgement … and don’t really trust … the grace, acceptance and love Jesus brings instead… always makes me wonder why we resist Love so much.
4. 21 Inches… the possible snow accumulations this weekend… in the North Carolina mountains… unbelievable… still we’re heading to the grocery early… before all the skiers show up for the long weekend… and clear out all bread, eggs and milk… it will be a wonder… if it happens.
5. Friends for Max… Blue from Pig Rescue… finding two little piglets for Max… sisters… one is blind… her sibling helps her find her way… they embody the Tikkun spirit… so grateful for all the friends of the farm… who donated to the fundraiser to get them spayed… Max has lots of friends!

 

Jan 14 2022 – Beautiful Things… God Moments

1. A Beautiful Team… pulling together… as Omicron hit the farm… pulling staff away … folks stepping into new roles… those in quarantine encouraging from the sidelines… shutting down many programs to protect the community… while managing to continue welcoming the Cincinnati Hill Christian Academy students… a beautiful week during a challenging season.
2. Making Lemonade… from Omicron lemons… volunteers Kristen and Karen… using the down time while our programs were canceled… to repaint the chicken feet …. Ssch a great color!
3. Flexibility… the CHCA group these past two weeks… their willingness to try new things … step out of their comfort zones … into their growing edge each day… their continual high spirits and laughter … even when spending day after day in the cold…  doing hard work.
4. Big Book Lessons… the CHCA students… mastering a new kind of devotion… noticing nature… terminal buds on the fruit trees… fungi and mushrooms… composting… drawing life lessons from them… without being prompted… like the terminal buds… we all have gifts and beauty… waiting to be unfurled in us… when the just-right conditions come along… there in no failure in the Realm of Love… nothing is wasted… what seems like trash… gets transformed in life… just amazed … as I witnessed how they moved from being puzzled by the nature devotion… to becoming nature theologians.
5. Friends for Max!… Blue from Pigsburch Pig Rescue… coaching us to manage Max’s pain… and get him eating again… the joy watching him run for his breakfast… first time in more than a year… he’s ready for a friend… Blue finding two little girls… one blind… gets along fine with her sister’s help… who will make great companions for Max… the incredible generosity of Max’s Tikkun friends… raising the $300 needed to spay the new piggies.

Beautiful Things… God Moments

1. Virtual Walking… my with Cincinnati walking buddy… we meet at our usual time… and talk over the phone … rather than in person… as we walk in our own communities… love being able to keep our rhythm… and catch up on her life.
2. There are No Failures… in the Realm of Love… learning a Big Book Lesson … from composting… with the CHCA students… noticing how nature recycles everything… nothing is wasted… the fallen leaves become soil for the tree… returning all their nutrients back to the ground… the fallen tree gets composted by fungi… also releasing it’s nutrients … to feed it’s children… in the same way… nothing is wasted in Love’s Realm.. Spirit transforms our biggest failures… into compassion… insight… understanding… awareness… wisdom… everything helps us grow.
3. Somatic Communication… sudden body aches… with no physical trigger… let me know… it’s time to pray… stop and listen… my body wisdom has something to tell me… grateful for the gift of an unscheduled day… creating space for soul work… listening again… to old stories… that need to be heard… and then released… taking my journal pages to the river… burning the stories that have created so much heaviness… casting them on the water… returning them to Love… trusting they will be transformed in to wisdom… light… grace … and love.
4. A Walk in the Woods… grateful for the intimacy of the trees… the enclosing embrace the Rhododendrons… the witness of the river … the solidity of the rock … the peace of wild things… as my soul work rises up out of me… into nature… waiting to receive it… as I let it go.

5*. A Soundtrack for my Soul… my prayer play list… a perfect accompaniment… to the stirrings of my spirit… “behold, I make all things new”… “The heart of God has been revealed … to bring love not hate…  pour out not dominate … to forgive not blame… to make whole not shame”… “I am sending you light…, to heal you, to hold you… I am sending you light… to hold you in love”… “another world is not only possible… she is on her way …on a quiet day I can hear her breathing”… amazed how each song… blessed my soul work… speaking love… and truth… into my story…. so grateful for these artists… who give voice to the sacred.

5. A Moonlit Walk… with my beloved… and the Julie-girl… a clear sky… brilliant light… casting moonshadows through the trees… hemmed in by the stillness… intimately enfolded by the dark.

* https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hk3D5kNaRrU – The Heart of God

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nqiBc9uPkG0 – Behold I Make All Things New

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nqiBc9uPkG0 – I am Sending You Light

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OS0zew_5EIA – All Shall Be Well / Another World

 

Jan 15 2022 – Beautiful Things… God Moments

1. Chefs… two women… interested in teaching cooking classes for Tikkun Farm… such an abundance of gifts… making it possible to offer a variety of cooking experiences… for guests and volunteers… creating a community of cooks… who can provide healthy meals… made from available and low cost ingredients… felt like Spirit brought us these gifts… saying “this is the way… walk in it”… meal preparation as sacred work.
2. A Date Day… lunch out with my beloved… running errands together… walks with the Julie-girl… watching our baking show… grateful we could put the laptops away… set the work aside… take our hand off the plough… and turn toward each other.
3. Those Bengals!!… another great football game… watching the Bengals win the playoffs… nail biter right up to the last 30 sec… watched more football this season … than all the other years on my life combined… what a great way to be winding down the season… so fun texting with our housemates… as they watched it in Cincy.
4. Postcards from Home… oh Bradley… he has a hard life… finding the best place to sleep… today he snuggled with his head on pillow… underneath a cozy quilt… a great lesson in rest.
5. Something Sweet… warm chocolate chip cookies… fresh from the oven… made at home… as we wait for the snow to begin.
6. “What did Jesus’ followers say about John the Baptist”… THAT is very good question… my beloved and I … talking about the Baptism of Jesus…  and how the Christian tradition worked hard to make distinctions between these two holy leaders… who both called disciples… and taught people about God… noting the contrast between John’s fiery rhetoric and judgement… his belief the Holy Spirit would come with fire… and Jesus’ baptism experience of grace and love… as the Holy Spirit came like dove… how we see God makes such a difference … do we believe in a God who’s out to get us?…. or a God who’s out to gift us?

 

Jan 16 2022 – Beautiful Things… God Moments

1. A Winter Wonderland… snow falling all day… creating a quiet hush… blanketing the woods in beauty… after 16 hours we have a foot of snow.
2. The Traditions that Shape Us… reflecting with the good people of St. Simon’s… on the differences between John the Baptist and Jesus… how they were shaped by different spiritual traditions … one focused on working hard to earn God’s love… another focused on trusting that you’re already loved… and responding by offering that love to others… these same distinctions exist today… and always have … some people are more comfortable working for love… rather than trusting in belovedness… there will always be spiritual traditions that motivate their communities to “do good” through fear and shame… just as there will be spiritual traditions grounded in grace… grateful for conversations with people today about the traditions that shaped them… and how they’ve found their own path along the way.
3. A Christmas Project… I was so excited for… but never got around to… bringing all the materials with me to NC… hoping I could work on it here… completing it today… as the snow fell through the trees outside my window… framing some of my favorite quotes … from the lovely book.. “The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse”… so grateful for a cozy afternoon to create.
4. Boundary Conversations… reminders about how hard this is… and how essential… having to set a boundary today with someone I care about… who had I had been glad to support… during a short-term need… that extended into an indefinite need… realizing my support… interfered with them solving their problem… having to make the uncomfortable choice … letting them know I’d reached my limit… remembering the discomfort of setting this boundary… is better than the resentment that would build in me if I did not.
5. Sacred Conversations… more time to pray… listen… discern… the shape of a book coming together … inner work continuing to heal old wounds… so, so grateful for this gift of time… making it possible to journey through these inner landscapes.
6. “May I Make You Dinner?”… my beloved taking over the kitchen… while I pray… making tortellini soup… such a sacred exchange… I am blessed with contemplative time… and dinner… as he finds unexpected joy… in the creative experience … of transforming raw ingredients into delicious sustenance.
7. Strangely Moved… again… by the incredible vulnerability … and kindness… of participants on the Great British Baking Show… having to pause… after listening to a man share how he threw himself into baking … after his wife died… realizing he’s weeping … after learning he’s not coming back for the next week… not because he wasn’t good enough… but because he misses his wife… and the community he’d found with the other bakers had become unexpected solace… such a tender moment… you don’t expect in a baking show… but humanity is everywhere … waiting to be noticed… moved also by the baker who finished her project… and so started helping her neighbor… who was running out of time to finish his… grateful for glimpses of our goodness.
8. Deep Contentment… my beloved falling asleep … in front of the fire… in the middle of the baking show… grateful for these weeks in the mountains… they have filled his bucket… and deep peace is settling into his spirit.

 

Jan 18 2022 – Beautiful Things… God Moments

The Hard and the Healing… reflecting on life in community… with my beloved… and my housemates… there are moments of such joy… when we are all in the flow… cooking in kitchen … working together on a project as the music moves among us… and moments when we push on one another’s tender places… as hard as these moments are… they reveal what still needs healing in my story… grateful for my housemates… who help me grow.

1. The Power of Prayer… and ritual… continuing to walk around in old rooms… with my younger self… taking time to listen to her story… my story… inviting Jesus to sit with us… as we grieve long ago losses… that still feel fresh… grateful for prayerful imagination… and the Spirit who inspires it… leading us in visual prayer… that comforts the grief… and offers us ways to release it to Love… noticing my breathing changes… as prayer metabolizes the pain.
2. Holding Down the Farm… my beautiful housemates… keeping things going in our absence… taking care of the animals… feeding Max… welcoming our Air BnB guests… unpacking and cooking the Hello Fresh meals… and today… taking down the Christmas tree… dried out and leaning… harvesting branches for kindling… rolling up the lights… laying out the ornaments for packing… grateful for all their support…  loved that they started the day with a proper fire!
3. Remembering Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr…. a piece of his legacy… we don’t talk about much… how he “moved from the era of civil rights to the era of human rights”… in the wake of the Voting Rights Bill … he began building a coalition across racial lines… “The Poor Peoples Campaign”… to address the impact of economic inequality on people in every ethnic community… grateful for such a big vision… that had room for every person oppressed by poverty… grateful for the revival of the Poor People’s Campaign… which continues that work.

 Beautiful Things… God Moments

1. Family Drama… hearing my sister’s excitement… to be invited by her daughter… to assist her with a fashion photo shoot … my sister the artist… traveling to support her daughter the artist… painting props, backdrops, etc… love how my sister’s creative energy flows through every one her children.
2. Racial Healing … listening in … as leaders in Cincinnati… and from around the country… reflect on what racial healing looks like in our community… grateful for the truth-telling documentary … shining a light… on the historic structural racism in our city… displacing and gutting… thriving, vibrant African-American neighborhoods… sadness, grief and despair for the cruelty and injustice built into our policies… gratitude to know our story… even though it’s hard to hear… hopeful that new leaders seem ready to tackle these long standing disparities.
3. Walks in the Snow… with my Julie-girl… clear mountain air… snow covered rivers… brilliant blue skies… tinged with golden lighted trees…  grateful to be touched by beauty.
4. A Grandaughter’s Clarity… Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s granddaughter… in elementary school still… preaching at the National Cathedral… calling her listeners not to look back on her grandfather’s legacy… but to look forward to the work we are all called to do… her fierce challenge to our national leaders to pass the Vote Rights Act… her clarity in naming those who rob citizens of the right to vote … used to wear the sheets of the Klu Klux Klan… but now wear the robes of Supreme Court Justices… and the suits of legislators… so grateful for her leadership… and call to action.
5. The Delicate Dance… of letting go… conversations with elders… caregivers… children… colleagues… about living with our limits… about the those hard moments … when we can’t do everything we used to do… or want to… finding gentle ways to make the transition… to let go slowly… to not have to say for sure that we have changed… but maybe just for now… in this season… leaving the option open… that energy and strength may return… but if it doesn’t… the temporary becomes the new normal… without needing to be named that way… grateful for Love that allows us to transition with grace.

 

Jan 19 2022 – Beautiful Things… God Moments

1. Water Ways… listening to lessons… on how water shapes forests… washes away soil… erodes mountains… restores ecosystems… so grateful the author of “The Hidden Life of Trees”… is back with more… “The Secret Wisdom of Nature”… first I learned how fish grow a forest… now water… looking forward to ants and earthworms… so grateful for this German forester… who’s distilled his wisdom… from decades of learning from the forest… in a way that connects me to the land… so I notice the threads… connecting life in these mountains… and on my farm… in a web that would otherwise remain invisible to me.
2. School to Farm Partnerships… the generous marketing professor… from Xavier University… listening as Rejoyce and I share our struggles… with Social Media… Email… recruiting participants… communicating quickly… and more … totally understanding our non-profit limits… hearing what we need… matching it to what his department… and students… can offer… even offering some of his personal time… creating a strategy for support … in less than an hour … so grateful for his time… and interest in our work in the world.
3. A Good Cry… noticing the last two days… the tight, anxious knot … in the middle of my chest… making it hard to breathe… also noticing the Sacred voice… inviting me to come a sit a spell… finally this afternoon… after meetings and emails… settling in… breathing into the knot… noticing sadness as I breathe out… the dam breaks… grief gushes … tears flow… a horror long hidden … finally acknowledged… sobbing subsides… breath slows… sinking into Love’s embrace… resting from the emotional storm… noticing as I breathe… the knot is gone… washed away.
4. “What’s Next?” … on my spiritual path… in the wake of my mountain prayers… Spirit inviting me to listen … for answers to this sacred question… on my last day in the mountains… using my Soul Collage cards… pulled randomly… offering me images of spiritual leaders … in all contexts… African shamans… embodying strength, nurture and gentleness… Nelson Mandela… who found freedom while in prison… emerging with a power greater than violence…  the man covered in bees… because he’s got the Queen…. the spirit guide who moves between the Realms… noticing the thread weaving through these images… offering diverse ways to imagine my spiritual leadership … have no idea how this will manifest… trust I will recognize Spirit … when She appears.
5. CODA… Child of Deaf Adult… poignant movie… of a young woman… who discovers her passion for singing… leads her away from her deaf family… a beautiful tale… of family love… finding one’s voice… and living into who you were created to be… a great last night with my beloved… as we wind down our day… and end out retreat… hearts full… ready to return to life on the farm.

 

Jan 20 2022 – Beautiful Things… God Moments

1. A Last Look… Julie-girl and I … taking our final mountain walk… checking out the river… frozen solid where it meets the lake… grateful for the snow that hemmed us in … and blanketed us in beauty… this visit.
2. Moving Memories… reading that our beloved Cincy hippo Fiona turns five this week… remembering how our entire city rallied to keep her in the world… when she was born premature… reading this story always makes me cry… I just love her! … a year ago Amanda Gorman stunned our nation… as she inspired us to find the best of ourselves… to have the courage to see the light in a dark season in our nation… and have the courage to be the light… grateful for these reminders of the beautiful moments in our shared life together.
3. A Good Team… my beloved and I… cleaning up the lakehouse… packing up the van… taking turns working from the passenger seat… while the other one drove us home… a good day saying good-bye to our sequestered time … and making our way home… grateful for a partner who partners with me!
4. Accompanied by Beauty… driving home through the mountains of Tennessee and Kentucky… layers of blue… just like the Blue Ridge mountains of North Carolina… shimmering sidelines… as branches sparkled with snow and ice… along long stretches of interstate… makes the drive home it’s own gift.
5. Home Sweet Home… stepping into the farmhouse kitchen… greeted by the loving warmth of our housemates… the coziness of the living room… a fire in the fireplace… all the animals and people piled up and lounging… settling into watch a new show with the girls… checking in on our day… before unpacking and settling in… so blessed to come home to such goodness.

 

January 21 2022 – Beautiful Things… God Moments

1. Back on the Farm… beginning the day with breakfast… for the chickens… and Max… with help from farmmate Silas… our 10 year old chicken whisperer… so lovely to see Max’s newly insulated pig house… very toasty!… to watch the great chicken race… as the birds run out of the coop to get their grain… to chase Mac the alpaca away from the chicken food… grateful to be back in the rhythm with our creatures.
2. A Full Day… meal planning for next week’s New Year’s Retreat… welcoming the Ag Educators for Green Acres Farm… so lovely to learn from them… how they host farm field trips for local schools… just as we begin to plan similar programs… reviewing with Rejoyce new student interns… spiritual direction with a thoughtful pilgrim… grateful to be back in the rhythm with our community.
3. On the Road Again… five months after taking my car in for repair… I finally drove it home… after the first auto body repair shop took my car apart to survey the damage… and then told me they couldn’t fix it… giving it back to me in pieces… then waiting for a second auto body repair guy to beautifully restore my car in his backyard business… only to have it towed to a car mechanic… because the first autobody repair shop broke the brake line when they returned it to me… finally picking my car up today… repaired inside and out! … grateful to be back in my driver’s seat!
4. Tell-Tail Signs… bringing Max his dinner… as I put the chickens to bed… tentatively reaching out to pet him… as I watch him enjoying his bean and veggie stew… knowing he usually grunts and cranks when someone reaches out to touch him… surprised he keeps eating as I gently stroke his back … noticing a slapping noise… shocked to discover Max wagging his tail!… removing my hand… thinking his dinner is making him happy… noticing his tail becomes still… petty him again… discovering a first every Max moment… being petted makes him wag his tail! … so excited to be a part of this magical, healing moment… with our not-so-cranky-Max.
5. The Power of Conflict… talking with a team of friends… after a hard moment rose up among us… sticking with the discomfort… taking turns naming what we noticed… what felt hard… what could have been done differently… grateful for the friend who talked first… a totally vulnerable risk… opening the door for the rest of us to speak our truth… in love… remembering again… how conflict opens the door to deeper intimacy… if we are brave to walk through it… rather than run away from it… so grateful to have courageous friends… who values our friendship enough … to be uncomfortable… so we can learn deeper trust and love.
6. Tucked In… the Julie-girl… curled up on her favorite couch… her paw curved around to cradle her head… as glad as we are… to be sleeping in her own bed again.
7. The Wee Hours… my beloved and I … leaning in… in front of the fire… after the rest of our house has headed to bed… debriefing his first viewing of “Queer Eye”… walking gingerly among sensitive issues… each of us sharing our perspective… with respect and care… which doesn’t always agree… this leading us into deeper waters… naming what we have come to cherish in one another… my deep gratitude for his gentleness… in the wake of too many abusive men…how safe I feel in his love… amazed how the most tender conversations… rise up in the darkest hours of the night.

 

Jan 22 2022 – Beautiful Things… God Moments

1. A Frosty Morning… ice crystals making the orchard sparkle… Max staying cozy in his pig house… volunteers building a fire… to warm up by… after fortifying the pond fence… winter sunlight drenching the ducks sunning themselves… grateful for snapshots of winter farm life.
2. A Love Story… visiting with a couple planning their wedding… listening as they tell me how they met… his story… her story… love noticing the common threads… and each person’s unique perspective… touched by the tender way their relationship developed over time… their friendship… patience… no need to rush… so much joy.
3. The Stories that Live within Us… reflecting with a friend… on the younger versions of ourselves… who hold stories and emotions from earlier seasons in our lives… how their ancient emotions get activated in us now… often in disruptive ways… until we find the courage to listen … rather than dismiss them… astounded at the tales they will tell us… and the compassion and wisdom our older selves can offer… when we befriend ourselves.
4. Let Your Soul Speak… a brave visitor… exploring Soul Collage for the first time… the gift of time they offered themselves… to sort through images… create cards… listen to wisdom captured… groundedness… being in the present moment… knowing the path forward… their openness to a mysterious process… of knowing themselves more fully.
5. Good Company… Robyn visiting from Indianapolis… hanging out in the living room… in front of the fire…working on her laptop… delivering hot chocolate to volunteers working in the cold… making soup… catching me up on how’s she settling into her home … staying to watch the Bengals game … love how effortlessly she slips into our rhythm… at home among us.
6. Football Fun… housefriends gathering to cheer the Bengals on… snacking on wings and nachos… rejoicing in their win together… my beloved lingering by the fire… to watch the next round … 49ers beating Greenbay on a snowy field… while I napped on the couch… savoring the cozy camaraderie… as we rooted for the underdog.

 

Jan 23 2022 – Beautiful Things… God Moments

1. The Spirit of Love… has anointed me… reflecting with the good people of St. Simon’s… on the all the ways Spirit moves through us… to bring Love into the world… the nudges to come away to a quiet place to pray… when exactly what you need to move forward in your job comes along in a surprising way… the courage to have a honest, challenging conversation with someone you care about… the football party that gathers folks into community and fellowship… helping us understand why watching football can feel like church.
2. The Women of the Movement… my oldest friend… calling to tell me about this new min-series… about Emmett Till’s mother… and how tragedy propelled her … into the Civil Rights Movement… my friend remembering … how I shared Nikki Giovanni’s poem …“Rosa Parks”… with her son… the impression the Pullman Porters made on him… as he learned how they brought Emmett Tills murdered body back home to Chicago… my friend thinking I might like to hear more of Emmett’s mother’s story… grateful she thought of me… grateful ABC made this series… looking forward to watching it.
3. Sacred Space… the way chopping vegetables can soothe us… preparing a meal can transport us… out of ordinary time… into sacred flow… sharing this mystery with Tonya… as together we prepared dinner… for my sister’s visit… my “prayer playlist” the soundtrack for our communion in the kitchen…. “I’m sending you light / to heal you / to hold you / I’m sending you light / to hold you in love”…. “another world is not only possible / she is on her way”…  “Behold / I make all things new”… grateful for this tender time… to connect without words… as the Spirit’s presence weaves a web of love around us.
4. 105 English Muffins… my niece Ruby… in Columbus for a photo shoot… traveling 2 hours to Cincinnati… to pick up Blue Over Bakery English Muffins… placing her very largef order a few days ago… so she could bring some back for her photo shoot team… arriving today to pick them up… discovering they have no record of the order… and don’t think they have that many English Muffins… It is Sunday after all… when they sell out … counting out what they do have…. 109!… grateful she got what she came for… despite their skepticim.
5. “While Making Saturn… I met the nicest guy”… my sister sharing the best part of her photo shoot experience with her daughter… needing to construct a model of the planet Saturn… having no idea how to make this work… until the moment she’s standing in Michael’s… in the aisle with the Styrofoam balls… and it all comes together… delighted to get to know the lovely man helping her on this project… thinks my daughter Evelyn will love working with him… when she joins the work crew Columbus… grateful my sister gave up her day off… to travel to Cincinnati… to have dinner with me.
6. Queer Eye… setting in with our housemates… for a second episode… wondering if my beloved … will warm up to this show…all of us deeply moved … by the story of “Gay, Georgia”… where a woman receives support … finishing a community building … begun 50 years earlier… and along the way… welcomes her gay son home… to the church that turned him out … preaching to her people … about the primacy of Love… embodying It for her son… showing them how its done… my beloved opening up… as we settle into watch one more episode.
7. Christmas in January… the tree is down… the ornaments boxed up… all that remains… the still full stockings… waiting to be opened … until all us housemates… could be together … such a moving celebration… laughing hysterically in one moment… at some silly gifts… weeping another… as we each received a pair of flying pig socks… in memory of Pickles… who got her wings… gratitude overflowing … for a beautiful ending … to an amazing weekend… begun with honest, loving conversation … naming what will improve our life together… continuing with a football party… as we play together… ending with our new stocking tradition…giving gifts… that say, “I see you” … and I celebrate what I see… all of us full to brimming… with connection, belonging and love… grateful our community … a year into our life together… seems to be “norming”.

 

Jan 24 2022 – Beautiful Things… God Moments

1. A Quiet Day… on the Farm … most folks at work… a cozy fire in the living room… a good escape from the damp cold… time for meditation… sacred conversations … some urgent admin… grateful for these Sabbath moments.
2. She’s Five!… our beautiful Fiona… Cincinnati’s prematurely born hippo… we’ve watched her grow… against all the odds… into a sassy, playful, graceful creature… who loves us … as much as we love her… always amazed how her survival story chokes me up… I just love her!
3. “What’s Next?”… my last conversation with God in North Carolina.. before heading home… stepping into a new year… “more spiritual leadership” Spirit told me… within the church… and beyond… being asked today… by two large organizations… to lead retreats for leaders … Hospice of Cincinnati… and the clergy of a local denomination… creating an experience … to reflect on the pandemic… what we’ve lost… what we’ve learned… how it’s changed us… releasing it’s burdens… harvesting it’s gifts… looking ahead to what comes next… grateful for Margee… my spiritual director 20 years ago… who led me through this process every year… reflecting on what’s passed… looking ahead to Love’s New Thing… grateful to share her gift to me … with others.
4. Three in One… cooking all three Hello Fresh meals from last week… in one night… more will arrive tomorrow… they piled up … due to our delay coming home from NC … shocked how quickly we knocked them out… with Emily, Meghan and my beloved all chipping in… so much fun to share a 3 course meal… soup, fish and sides.. all yummy flavors… enough to feed 5 people.
5. A Family Affair… my daughter Evelyn… joining Ruby’s work crew… on the photo set with my niece and sister… she happened to be in same city… Ruby called her up… loved hearing Evelyn share about the day… so much fun that they all get paid… for creative playing.
6. Minding the Beauty … in the moment… a lesson learned from Wendell Berry… witnessing the barn swallows… who create beauty on the canvas of the sky… flying in formation… dipping and climbing… “play out their line / … in arcs laid on the air…/ as made, not there” … a reminder of the impermanence of all things… not to cling to the good… the hard also passes… hold life lightly… practice gratitude in the moment… so grateful for Wendell’s wisdom. (This Day: Collected & New Sabbath Poems

 

Jan 25 2022 – Beautiful Things… God Moments

1. Back-Up… my beloved’s support… as the day got off to a challenging beginning… my car… finally home after waiting months for body work … and then repairs to problems created by the first bodyshop… gets a flat tire… and still can’t be driven… the back-up vehicle won’t start due to a dead battery… until my beloved brings out the portable charger… gets the truck going… then follows me to the auto mechanic on a temporarily pumped up tire… and brings me home… before finally heading out into his day… so grateful he made sure I could get to work… before he left for work.
2. Back on My Mat… with Tiffany… and the beautiful Tikkun staff… as we begin our week… practicing what we preach… taking time to be present to our bodies… before we engage the world… love that we join in this weekly ritual together.
3. Circle Time… for grown-ups… Tikkun Staff beginning the week sharing gratitudes and challenges… witnessing… and being witnessed… as we bring our whole selves to our shared work… hearing our most recent staff … echo those who’ve sat in our circle before them… their gratitude to work in an environment that blesses them… rather than drains them… that feels unlike any place they’ve worked before… more support…less drama… so grateful for Rejoyce who created rituals … and a culture… that reflects our values… grateful for staff who have embodied these values for one another.
4. Home Visits… the gift of being welcomed into people’s homes… today visiting a beautiful family… where walls are graced with childhood photos… and portraits with beloveds long passed… the kitchen fragrant with the love that fills the house… so lovely to see people in their everyday lives… rich with story and history… grateful to know them more fully.
5. Word is Getting Out… arriving back in my St. Simon’s office… after a COVID delay to the new year… discovering letters from the diaspora… folks no longer living nearby… sending remembrances of loved ones… and stories of their own years… growing up at St. Simon’s… after hearing we are celebrating our 90^th Anniversary/Birthday… by telling the stories of our saints… so grateful for the grapevine… sending the word out… that we’re collecting stories… and then bringing the stories home to us.
6. COVID Relief… being invited by the Episcopal Diocese of Indiana… to lead a clergy retreat… where leaders can reflect on this pandemic-tide… naming what’s been hard… harvesting what’s been learned… grieving what’s been lost… noticing what grows from this ground… as we look forward with seasoned hope… so grateful to share an experience… that has helped me transition from one season to the next.
7. Conversion… reflecting with dear saints… on the Conversation of St. Paul… considering what his experience teaches us about our own… noticing the biblical story never uses the word “conversion”… that is our interpretation… of what happened to Paul… when he lost his sight… and gained a new way of seeing the world… God… himself… and other spiritual pilgrims… a shift in perception… seems this is what the spiritual journey always boils down to… expanding the way we see… as we discover how traditions and beliefs… that once gave us life… and led us home to Love… become too small for the God we grow into… sometimes our perception shifts suddenly… like somehow a switch got flipped… and a room once dark… floods with light… mostly though… perception shifts slowly… and we only know its happened … by looking back… and noticing how far we’ve traveled on Love’s path.

 

Jan 26 2022 – Beautiful Things… God Moments

1. Encouraging Words… meeting with my writing coach… sharing my ideas for a “Beautiful Things” book… her “all-in” encouragement… so much so that she began talking about what happens after I write the book… as if I’ve already completed that part… grateful for the questions she asked last time … how they’ve grown into clear format… and a “why” for my purpose in writing a book about this daily practice… now I just need to set aside time to write.
2. How Hard Conversations… create deeper connection… it never feels good … while I’m doing it… but it always feels better… once it’s done… a “clearing” conversation with a colleague… naming “the stories I’m telling myself…” … hearing their truth… which was not my biggest fears… Is it ever?… grateful the Spirit led our conversation into those deep waters.
3. Public Service Loan Forgiveness… discovering I qualify for student loan forgiveness… thanks to my years of service in the church… and working for a non-profit… wow!!… so grateful for this change in the loan program!
4. Tender Loving Care… Emily coming home… discovering my beloved napping on the couch… with a quilt over him… after a VERY long day… deciding he needed fire … if he was going to nap on the couch… building it for him… and bringing in at least two loads of wood … to keep it going…. such a generous, tender gesture!
5. “Unfurl yourself… into the grace of beginning”… these words from John O’Donohue’s poem… “For a New Beginning”… calling to me… naming the season I’m stepping into… an “unfurling” of my deepest work… leading people into sacred spaces… within themselves… beginning tonight… as I offered “Wisdom Wednesday” on ZOOM… grateful for the “grace of beginning”… as folks who showed up… created a kind container… while I tried this new thing…grateful for Amy Howton… who’s showed me how it’s done… inspiring me by the deeply intimate community she’s created … and invited me into… in the last two years… as we’ve practiced together …. Becoming Beloved Community.
6. Imbolc… the Celtic Festival celebrating the gestating life… the “in the womb”… but not yet seen Spring… halfway between Winter Solstice and Spring Equinox… a festival of hope… in the darkest, coldest days of winter… reminding us life is on the way… celebrating this festival with the Wisdom Wednesday community… a week early… noticing how this thin place in time… evolved into various celebrations in other traditions… including Candlemas in the Catholic Church… the Presentation of Jesus in the Temple… 40 days after his birth… and Groundhog Day! … grateful for John O’Donohue’s poem… “For a New Beginning” … encouraging us to reflect on what is gestating in us.

 

Jan 27 2022 – Beautiful Things… God Moments

1. Driving my Own Car… finally… after months of work on it… I drove it to work! … so grateful to have it back… so much easier to get around in… than the humongous pick-up truck… that I always worried would hit something by accident.
2. Wise Women… gathered in my St. Simon’s office… for Bible Study… love these elders… who laugh easily… love God… listen for Spirit… study sacred texts… live faithful, kind, compassionate lives… grateful for their company… as we reflected on a curious story… Jesus picking a fight with his hometown neighbors… noticing that he was still young in his ministry… newly “ordained” by the Spirit… this was one of his first sermons… he impressed his listeners… but then took offense when one of them wondered how “Joseph’s son” had become so wise… seems the remark hit a tender place in Jesus’ spirit… and he reminded them of their less beautiful moments as God’s people… awe quickly became anger… noticing that Jesus seems to have regained his grounding… and slips away peacefully… a challenging reminder… that Jesus… like the rest of us… had to find his way… figure things out… as he went along… brought to mind my younger pastor days… and how easily I got reactive… and how those same circumstances now … barely register on my spirit… it takes time to grow in wisdom.
3. Affirmations… beautiful notes… from local leaders… the Lutheran bishop… a young man from our job training program… sharing their experience of Tikkun Farm… to support our Big Dreams grant application… just in awe… as I read what they wrote… so grateful for their support… with such short notice… deeply moved to hear in their words…what they see, feel and celebrate about our work in the world.
4. A Boy and his Chicken… Nate… a local neighbor boy … who prayed for a chicken… and then one showed up in his driveway… returning to the farm tonight… after a few months away… to put our chickens to bed… including his chicken… who lives here on the farm with us… so glad to have him back… and just delighted to see his delight in being back.
5. A Team Effort… everyone pitching in tonight… to care for our animals… Tonya feeding the cats… Meghan feeding Max… Emily taking the dogs out… so lovely when everyone does a small part.
6. The Things that Warm Us… on a chillingly cold night… warm pasta soup… a blazing fire… snuggling on the couch under a quilt… company in the kitchen… gathering in the living room by the fire to share a simple meal… praying together at the end of the day… grateful for all these simple gifts… that warmed us body and soul.

 

Jan 28 2022 – Beautiful Things… God Moments

1. Cheetoe… Tikkun Farm’s beloved barn cat… always wants to be where the action is… where the people are… prancing through the snow… to follow me and the dogs … on our morning visit to the orchard… leaping lightly onto a snowy gate… better balanced than a gymnast.
2. Good Company… Tonya… hanging by the fire with me all day… helping with Tikkun Farm Thank-You Notes… while I worked on the grant… so grateful for her warm presence… and her wonderful support … helping me keep up with my Tikkun Farm gratitudes!
3. A Snow Day… the way the snow changes time… clears the calendar… all my New Year’s Retreat guests… calling in to say they were staying in for the night… the roads were too messy to make it … creating the unexpected gift… of a quiet, cozy evening at home by the fire… with my beloved.
4. Clearing Out… “Can you come help?”… Meghan texted me from the barn… she was trying to feed Max… and put the chickens to bed… only 5 chickens decided they wanted to sleep with Max… crawling into his cozy piggy house… clearing out the hens one by one… a Max tried to protect them from sweeping arms…. fluffing up his bed as a consolation prize… discovering two more strays in the alpaca tent… definitely a job for two tonight… so grateful Meghan called for back-up.
5. Tucking In… twice… staying home on a snowy night… gathered by the fire… my beloved and I watching a show… while Meghan and Bradley napped on the couch… after the show… Meghan heading to bed… my beloved settling in for his nap on the couch… Bradley retaining his spot on the end… so grateful for this cozy space in our home… inviting intimacy, comfort and connection.

Tikkun Farm Beautiful Things… God Moments

1. Snow… reaching out yesterday to the gentleman who plowed our parking lot last winter… because I needed his W9 to fulfill Tikkun Farm’s tax obligations… him wondering if we could use his help this year… “Sure!” I responded… glad to know he was still doing this work… waking up to snow this morning… knowing our parking lot would soon become a sheet of ice… when shoppers for our Free Market showed up later in the day… “So, do you think you can come by this morning?” I inquired… and he did… cleared the parking lot… salted … had it ready for our guests… such a joy to talk with him as the snow fell around us… as he wondered if we had repaved our lot… gotten rid of all the cinderblock chunks that protruded out of the old barn foundation… “Yes! It should be smooth plowing this year”… grateful for his warm and jovial spirit… his generosity with his time… and he’s coming back in the morning… to clear it again … before guests show up for the New Year’s Retreat.
2. Telling Our Story… the beautiful gifts of Robyn… Tikkun Farm’s grant writer… weaving research…. storytelling… budgets … into a compelling narrative… for the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America’s (ELCA) BIG Dreams grant… helping us tell how $150k will expand our capacity to offer greater food support to our neighbors… cooking classes… job training… canning & preserving… and so much more… grateful, too…. for incredible letters of support from Trinity Lutheran church… a graduate of our job training program… and the Bishop… all adding their voices to this song of support… the tremendous satisfaction in submitting this RFP… knowing how far we’ve come… and who’s joined us on this journey.
3. “Three are Better than One”… a verse from a wisdom book in the Hebrew Bible… Mary remembering these words read at her first wedding… thirty years ago… “for if they fall, one will lift up their fellow. But woe to the one who is alone.”… they took on new meaning today… as Rejoyce, Jeanne and Morgan each took on tasks… in preparation for the New Year’s Retreat… that Mary used to do alone… Jeanne cooking and setting up hospitality… Rejoyce formatting the folder materials… Morgan setting out the creative supplies, setting up the space and preparing the folders… Mary remembering the years she did it all… and the anxiety she felt doing it all alone… remembering two years ago… when Rejoyce asked her … “What would it be like to invite others to help you?”… so grateful she asked the question… and helped create the answer… today Mary had to gift of time… to work on a grant proposal for Tikkun Farm… worth $150K… the largest grant we’ve every applied for… because this trio of support handled the retreat preparations.
4. One Big Happy Farmily … Jeanne sharing the milkhouse kitchen with volunteers… chopping veggies… measuring spices… bagging lettuce… preparing food … cleaning up… staff stepping out of their “usual workday”… to help carry groceries through the snow covered parking lot… set up tables… mop the floors … and reaching the high cabinets to retrieve needed culinary utensils… grateful for such a warm community of support.

 

Jan 29 2022  – Tikkun Farm Beautiful Things… God Moments

1. N95… volunteers dropping off a bags of N95 masks… saying she wanted to help us continue to do our important work safely… others sending them in the mail… the emotion and gratitude that wells up in me… as I open a box… and find these gifts.
2. Jeremy… a new volunteer… giving us his Saturdays… a few times a month… showing up early… to mount the amazing first aid kit… gifted us by another volunteer… finding the right color paint… to touch up the ragged places on the wall… fixing the cabinet door that had started to hang loose… then heading out into the bitter cold.. to build shelving in the barn loft.. organizing our piles of accumulated wood scraps… a job we have been longing to get done… that felt too big to tackle… coming back to the warm kitchen… Jeanne offering him hot chocolate … the two of them lingering in warm fellowship… talking about hardships and happiness.
3. Feeding Body and Soul… brave souls… coming out in frigid weather… on barley salted roads… for the New Year’s Retreat… Jeanne & Tonya feeding them … hearty oatmeal… delicious scones… savory quiche… with enough leftover to share with volunteers.
4. Welcome Home… Jeanne returning home… after a long day at the farm… to rest … and the appreciation of her little Beastie girl… warmth curled up on her lap.
5. Warm Enough… the sun coming out… melting the ice-covered black top… in time for shoppers at the Free Market… to walk safely with the food boxes…a shopper and his daughter … watching the chickens… as the wait their turn.
6. Win-Win… a local tree company… finding our farm… able to drop their wood chips off locally… keeping us well stocked… we used them EVERYWHERE.
7. Dedication… a steadfast and cheery troupe of volunteers … joining us to reopen the Free Market …taking extra precautions … making sure shoppers and volunteers alike were safe… all with delightful attitudes … making sure shoppers also enjoyed a welcoming experience.
8. A Queen in Her Castle…the gracious Kathy… taking charge of the Well House…getting shoppers in and out… with all the food they need …while also gently setting limits …on food we don’t have much of … so everyone gets a chance .. to take home cabbage, rice or meat.

 

Jan 29 2022 – Beautiful Things… God Moments

1. Extra Credit… Mr. Snow arriving early… salting the parking lot… before our New Year’s Retreat started… but also shoveling the steps to our buildings… salting them too… making sure our morning started safely… grateful for his extra care.
2. Just Showing Up… leading the New Year’s Retreat… without coming in rushed…from setting up the room… gathering supplies… making food… grateful for the support that attended to those things… I all I had to do was lead.
3. A Sacred Day… as an intimate group of us… gathered to review our year… reflect on how we are living in this liminal space … COVID thrust us into… considering how we can become more comfortable with uncertainty… allowing ourselves to live creatively … as we wait for a new normal to take shape…keeping our sacred radar up… for what Spirit brings us… to grow us…and lead us into.
4. Letting Go… the New Year’s Retreat participants…looking back over this pandemic season… noting what they’ve lost… what they’ve learned… what they want to carry with into this next seaon… and releasing what they no longer need … anger, fear, doing too much, not moving our bodies, eating too much sugar, drinking too much wine…offering these things back to Love… by naming them… and burning them.
5. A Stunning Sunset… graced by its warm colors… as the air got chilly… melons, peaches, golds… glowing through the branches of the willow tree… before going to bed behind the barn.
6. Remembering Richard… on his birthday… my sister sending out a family text… inviting all of us to share stories about our dad …and grandpa… the stories coming back… about his humor… his loving support… the ordinary ways he showed love… my sister reading them to my mom… as they shared a meal together… remembering her beloved… in loving memories.
7. Closing the Day… with a warm fire… warm soup… and some binge-watching… first a little Queer Eye… then my beloved trying to watch to the end of our Great British Baking Show season… we didn’t make it… falling asleep in each other’s company… by the warm fire… in the middle of the last episode… turning it off… heading up to bed… knowing we can come back to it later… grateful for these moments of just being in good company.

 

Jan 30 2022 – Beautiful Things… God Moments

1. Home Church… Tonya and Meghan… sitting with me in the living room… during St. Simon’s ZOOM worship… our own little worshipping community… Meghan making me my favorite latte… Tonya building a fire… bringing me toast… as I got a later start to my morning that I planned… so lovely to have their company … grateful for their support.
2. A Work in Progress… Spirit offering me a new way… to read an old Bible story… what if Jesus shows up to preach in his hometown… as a new, young Rabbi… with tender places still in his spirit… rather than the seasoned, compassionate, non-reactive leader we know him to be… later in his ministry? … what if we allow Jesus to be fully human… a work in progress? … suddenly his harsh words… to his hometown community make sense… their surprise at seeing Jesus so wise and grown… leading to the question… ‘Isn’t this Joseph’s son?’… touch on a tender place … in a man born as an illegitimate boy… rather than an expression of awe and amazement… grateful for a new perspective … to understand this story… to see Jesus get reactive… and then find his center again… gives me grace… as I grow in my capacity to love… part of the story of being human… is that we are works in progress… it takes practice to love well.
3. Remembering Jamal… a young camper at Tikkun Farm… who showed up tender and reactive… quick to fight… at the smallest slight… who discovered yoga… could bring him back to his center… calm his frightened brain… grateful he showed up in my memory… helping me understand Jesus’ reactivity… as an expression of tenderness… reminding me … that growing in love takes practice… and it helps to learn a calming practice… to bring me back… when I get off track.
4. “Will You Join Us?”… an invitation … to Tikkun Farm… to support a community event… to collaborate with other organizations… in something larger than any of us can do alone… grateful for an opportunity … to not just be in our neighborhood… but to also be partnering with neighbors… becoming woven into our institutional fabric.
5. Hit and Run… Tonya and I… making quick trip to Trader Joes… in search of snacks… for the Bengal’s Playoff Game… hitting the jackpot…rapidly filling our cart… rushing home… just in time to get them in oven… as the National Anthem signaled the beginning of the game.
6. Birthday Blessings… a St. Simon’s Saint… turning 80… joining the caravan of cars… circling around her… in the St. Simon’s parking lot… wish her a Happy Birthday… love the way this community loves one another… grateful for the woman who organized us… to show the love.
7. Bengals Mania… a full house… gathered round… to cheer on our hometown team… not a good start… as the Raiders marched down the field every time they had the ball… a touch down each time… seemed unstoppable… but then it got exciting… as the Bengals showed up after half-time… fought their way back… it got pretty noisy in our house… feeling so excited… I started texting St. Simon’s folks… play by play… so fun for us all to be in it together… such an amazing game… going into overtime… Bengals intercepted… won with a field goal… love that kicker… lost my voice yelling so much … loved how Meghan joined us… not really a football girl… learning the rules the way I did… during a big game back in the day… when the Washington Redskins made it to the playoffs… she caught on quickly… what a night!
8. Quieting Down… settling in to watch the next game… who would the Bengals play in the Superbowl?… stretching out on the sofa… as the living room slowly emptied out … barely awake to see Los Angeles win… sinking into a nighttime nap… full of joy and connection… grateful to belong to such a beautiful community… to feel such contentment … like I’ve never known in my life.

 

Jan 31 2022 – Beautiful Things… God Moments

1. A Quiet Day… alone on the farm… time to dive in… to the deep details… needed to bring the flow of government support… intended to support good works… gathering the verifications needed… to apply for student loan forgiveness… under new criteria for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program… intended to support public servants… serving in non-profits… after they’ve made 10 years worth of payments on their student loans… also gathering the documents and descriptions of Tikkun Farm’s work… to apply for COVID Relief grants for non-profits… to support our Nourishing Families program… the work isn’t sexy… it feels like drowning in details… but’s it really grace… it’s my tax dollars supporting the values I care about… grateful such programs exist… that there was a will among my political leaders… to direct public funds… towards projects that support the common good… while I wish it wasn’t so hard to get the funds… I’m grateful to have a day to devote to the minutia.
2. Another Hard Conversation… about the balance between “welcome” and “respect”… surprised by the unexpected arrival … of a friend I’ve extended hospitality to… finding language for gentle honesty… expressing a desire to offer support… and a desire for communication… to not be surprised … when they show up… navigating their shame messages that speak lies… like “run… you are not welcome here… avoid hard conversations like this”… encouraging them to not to flee… to stand their ground in an uncomfortable conversation… to turn down the volume on shame… and hear the deeper message… they are welcomed and loved… and can risk naming when they need support… rather than just showing up… hoping to slip in “unnoticed”… grateful for the courage … to have an uncomfortable conversation about boundaries… rather than feel resentful … and taken advantage of… hoping the Spirit helped my friend hear Love speaking.
3. A Warm Cup of Love… Meghan arriving home… noticing me deep into the details… searching for a lost document… wondering how to support me… in a frustrating moment… offering to make me my favorite latte… Yes… the comfort of a warm cup… somehow shifts the mood… I find the right link… download the lost document… all is well.
4. The Old and the New… settling into the new year… with healthier rhythms… getting back to a weekly dinner date with my beloved… creating a new dinner schedule with my housemates… eating earlier in the evening… grateful for structure…. to support my spirit’s intentions.
5. A Do-Over… the dinner date with my beloved… getting off track … not sure why we ended up on the cranky bus… both of us taking a step back… taking a breath…. trying again… finding our way back to connection… grateful for this ritual between us… and how it helps us recover.
6. Making Room… realizing the laundry doesn’t get put away… because the closet is full… of clothes no longer worn… my beloved and I working together… to clear out the old… hang up the new… so grateful to tackle this together… so much easier to purge… with someone else’s support.
7. “Love is the Way”… my beloved and I… ending our date… by reading together… starting Bishop Curry’s book… on Love as the only force great enough… to change the world… looking forward to reflecting on these deep spiritual truths… with my beloved … the one on the journey with me.