Beautiful Things… God Moments

Feb 1 2022 – Beautiful Things… God Moments

1. “Resurrection, Resurrection, Resurrection”… my beloved’s reflections … on our daily poetry reading from Wendell Berry’s book… “This Day: Collected & New Sabbath Poems” … playfully noticing how Wendell Berry’s reflections on nature… come back to the same themes… every death… becomes part of the next birth… nature continues its rhythms and patterns… long after we depart… life wins… grateful for this morning ritual … immersing us in Berry’s poetry so long … we now notice such patterns.
2. Twisting… letting go of what I no longer need… noticing my breath… breathing into the places where my body feels tight… creating space… grateful for our weekly staff yoga practice with Tiffany… going back to where it all began for me… as I listened to a lovely chant during our final resting pose… remembering Ana Sara… who introduced me to yoga… as part of my trauma recovery work… she played this chant… as she created healing spaces for me… in my home and hers… on my yoga mat… in my body… so much gratitude for her wise and gentle work with me… for gifting me with this healing practice… I can take with me anywhere.
3. “Awkward, Brave and Kind”… ending our Tikkun Farm coordinator meeting…with this little chant… after sharing our gratitudes… our challenges… naming the ways we need support… planning the details of our week… grateful for Brené Brown… who taught us this mantra… capturing the challenge and the gift… of living authentically and lovingly… in the world.
4. Courage… witnessing so much courage… in conversations with folks… willing to own the hard stories of their lives… stories laced with so much shame …. it felt easier to keep them buried and ignored… willing to try something new … to dare to listen to these stories… integrate them into the narrative of their lives… to give up being heroes, villains and victims in their stories… and instead write new endings for themselves… endings where grief and loss… pain and shame… are metabolized into grace, compassion, kindness, acceptance, wisdom… becoming luminous beings… as they bring their stories out of darkness… and become vessels for Love.
5. HBCUs… Historically Black Colleges and Universities… incredibly important spaces in our nation… where people of color… learn and study… in communities less encumbered by racism… offering opportunities to lead, speak, write, debate… in classrooms not dominated by white culture… knowing how powerfully this opportunity shaped me… learning, studying, growing… in a women’s college… free to speak, study, debate and learn… in an environment not dominated by men… gave me room to grow into my leadership… that doesn’t happen in co-ed… or white dominated spaces… grateful for Howard, Spellman, Morehouse… the HBCUs near my college in Atlanta… and my hometown of Washington, DC…. grieved to learn… today … on the first day of Black History Month… of bomb threats against these communities of learning… by folks threatened by the leadership and power cultivated there… praying that those so enslaved by fear… may be liberated by Love… praying that those threatened by the fearful… may be protected by Love… and our will as a nation to stand against threats of racial violence.

 

Feb 2 2022 – Beautiful Things… God Moments

1. Gestating… what lives “in the womb”… unseen… but on the way… the focus of the ancient mid-winter festival… Imbolc… which somehow evolved into our Groundhog Day… also celebrated as Candelmas… St. Brigid’s Day… and the Presentation of Lord… really rooted in nature’s seasonal calendar… half-way between Winter Solstice and Spring Equinox… a reminder in this darker season… Spring is on the way… has me noticing… what’s growing unseen within me… wondering … what is on the way?
2. Spreading the Chakras… grounding… unstucking the energy… so grateful for my visit with my Healing Touch friend… helping me finish what I started in North Carolina… clearing out the energetic debris … from my work with the hardest elements of my childhood trauma… amazed how I could feel my body open… lighten… feel light shine in shadowy places… amazed by all the ways healing happens… grateful for all the practitioners…. offering their gifts…for the restoration of world.
3. My Blue Woobie… bought two years ago … for my walk across Northumbria with my beloved… lost sometime this year… had to buy a new one this Fall … after exhausting all possible hiding places… retrieving it today… visiting a friend’s house… I had visited last Spring… so grateful it found its way back to me… love the memories attached to this little coat… of all the places its been.
4. My Tree Friends… who drop off woodchips at the farm… calling them the day before the ice storm hits… looking for firewood… we have enough left for 2-3 hours of fire… no response from anyone else selling firewood… they call their tree friends… one calls me back… as its getting dark… he’s on the way… four of us unloading and stacking wood in the rain… so grateful he made one last trip … to restock us… ready now to settle in by the fire … as the ice accumulates around us.
5. The Crucible… an image from family systems relationship work… describing the uncomfortable experience … of noticing old patterns of relating… no longer working… naming it… even when it makes those who do the emotional dance with us uncomfortable… choosing to “step into the crucible”… change the way we function… despite the “heat” created… as we wade through conflict … so we can create… healthier patterns of loving and relating… “stepping into the crucible” tonight… with my housemates… as we name challenges in our life together… choosing not to run from the conflict… but slogging our way through it… grateful and amazed… by these brave and beautiful humans… how it seems we might just have call it for the night… and then we break free… into a clearing of grace… hard edges soften… emotional distance closes… people usually silent… speak … humor bubbles up… we emerge intact… with a new road map … for our life together… feeling tender, tired and hopeful.
6. Cooling Down… an ice cream finish… to our house meeting dinner… leading us into a more playful space… settling down around the fire… for an episode of Queer Eye… relaxing … resting in one another’s presence… grateful for a quiet end to our evening.

 

Feb 3 2022 – Beautiful Things… God Moments

1. Waking Up Singing… the way a snow day fills me with joy… my calendar canceled or rearranged… excited to be home all day… working in front of the fire…I couldn’t keep from singing… singing as I took the dogs out to the orchard…. singing to the chickens as I fed them… singing to Max as I shooed him out of the barn… singing as I skated across the parking lot… singing as I made my morning coffee… so much happiness could not be contained!
2. Those Mt. Healthy Auto Repair Guys… calling to say the side mirror on my Passat was glued back on… ready to pick up… “Whhhaaat?” I asked…. “Why are you guys open? Didn’t you read the weather report?”… “Yea… thought we’d get as much done as we could today.”… they go on to tell me the roads are in good shape… they’re driving around picking up parts… “If you can pick me up, I will come get my car,” I say… with a bit of laugh… “Ok… Chuck will be there in 5 min”… Wow! … he arrived before I even has the dogs in the orchard… a sweet little chat in the car as I drove him back to the garage… just love these guys!
3. My Own Crazy… the dad in our Air BbB family… calling from Children’s Hospital… they are discharging his 1 yr old daughter… after she went in last night with breathing problems…the life squad took her in… she’s doing better… they are ready to come home…. but have no car!… Tonya and I clearing off their car … (it has the baby seat)…. heading out on the roads … to pick them up… grateful for quiet roads… salt trucks… and slush instead of ice… it really didn’t take us to long.
4. Comparing Snow Stories… the good people of St. Simon’s… waiting patiently on ZOOM… for out Bible Study to begin… as I made my way home from my hospital run… coming into my office… to hear them talking about childhood snow days … all but Bishop Omosebi… who grew up in Nigeria… never saw snow until he came to America… loved hearing the same joy in their voices… that made me sing this morning!
5. God’s Ridiculous Questions… sharing stories … with the good people of St. Simon’s… about the crazy things God has asked us to do over the years… like Jesus asking Peter to put down his nets to fish… after Peter has fished all night… and knows there are no fish to catch… but Peter does it anyway… a little reluctantly… only to discover his nets are full to the breaking point… after dropping them in the deep waters Jesus led him to… wondering about the deep waters Spirit has led us too… when we’ve listened to her Voice… even when what she asked seemed crazy… remembering the many times … my life and work have filled to overflowing… because I risked doing what Spirit asked…. She still surprises me!
6. Gathered ‘Round… Tonya playing word games on her phone… the Air BnB dad resting on the loveseat … as his daughter sleeps… my beloved rocking in the rocking chair… tapping away on his laptop… me curled up in a chair by the fire… answering email… all of us drawn to the crackling fire… warmed by each other’s company… as the ice balls pinged against the window… accumulating in the yard.
7. Winter Beauty… the way the remnants of Summer… brown on their stalks … shimmer … encased in ice… now beautiful.

 

Feb 4 2022 – Beautiful Things… God Moments

1. Snow Day 2… traipsing around the snow-covered farm… searching for the gate to the orchard… not frozen shut… finding one! … letting the dogs out… feeding Max… settling in by the fire… as snow continues to softly fall over the farm… appointments rescheduled… creating openings for unplanned conversations… meditation… the gifts that come … when time shifts.
2. Popcorn and Oatmeal… introducing our Air BnB guest… to how good these can taste… when they don’t come from a torn open a bag… oatmeal made with apples, coconut, milk, maple syrup, cinnamon, pecans… popcorn made on the stove… not in the microwave… with celery seed, thyme, chipotle pepper and Lawry’s season salt… the joy of sharing homemade food… his interest in discovering how it’s done.
3. Binge Watching… “Women of the Movement”… the story of Emmitt Till’s mother… how a mother’s grief… shifted the perception of a nation… helped her Southern family hold their heads up… and see the sky… pausing it regularly… to stop and talk… about what we didn’t learn in school… what we don’t understand … about the way our justice system works… and doesn’t work… about the families we grew up in… the racism we witnessed … and chose … and are choosing … to unlearn… grateful for my housemates… watching this with me… for the conversation it creates… it’s a much different experience to watch in community… as it shapes us all.. and the culture we create together.
4. Love is Never Wasted… listening in the firelight… after the rest of the house has headed to bed…as my beloved shares his day… not an easy one… but gifted with a surprise ending…an unexpected conversation about Stoicism… realizing in a deeper way… the illusion of control… that we cannot create outcomes… the shift in perception… revealing how the details we stress about today… are so small when seen in the context of years, decades and millennium… and yet… also knowing in the most sacred places of our being… love is never wasted… while our love cannot control the outcome … love anyway… trusting … the Love that holds us all… gathers up every offering of love… creating outcomes we could not have imagined… impacting lives we thought were not listening… making deposits on futures we will not live to witness… love anyway… love is never wasted.

 

Feb 5 2022 – Beautiful Things… God Moments

1. Winter Light… rising over the horizon… splashing ice-crystaled gardens… everything shines.
2. The Building Team … Jeremy, our carpenter volunteer… leading an eager crew… 10 year old Silas… High School senior Xavier… in assembling the bench seating donated by IKEA…loved watching them work… each contributing their part… so exciting to see this project coming along.
3. “We’re Not Going Anywhere”… an amazing visit … with a beautiful couple… getting married in their 50’s… he’s lived alone for years… she’s changing up his routine… he adores her… they take the struggles in stride… that come in every relationship… love their laughter… respect… perseverance… no rose-colored glasses here… they see fully… and love what they see.
4. Cloning… a life-long fantasy… have more of versions of myself… so I could implement all the ideas bursting from my brain… alas… life in this realm… requires living within our limits… today, though, a taste… of cloning… having a short window… with more projects than could fit… inviting Meghan to help me… I made the carrot bread I wanted to take when I visit my mom… while she wrapped the gifts for Tikkun Farm’s Coordinator Team Holiday dinner… both of working at the kitchen island… chatting and checking in… Tonya making a 2^nd trip to the grocery… when we realized we didn’t have everything we needed for the carrot bread… then assisting Meghan with the ribbon on the gifts… as I slipped the carrot breads in the oven… so grateful for their good-natured support… as they helped me complete every project!
5. Background Support… my beloved spending the afternoon … on little projects in the basement bedroom… dehumidifiers… fixing the bed… a lot of little things needing attention… so grateful for the way he dives in… and gets it done.
6. Celebrating Tikkun’s Leader… taking the Coordinating Team out for our Holiday Dinner… one of our volunteer leaders… asking if she really belongs at this event… since she’s not a paid leader… “what???”… shocked by her question… you don’t’ need to be paid.. to be a leader… she’s a HUGE part of our team… so much would be missing without her… of course we need her to celebrate with us… wondering why she even asks… “I’ve volunteered other places, and that’s how they do it. There were paid leaders. And there were volunteers. That’s why I don’t volunteer there anymore.”…so grateful she found her way to us.
7. The Tikkun Moment of the Year… inviting Tikkun Farm’s leadership team… to reflect on our life together… each person sharing… a memorable Tikkun Moment of the year… oh my… the stories that poured out… nourished my soul… shoppers who come early to volunteer… children who taught Cameron he wants to teach art… leaders showing up the first time… with no idea where to begin… and beginning anyway… so many luminous moments… grateful for these beautiful people… each one manifesting part of the dream.
8. Returning Home… to Queer Eye… the whole house gathered in the living room… starting episode 2 for the night… the Fab Five go to camp… the way one scene sent Emily and Meghan into hysterics… my loving watching them laugh… grateful I made it home in time to join them.
9. Tiramisu Birthday Cake… a special request… from our January birthday boy… hoping we could still celebrate his birthday in February… with Tiramisu instead of cake… Tonya and I… the Tiramisu Team…. loved finishing the day… partnering with Tonya…on a project we can do now … without reading the recipe 10 times first.

 

Feb 6 2022 – Beautiful Things… God Moments

1. Deep Water… reflecting with the good people of St. Simon… on those moments when Love invites out into the deep waters of our lives… the parts of our story we tend to avoid… the longings we try not to notice… the choices that would disrupt the status quo… and liberate us… the opportunities to grow that feel scary… and asks us to do some ridiculous thing… reconcile with an enemy… stop an old, destructive habit… walk away from a sure thing… embrace the vulnerability of trying something new… that you’re not already good at… ask for help… tell your partner what you really want… ask your boss for a raise… noticing that when we find the courage to say “yes”… the outcome is often so much more than we could have imagined.
2. The “A” Team… an experiment in our community dinner… assigning teams to plan, shop and cook… Tonya, Greg and Noah killin’ it… watching the three of them connect in brand new ways… as they prepared a feast… love how switching it up… shifts our community life … brining in new energy.
3. One Source… many wells… gathering with my Tikkun Community… for our monthly spiritual gathering… each of us sharing a bit about our spiritual path… we may all be spiritual beings … having a human experience… but we draw Love from different wells…. learning about each person’s well… and what is nourishing their spirit right now.
4. The Difference a Year Makes… checking-in over dinner… remembering where we each were a year ago… noticing what’s changed in a year… what we’re thankful this year… a year ago my sister and I were a week into a 6 week stay in Maryland… after admitting my mother to the hospital with COVID… so grateful my mother’s settling into a new assisted living community… getting involved… especially grateful for my relationship with my sister… how it’s deepened into a trusting, supportive connection… closer now than we’ve ever been in our lives.
5. Just Do Something… noticing how our intentional community on the farm matures and grows… surprised two years ago when Spirit indicated it was time to begin… 18 months in… we’re finding our way… it keeps evolving… as we discover what works… what is not so good… reminded again… of the power of beginning… for the community to evolve and grow… we had to start somewhere… grateful for the brave souls … who stepped into something new with me… who contribute their wisdom… as we find our way.

 

Feb 7 2022 – Beautiful Things… God Moments

1. Love in Action… my beloved… knowing I would rise at 0’dark thirty… to drive to my sister’s in Michigan…cleaning off and de-icing my car… I got on the road quickly and easily … so grateful for the ways he loves me.
2. A Lot Like Church… deeply moved by the way Love uses sports to bring Love into the world… a billboard on Interstate 75 this morning… “Go Bengals” from Gatlinburg, TN… the home of the team the Bengals defeated on their way to the superbowl… shocked by the emotion welling up in me… as I witnessed such a generous gesture… a rival sending us love and encouragment… added to this … the $8,500 raised for Harvesters foodbank in Kansas City… by Bengals fans… in $9.27 increments… at the encouragement of Bengals quarterback Joe Burrows… following the Bengals win on Sunday against the Kansas City Chiefs… rising above football competition… to human blessing and collaboration… takes football to whole new level for this pastor.
3. Family Fun… meeting my sister and mom… in Michigan… for a pedicure visit… followed by brunch… so good to see them both… remembering how this time last year… mom was in the hospital with COVID… and my sister and I were camping out in Maryland at the Marriott hotel.
4. Peek-A-Boo… the beautiful boy in the booth behind us… peering over to say hi… as we ate our breakfast… love how children can create connection among strangers.
5. Michigan Winter… flurries all day… snow in the yard up past my ankles … icicles looking like stalagmites… a man riding his bike home from the grocery… through the snow… with huge boards strapped to his back… “we’re hard core here in Michigan,” my sister tells me… when I express my shock that one could maintain their balance on a bike … when I’m fearful of falling as I walk across the parking lot.
6. Dinner Prep… my sister and I … cooking dinner for my mom … showing my sister the steps for pot roast… followed up with the Laymon Family dessert… baked custard… so grateful to be creating new memories… and rituals … as we live into a new normal.
7. Clean It Up… my sister giving in… to my desperation to organize her pantry… combing 3 open bags of rice into one of the new stacking storage bins… 2 bags of flour… 2 bags of brown sugar… making it easier to find her baking supplies… and keep the bags from falling off the shelf… such a satisfying way to end the day!

 

Feb 8 2022 – Beautiful Things… God Moments

1. A Winter Sunrise… driving through rural Indiana… as the sky lightened from dark grey to salmon… the sun climbing into the sky … above windmills and barns… reminding me of my daughter… who lives in windmill country… noticing how this sunrise differs from my summer sunrises… when the sun rises up out of the ocean… so grateful to be graced by sky beauty… on my early morning journey home.
2. “What’s the Bravest Things You’ve Ever Said,”… asked the boy… “Help,” said the Horse… the incredible courage … circled around the table… during Tikkun Farm’s leader meeting… adding a new component… after naming our challenges… we name what kind of support would be helpful… deeply moved by the vulnerability of our team… grateful for their bravery.
3. Playfulness… gathering with the St. Simon’s Anniversary/Birthday planning team… grateful for the way the elements of this celebration are coming together… wondering today how we can bring some playfulness to our party… so fun to begin thinking of games… or storysharing… grateful for how Spirit leads us along.
4. A Quickie Dinner… Tonya meeting me in the kitchen… as I came in from work… cooking up some leftovers… along with salmon… in short order… while Emily put the chicks to bed… ready just in time for my evening ZOOM meeting.
5. “Max Doesn’t Yell as Much,”… Emily noticing the changes in Max… when she fed him dinner tonight… so grateful he’s feeling better… and for all the folks who love on him… teaching him he’s in a safe place… where he will be taken care of.
6. Slavery is not an Identity… reminded of this important distinction… as I gathered to celebrate a saint in the church… identified as a slave… though she had lived decades… 12 of which she spent … enslaved by men who used their power to steal her from her home… she was child who recognized the presence of God in nature… though no one had ever taught her about God … who lived as adult in a monastic community … who grew into a wise, gentle elder… yet the church remembers her as a ‘slave’… constricting her life … to a small part of her journey… which she had the faith and fortitude … to metabolize from suffering and struggle … into wisdom, grace and compassion… she was many things… resilient, a survivor, contemplative… she was enslaved… she was NOT a slave… grateful for the woman in our group… who invited us to pause… and get clear about the distinction.

 

Feb 9 2022 – Beautiful Things… God Moments

1. Sleeping In… just a bit… grateful for a longer morning… time to linger over coffee… sink back into Wendell Berry… catch up with my beloved on what’s happening at work… amazing how easy it is to get out of synch… when the routine is interrupted just a bit.
2. Preparing a Place… for pandemic-weary clergy… with a dear colleague… creating contemplative space… rather than program space… hoping to give sacred leaders… a sacred space to rest … in the presence of Love.
3. Co-Creating… with Rejoyce… finally finding our way back to our weekly visit… after Omicron and Snowstorms on the farm… grateful for the beautiful way she keeps track of the details… creates space for new staff… and old… to grow into their leadership… glad to be catching up with her… and looking ahead to what’s growing next.
4. A Dear Visit… from a longtime Farm supporter… he offers his leadership to us in so many ways… today we talked about outreach to our neighborhood children… he brought a check by to support our work… we reflected on where it all began… the night he brought some friends… sat in my living room… and heard our story for the first time… since then he’s helped us tear down our old barn… pave our parking lot… build our raised beds… ordered our greenhouse… and so much more… he’s a man of so many talents… so grateful he’s chosen to share them with us.
5. Our Biggest Ask Ever… getting a huge grant application submitted … to support Tikkun Farm’s Nourishing Families program… more than $150k… hoping for support from Hamilton County’s COVID Relief program… so grateful these funds are being offered to our community… hope Tikkun Farm receives some of them.
6. Latte Art… been wondering for years and years… how such beautiful hearts and leaves… wiggle into being… from the creamy foam of steamed milk… I can make a yummy latte… but it’s never beautiful… and then today… my first leaf!… not sure how I did it… doubt I can make another one… but so excited to see it take form from my hand.
7. Big Courage… visiting with pilgrim taking their growth and healing seriously… willing to disrupt the homestasis of their most familiar relationships… after spending a lifetime “calming the waters”… finding their voice… using it gently… but in new ways… blown away by her willingness to step into a new arena so quickly.
8. Online Intimacy… learning from Amy Howton… how to create meaningful connection over ZOOM… gathering Wisdom Wednesday online… using the practices I’ve learned from her… so grateful for the deep sharing people offer in this space… for the way it fills my cup… even as I lead it.
9. Companionship… my dear, sweet Julie-girl… stays so close these days… follows me from room to room…  broken open by Wendell Berry’s poem this morning… about how he misses is longtime wood-walking companion… I cry every time I imagine her no longer in this world… I know her time with me is shorter… she looks weary even as she’s resting in the window seat…  grateful for tender moments… kissing her big head… fingering her soft ears… holding her close.

 

Feb 10 2022 – Tikkun Farm Beautiful Things… God Moments

1. A Day Early … the Freestore Foodbank’s commitment to looking out for the vulnerable… contacting us the day before the ice storm… asking if they could deliver our food order a day early… rather than risk not delivering it at all… Tess rearranging her day… and calling in the troops… to unload it in the rain… getting it all inside the Well House… so we’d have it available for Free Market on Saturday… grateful for all these beautiful people… committed to making sure vulnerable families also had access food.
2. Ez… Tikkun Farm’s newest AmeriCorp Member… returning to Cincinnati… after spending a year on a therapeutic farm in North Carolina… working with farm animals… wondering if we have room on our farm for his gifts… so excited to welcome him to our leadership team… looking forward to his experience and gentle spirit.
3. Compost by Color… getting serious about our food waste… organizing it color… some for the chickens… some for the worms… the rest for the woodchip rows… love how we are getting growing into our composting program!
4. “I Don’t Volunteer Anywhere Else”… a high school student … from Prince of Peace Lutheran Church… volunteering the Saturday after the ice storm… bringing a friend with him… staying inside… processing alpaca fiber… turns out he’s been volunteering here for 3-4 years… he needs community service hours to graduate… only likes to spend his hours on our farm!
5. Welcome Support… knowing for more than a year… we need additional leaders on Tikkun Farm’s Board… discouraged by efforts that have not born fruit… a community business leader I had reached out to… but had not heard back from… emailing me to say my emails had been filtered out by their corporate email server… they would be very interested in serving on our board… helping us raise funds… bring energy and vision to our leadership team… and they know others who could join them… felt like I finally hit the non-profit jackpot! 

Beautiful Things… God Moments

1. The Difference a Friend Makes… a dear woman… who’s home caught on fire … while she was out of town … every day she visits her home… as they take out her belongings… including all her smoked clothes… knows she needs more clothes than the ones she had packed for her trip… not much energy for shopping … she met a friend for lunch … who took her to a nearby store for some wardrobe additions… it so much easier to slog through the hard with a friend!
2. The Woes…. I used to hate them… “Woe to you who are rich… Woe to you who are full…”… they follow the blessings… “Blessed are the poor… blessed are those who weep”… wondered why the need to “woe”… can’t we keep it positive? … seeing the “woes” in a new way… with the good people of St. Simon’s… as we listened together… for what Spirit wants to say to us… and through us… “Woes” are not punishments… Love is not saying…”because you’re rich and full… I will curse you.”… No… it’s so much wiser than judgement… “Because you are full… there is no room for more… Love cannot give a blessing… when we have filled our life with other things… “Woe” is more like pity… “I’m sad for you… that you are too full of material stuff… to receive the blessing Love would give”… it’s so true… in our anxiety not to suffer… to not be in need… to have the illusion of security… we fill our lives with what we can buy… create… produce… we so control our path… or we think we do… that we fail to notice Spirit… or how she invites and leads us… into a deeper realm… where suffering is not avoided … but transformed.
3. Collaborating… with my dear friend Ruth Ann… planning a retreat with her… hanging out in her cool space… Community Happens Here… loved watching her greet the menagerie of guests who stopped in for coffee… water… a place to study… she is such a pastor to her community.
4. Postcards from the Office… my beloved… who hates talking about work… talking time to tell me about his day… what’s hard… what’s new… what’s exciting… so grateful he pushes past his resistance … to give me glimpses of where he spends most of his time… amazed by the journey he’s been on… today receiving a picture of the new sign in his office.
5. Polish Pottery… in the neighborhood… of a new Polish pottery store… I’ve been eyeing it for more than a year… love Polish pottery… stopping in finally… to soak in the beauty of this hundreds year old craft… and maybe I left with a few odds and end pieces… especially after the saleswoman told me how much bakers love the bakeware… hard not to try it out.
6. “Fierce Kindness”… a memorable phrase… from a collection of prayers…Meghan read me one from a book gifted to her…the pray-er concerned… that hate, exhaustion and despair … would drown out kindness, hope and love… praying that Spirit would endow us with fierce kindness…in times such as these.
7. Rachel Held Evans… the voice of a generation… of young evangelicals… who dared to question the judgement … and exclusivity of her church… a church she loved… that birthed her… and drew her into relationship with God… whom she discovered … was bigger than the God her church had taught her about… a dedication in this book of prayers… to Rachel’s courage… and deep love for God and God’s people… so beautifully written… it made me weep… naming so eloquently the gifts Rachel gave her generation… and the great loss her death too soon left behind.

 

Feb 11 2022 – Beautiful Things… God Moments

1. A Virtual Walk with a Friend… me getting back to the path around Winton Woods Lake… treading carefully when the path got icy… catching up with my walking partner… who was walking in Clifton… grateful to connect… even if from a distance… grateful, too, that we can be in such different seasons… but still be close… so much for her is hard right now… I’m so thankful she let me see the shadows… even as she listened with so much grace… to the many ways new life is emerging for me.
2. The Whole Guidance Dept… from Mt. Healthy HS… in an online meeting with me… and Vestal from Talbert House… getting the details on Tikkun Farm’s job training program… so they can encourage their students to apply… so grateful… and excited to have their support… getting the word out to our community… looking forward to a bigger summer!
3. Cheeto…
4. A Valentine… from my beloved… a few days early… he signed me up … to get my car detailed… to help it recover from it’s terrible summer… right now it’s still got car parts in the back seat… and everything covered in summer dust… it will be so good… to have it feeling fresh again.
5. Celebration… the news from a dear friend… that her longed for job change is official… she’s worked so hard for this moment… and landed a job that’s such a good match for her gifts… and will bless so many … so excited to celebrate with her tonight!
6. The Last Word… Emily, Tonya, Meghan and I… watching the last episode … of the story of Emmitt Till’s mother… how she sparked a movement for Civil Rights… and then disappeared… so grateful she’s reappeared in this min-series… and her story of courage… to change the conversation about violence against people of color… got told… grateful for the conversation it sparked in our house… helping us see the horrible legacy of White Supremacy in our nation’s story… so it no longer shapes us invisibly as we deny it… but allows us to own our story… with all it’s shadows… so we can write new endings.

 

Feb 12 2022 – Beautiful Things… God Moments

1. Soul Songs… a lovely gathering… with pilgrims wading into deep waters… willing to listen to their souls… tell them things… they didn’t know they knew… such a risky endeavor… you never know what will rise up… grateful for their contemplative courage.
2. Another Beautiful Team… Jeanne, Morgan, Rejoyce, Tonya and Meghan… helping me prepare food… set up our Soul Collage space… creating a beautiful welcome… where folks feel held in Love… as they engage in vulnerable work.
3. A Full Cord!… wood delivery… stacked high on the back porch… should feed our fire habit for a long while… grateful for Darby, Ez and Jim… helping us unload and stack it.
4. A Labor of Love… my beloved… coming home weary from a looonggg day shopping… in a mall more packed than Christmas… willing to head back out with me… to St. Simon’s… helping me set up their new big screen TV for worship… wading patiently through many technology iterations… trying to get a video to cast to the new TV… and show up on ZOOM for folks at home… finally giving up… on finding an iPad solution… coming home for dinner… and trying again to make it work with my computer… and it did!… so grateful for his support, patience, and skill … with technology… and his cordless drill.
5. A Log on the Fire… Tonya and Meghan… putting wood on the fire… before they went to bed… so when my beloved and I got home… it was still burning.
6. Winding Down… finally… my beloved and I … gathered in front of the fire… for the final episode of our season of the Great British Baking Show… so lovely to rest in the evening shadows… embraced by firelight and love.

 

Feb 13 2022 – Beautiful Things… God Moments

1. A Prescription for Wise Living… reflecting on Jesus’ Blessings and Woes… with the good people of St. Simon’s… Spirit reminding me of the power of vulnerability… it’s what makes it possible to blessed in the midst of hunger, grief, longing… struggle and suffering… these are not signs of God’s absence…. just the opposite…they can be portals into intimacy with God… when we invite God into our tender, fearful places…. woe to us when we don’t…. when we go it alone… believe we can control the outcomes of our lives… trust in our power, influence and wealth … to save us from vulnerability… and then discover suffering and struggle find us anyway… only we lack practice … in connecting with others… leaving us lonely… grateful Spirit shifted my perception… helped me see the woes in a new way… reminding me that vulnerability is always the pathway to connection.
2. History in the Making… celebrating Black History Month…. with the good people of St. Simon… each week someone sharing a story … of a person of color… who’s contributed to a part of the human experience they particularly love… golf, music, health care, etc… today hearing the story of young man who is making history… as one of the few people of color creating action scenes for movies in Hollywood… grateful all my beloved’s help setting up the technology last night… making it possible for us to show a clip of his work during worship.
3. Up Close and Personal… so lovely to be back to in-person worship… seeing faces that don’t make it to our ZOOM gatherings… joy flooding my spirit… to see members of our church… dressed for worship … in such beautiful ways… some decked out in Bengals  orange… others dazzling in hats and blazers… the joy of the morning bubbling up in my preaching… as I felt a playful energy as I preached.
4. Cooking Fun… as Tonya, Megan and I converging on the kitchen to make fun food the Super Bowl… excited to be hosting 20 friends … to join  us in watching the game.
5. A House Full of Fun… the joy and delight… as folks showed up for the game…. the sudden stillness among us… as we all stopped our conversations… standing in reverence… as the Star Bangled Banner was sung… the cheering as we came out after half-time full on… only a little disappointment when the Rams won… it was such a good, close game… the Bengals played so well… it was enough that we made it that far… our home tonight evidence of how they pulled us together in joy … and that has been the best win.
6. The Clean-Up Crew… a kind of “after-party”… as housemates and a few friends … restored the first floor to pre-game ordinariness… furniture back in position… food packed… dishes washed and put away… shocked by how quickly it all came together… a different kind of community fun.
7. Our Handyman… the terrifying sound … as something came tumbling down the stairs…one of our the finished step plank pieces … coming unglued!… so grateful no one was hurt… Justin getting right on it… he’d shown up at half-time… soon I heard chipping…. then the nail gun… as Justin put it all back together… so grateful for his generous gesture… while we cleaned the kitchen.
8. A Quiet End… everyone slipping off to bed… or out with friends… leaving my beloved and I alone in the dark living room… sitting in the soft glow of the fire… tucking him in on the couch… as he settled in for a nighttime nap… grateful for this introverted man… my partner… who loved our crowded house of friends as much as I did… delighting in the noisy fun … hosting so much joy.

 

Feb 14 2022 – Tikkun Farm Beautiful Things… God Moments

1. Model Leadership… the incredible community of Tikkun program leaders… doing soul work… as well as farm work…their bared souls and tender spirits… during our weekly check-in… each person’s contribution acknowledged, accepted and held in compassion … no judgement… new staff (and old!) jumping into tasks outside their realm… young leader’s laughter and exuberance to be creative.
2. Glorious sunshine!… and 50 degree weather… to melt the ice everywhere.
3. PreSchool Visits… from the local city school… so excited to welcome these little people to the farm… Tiffany leading a group of kindergarteners in yoga… her grace and patience never fails to amaze us… another day they come and make beautiful cards for elderly residents at a nearby senior communty and their families…Darby & Rejoyce taking them on a barnyard tour…  thrilled that our school partnership is taking off.
4. A bonified cookie jar!… so volunteers and visitors know where to find the good stuff!
5. Growing Season… begins with the growing Creation Care team … so grateful they are getting the farm ready to Grow… organizing seeds … planning gardens … our first Spring having so much amazing support!
6. Health and Safety … for everyone at Tikkun… a central, organized and well stocked first aid kit!… a gift given… and a volunteer mounted it for us!
7. Trying Things On… Tess welcoming our new intern’s help with the meal deliveries … Morgan’s joy at meeting the really sweet people … receiving our crockpot meal kits.
8. A Good Beginning… Tiffany starting our work week off …with a calm, restorative yoga practice… so grateful she grounds us.
9. Braving the Cold… a small, but productive group of Saturday morning volunteers! … warming up by the fire … and a cup of hot chocolate… added new wood chips into the coops… fed the animals… put finished compost onto garden beds… installed boot scrapers around the farm… a full morning!

Beautiful Things… God Moments

1. An Early Start… taking my beloved to the airport… for an early morning flight to California… heading into a busy week of meeting and conferences… all about Electric Vehicles… grateful for car time… to hear what his week holds… to hug him good-bye … love this ritual when it works out with our schedules.
2. A Sabbath Day… after a full weekend… with not much sleep… grateful to nap by the fire… after returning home from the airport… a quiet house… tending the fire all day… as I worked on grant proposals… love the peace of this time of the week.
3. Beach News… a lovely chat with my beach friend Jerry… his son was the mayor of Assateague Loop E when I met them… a munchkin of boy… who knew all the folks camping… now he’s in the armed services… home after a deployment in the Middle East… so glad he’s stateside… great to hear the news of Jerrys’ new loop… he and his beloved Kathy… bought a new home by the Delaware coast…north of our beloved Assateague… this new home sits on a horseshoe shaped loop just like our camping road… and Jerry’s getting to know them all… just like the good ol’ days!
4. Wisdom Work… the way Spirit draws us into new awareness… as we are ready … to explore deeper parts of our story… like the way a beloved mentor…. whom we’ve always admired… can also have a shadow side…like the way my beloved grandmother… who grew up as a poor, white woman in Jamacia … found her worth … less in what she was… and more in what she was not… black… Spirit inviting us to shift our perception… to see more fully… and not love any less.
5. An International Feast… Meghan, Emily and I… cooking three Hello Fresh meals… before new ones comes tomorrow… a Japanese edamame salad… an Indian Tikki Masala… a Chinese stir fry… every meal delicious… love how this meal service… introduces us to so many new food cultures.  
6. A Valentine Surprise… the wonderful florist … across the street from my beloved’s San Francisco hotel… taking my call on Valentine’s Day… then making a small eucalyptus bouquet… and carrying it right away to my beloved’s room… ready to surprise him when he finally checked in… grateful he squeezed me in… on the busiest flower day of the year.

 

Feb 15 2022 – Beautiful Things… God Moments

1. Not Finding What I’m Looking For… but finding everything else… cleaning out a number of nooks and crannies… finally getting the Christmas boxes back where they belong… giving the mountain of saved grocery bags to Tikkun Farm’s crockpot meal kits… collecting boxes of seeds from every corner of the house… getting them into the greenhouse… still looking for the water rings for the rhododendron bushes… maybe I’ll find them next time.
2. Stirred Up… noticing how a guided meditation I’ve been using … stirred something up in my spirit… like turning over a rock… and all the bugs who live in shadow came skirring out… doesn’t feel good… but feels important… like Spirit is leading me to the stuff that’s stuck…and needs to see the light of Love.
3. A Quiet Day in the Office… settling into the loveseat … in my St. Simon’s office… grateful for peaceful space… to write and create… preparing for Lent… sorting through vides and resources… glad for time to linger, listen and plan.
4. Partners… reaching out to two retired clergy… connected to St. Simon’s… wondering if they’d like to lead some of our Lenten gatherings… both of them grateful to be invited to serve… my gratitude that they want to…one of the Spirit Win-Win moments.
5. An Invitation to Apply… oh my… the Impact 100 grant organization… accepting Tikkun Farm’s LOI… inviting us to submit an application for their $100K grant… so grateful to be invited to the next round.
6. Coming Home… to a clean house… like slipping into bed with clean sheets… the peace of it blesses my spirit… everything in its place… a simple spaciousness… inviting rest.
7. Law and Order: SVU… an old favorite show… settling in to watch an episode with Tonya… shocked to discover more than 20 seasons… 20 years they’ve been telling stories… about the vulnerable… and they’re still at it… grateful for their witness.
8. Postcards from the Pacific… my beloved sharing snapshots of his day in San Francisco… with gov’t and corporate leaders… talking about how to make sure marginal communities are included in the infrastructure buildouts… being created by electric vehicle technology… building transportation corridors… that bring economic growth to neighborhoods… that previous infrastructure investments bypassed… or destroyed.
9. Laughing with Emily… as we considered various names… for our two piggies on the way… her curiosity about how piggies came to Tikkun Farm originally… her surprise to hear to it was a Spirit story… no one on the farm was hankering for pigs… until Pickles showed up needing a home… and then we fell in love… never knew pigs could be so cute.

 

Feb 16 2022 – Beautiful Things… God Moments

1. Bacon’s Rebellion… how a short history lesson … can shift our perception… conversations about white privilege… with white friends and colleagues…  who’ve grown up desperately poor… bitter, wounded, shamed and exploited … by wealthier by white folk… a friend listening to poor people of color share their experience of oppression… completely able to relate… growing up in a sharecropping family… perpetually in debt to white landowners…having more in common with poor people of other races… than wealthy white folks…  having no experience of “privilege”… sharing with them the story of Bacon’s Rebellion… when poor white indentured servants, black slaves and indigenous Native Americans… joined forces… against wealthy, white plantation owners… creating so much fear among wealthy, white landowners… the landowners created laws… designed to undermine the powerful alliance among the poor… giving poor white men the right to vote… creating the world’s first “race” based paradigm… establishing “privilege” for poor white people… giving them marginally better circumstances … offering them an sense of worth…  based on being “white”… helping my friend see… two things are true simultaneously… she rightly feels more alignment with other people who’ve grown up poor and oppressed… and she also has more privileges in America … than poor people of color…because she’s white … these realities creating a lonely space… where she experiences no sense of belonging with people of color who’ve grown up poor and oppressed … because she’s white… and no sense of belonging with more privileged white folks… because she’s poor… realizing our nation’s history created this “no man’s land” for her… does not ease her loneliness… but does make some sense of it… a change in perception creates new ways to move forward.
2. Eucalyptus in Tow… my beloved packing up his stay in San Francisco…flying to Los Angeles… telling me he packed his Valentine eucalyptus gift … and brought it along… keeping his suitcase smelling fresh… love that he could literally pack my “love” for him… and bring me along!
3. Clean Sheets… the good folks at Paul Young Funeral Home … in Mt. Healthy… putting away their manger scene for the season… leaving a lot of straw on their front lawn… allowing Tikkun Farm to come pick it up… Ez and Darby making four trips with the pick-up truck … bringing it back the farm… Holly cleaning all the old bedding out of Max’s piggy house… filling it with fresh straw… finding Max buried in the back of his house… when I brought him is dinner… before he had been sleeping half out of the doorway … just like us… he loves to sleep on clean sheets!
4. Emotional Literacy… meeting with a family tonight… wanting to create a more positive family culture… all of us learning together from Brené Brown… how to expand our emotional vocabulary… beyond Happy, Sad and Mad… realizing when we can name more emotions… we can better ask for… and address what we need… in our relationships with one another… I get a very different response from my beloved … when I can say I’m disappointed or despairing… rather than mad.
5. A New Car… on the inside… the amazing Nuview Auto Detailing… picking up my 10 year old VW… coated in dog hair, pine neendles, dirt… and more… returning it like new … grateful my beloved arranged this … for Valentine’s Day.. can’t wait to drive it tomorrow.

 

Feb 17 2022 – Beautiful Things… God Moments

1. Surprise… my daughter calling on her way home to Illinois from Maryland… could they stop here for the night… so good to see her… cooking dinner together… watching two episodes of “Queer Eye”… both about young adults transitioning like she is… sacred to watch those stories together… knowing her story intersected with them.
2. Big Book Lessons… talking with a great group of students … from Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy… at Tikkkun Farm for an immersion day of service… sharing the video … about how wolves changed the rivers in Yellowstone… showing how we are so amazingly interconnected in a web of relationship… encouraging them to look for the sacred lessons about life… we can learn from nature.
3. “A good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over”…Bible Study with the good people of St. Simon’s… digging into Jesus’ harder teachings… “Love your enemy”… “turn the other cheek”… “be merciful”… ending with this strange saying… “a good measure”, meaning enough… pressed down, shaken together… making sure all that can be fit into a measuring cup has been put in… “running over”… more than you expected or thought you had… coming back to you… when we do the hard work of loving… what  we give… comes back to us a hundred fold… like the one seed planted in the soil… grows a plant… that produces a thousand seeds.
4. Changing Perception… conversations with dear people… armored up… expecting the worst… having lived a life… where it seems the world is out to get you… so be prepared… inviting them into a gratitude practice… to change what the brain sees… what it looks for… teaching the brain to notice the blessings…. the beautiful moments… that are always there… but not noticed… inviting them to trust… one sacred moment at a time…as they add up our perception changes… we discover the world is our to gift us.
5. An Unexpected Fire… arriving home… on blustery, rainy day… smelling smoke from a wood fire…wondering what neighbor has a good fire going… feeling envious… coming into to my house… discovering the fire is in my fireplace… built by my daughter… so grateful for this warm welcome home.
6. Sunsets… glorious pictures from my beloved… watching the sun… sink into the Pacific.

 

Feb 18 2022 – Beautiful Things… God Moments

1. A Winter Walk… despite many “road closed” signs due to flooding… and our first choice walking path sitting under water… we found a place to park… and a path on dry land… rewarded with a lovely check-in with my walking partner… and a glorious sun… rising up out of the clouds.
2. Grace… my first meeting running long… making every meeting the rest of the day begin late… grateful for colleagues’ patience … and the various ways Spirit created a blessing from the delays… giving friends a chance to visit… creating extra time for someone slowed down by traffic… a lovely reminder that Love wastes nothing… even extra time.
3. Patterns… noticing the same questions… conversations… emotional processes… showing up in various relationships… the last few weeks… recognizing the presence of Spirit… bringing me the same experience again and again… so I may discern how Spirit is leading me to use my gifts…. and master my understanding of a certain emotional process… well enough… to teach and share it with others.
4. Clean It Up… noticing the accumulating piles of clutter in my living space… some have been there for years… feeling tired of the way they’ve become part of the background… having the time and energy to sort, organize and  purge … and create better systems to manage the belongings I choose to keep… and the routines for of how I use them.
5. Support… my housemates and my daughter… helping me unload boxes of storage systems … and get them to the third floor… Emily loaning me her tool kit… so I didn’t have to dig through the tool room in the milkhouse… Tonya helping me assemble half the boxes… grateful for so much support… making it possible for me go from having an idea… to having a solution!

 

Feb 19 2022 – Beautiful Things… God Moments

1. Breakfast Planning… Susan showing up with Pecan Rolls… Meghan making her latte… as we gathered for our early morning menu planning… as Team 2 for our Community Dinner meal.
2. Divide and Conquer… Susan grocery shopping for our cooking project… while I returned to IKEA for one more item needed for the bedroom transformation… grateful we can head out our separate ways… and come back together to cook.
3. A lot of Cooks… my daughter Evelyn… and a farmhouse visitor… joining Meghan, Susan and I… in our cooking project… everyone contributing …. make a large task easy… so much laughing… and getting to know each other… grateful for the way these guests joined our party.
4. Bedroom Transformation… Tonya and I… completing all the assembly… of new furniture… to complete the “clear out the clutter” project… amazing how white furniture brightens up a dark space… love how much more peaceful and welcoming my bedroom feels… with everything in order…even have room to put out pictures that had sitting in boxes… filling our space with beloved memories too.
5. An Unexpected Guest… a dear friend … who moved a few hours away… stopping by the farm… while waiting for their partner to complete some meetings… loved seeing her snuggled up on the couch… reading a book… drinking a cup of tea… feeling so at home and welcome.
6. The Dinner Team… Evelyn, Tonya, Emily and Meghan… laughing uproariously as they cooked dinner together… while I worked on a grant application… so loved hearing their joy … blow in from the next room… filling our house with love and connection.
7. House Dinner… all of us gathered in the living room… feasting on shrimp tacos… enjoying an episode of “Queer Eye”… grateful for a time of connection on a busy day… so love that my daughter fits in so easily with all of us!
8. Homecoming… a late-night flight… bringing my beloved home from the Pacific coast… grateful for his embrace… excited to show him our transformed space!

 

Feb 20 2022 – Beautiful Things… God Moments

1. Grace… for a challenging morning… running late for church… running into every delay… the train… the ZOOM technology not working… the battery in the microphone dead… no new batteries to be found… still we worshipped… grateful for our wonderfully faithful usher finding a battery for the mic before I needed to preach… a gracious congregation … a stillness in my spirit despite all the challenges.
2. Graduate-Level Love Lessons… reflecting with the good people of St. Simon’s… on those hard teachings of Jesus… love your enemy… turn the other cheek…. pray for those who abuse you….bless those who curse you… wondering how we grow into such challenging practices… grateful Jesus gives us the roadmap… right after he gives us the lessons… 1. keep it active… love is not a feeling… it’s an action… I can love my enemy without actually liking them… 2. small steps… move the heart in big ways… 5 min of prayer a day… every day… can move us from hate to compassion… 3. get curious… about the humanity our enemies… what’s their story… get to know the needs… that drive behavior… 4. Trust… small steps over time add up… as we offer our small gestures… Love comes back to us … overflowing… grateful Jesus didn’t back down from the hard lessons… but trusted we were capable of growing into Big Love.
3. Black Spirituals… St. Simon’s organist… offering us a beautiful lesson… on the power and gift of the black spirituals… as part of our Black History Month reflections… loved how he weaved the history of this musical form… with his singing of it… his rich, deep voice… bringing his teaching to life.
4. Breakfast for Lunch… good smells wafting up from the kitchen… into the sanctuary… coming down for fellowship hour… to bacon… eggs… biscuits… potatoes… the woman in our community who loves to cook… feeding us well … and not just our bellies… grateful for the way we all lingered a bit longer over our plates… connecting with each other… hungry for this soul feast… even more than her beautiful breakfast.
5. Inside-Out… gathering with my Tikkun Community… for our meal together… and a movie… loved how Pixar took the emotions that happens inside us… sadness, joy, anger, disgust, fear… and put them out where we could see them… grateful to be moved to laugher and tears… grateful for our conversation afterwards… noticing how Pixar helped us see … this committee of emotions … looks different in each person… some people lead with joy… others with anger… grateful Pixar shined a light on the power of sadness… to give birth to joy… and how we often have many emotions at the same time… especially grateful for my community… willing to watch this animated movie… and then stayed for the reflection… where the real goodness happened.
6. A Quick Clean Up…. always amazed… how the kitchen goes from a disaster zone… to a clean, uncluttered slate… so quickly… as everyone pitches in… clearing the table… packing up the leftovers… loading the dishwasher… wiping the counters… BOOM!… all done!
7. A Tender Moment… the youngest member in our community… 10 years … sitting next to his dad during the movie… noticing his dad get sad… during a poignant moment in the movie… reaching out his hand…. to pat his dad gently on the shoulder.
8. Vulnerability… sharing our gratitudes during our community meal… so many of us grateful… for a safe place to be vulnerable… recognizing in our lived experience… the truth captured in our movie… our vulnerability… our sadness and struggle… is also the birthplace of our joy and connection.
9. Putting Me Down for a Nap… my beloved… eager to tuck me in… as the evening quieted down… covering me with a quilt… tending the fire… as sleep came quickly… grateful to be nestled in a cozy space… embraced by love.

 

Feb 20 2022 – Beautiful Things… God Moments

1. A Recovery Day… whew!… after a full weekend… low on sleep… grateful for all that got accomplished this weekend… grateful to follow that up with an unscheduled day … in a hushed and still house.
2. A Cleaning Kick… with the clutter gone… ready for the next level of clean… calling Holly… who does such a great job cleaning our milkhouse… could she come help clean the 3^rd floor?… grateful for the time she put into clearing up the dust … giving loving attention to nooks and crannies…. getting stains out that I thought would be there forever…. amazing how good it feels to be in a clean space… I just wanted to spend time there to soak up… so glad Holly tackled that job… so I had time to assemble Tonya’s IKEA storage cubes… after all her help with my IKEA projects… glad to have time to return the Love.
3. “Thought of You”… the note attached to the grant application… from a friend of Tikkun Farm… they saw a grant for $10,000… for organizations farming and teaching others to farm… thought we would be a good fit… due in four days… forwarding it Robyn… who writes many grant applications for us… wondering if she had time this week to help with this… hearing back from her hours later… she had already completed most of the grant application!…. grateful for all these friends of the Farm…who think of us… and help us do our work in the world.
4. Date Night… with my beloved… fixing dinner downstairs with housemates… my beloved at his beloved grill… housemates settling in for dinner and show… my beloved and I coming up to our third floor … for dinner together… all clean and welcoming… loving our one-on-one time… hearing about his day… sharing the news from mine… settling into our cozy space… reading out loud from our “Trails” book… learning tonight about the search for ancient Cherokee trails in the mountains of North Carolina.. grateful for this weekly ritual… nurturing our beloved life together.

 

Feb 22 2022 – Beautiful Things… God Moments

1. Rainsong…. singing all night… a lullaby… as I drifted in and out of sleep… playing in the background… during yoga this morning … nature’s soothing, peaceful drumming … echoing through my spirit.
2. Tender Conversation… with a saint from St. Simon’s… warmed as we visited by her fire… hearing the story of her parents participation in the Great Migration… how they settled in Lincoln Heights… the gifts this community gave her… how it raised her to know God… and love God’s people… deeply grateful for her tremendous service to God and her church… moved by her tender vulnerability … and tenacious spirit… sharing communion… the afternoon a feast for body and soul.
3. No Man’s Land… so many conversations lately… with deeply faithful people… lonely… as they outgrow the churches that formed them… longing for spiritual community…not sure where to find it… but certain of their connection to a sacred voice and relationship… feeling Spirit push me harder with each conversation… to offer respite and companionship … nurture and growth… to these pilgrims transitioning into the second half of life… excited and grateful to be invited into such sacred work.
4. Remembering Malcom X… listening to his speech about HATE… reminding his listeners how White Supremacy taught people of color to hate so much about themselves… the texture of their hair… color of their skin… shape of their nose… noting the irony of a culture that taught so much HATE… accusing him of HATE… grateful to reflect upon his life… his teaching… remembering when my internship supervisor put Malcom X’s autobiography in my hands… and wept when he talked about Malcom X’s assassination…grateful for the opportunity to consider how Malcom and Martin challenged White Supremacy in different ways… reminding me of the power of diversity in thought… there is not one right way… differences grow and enrich us.
5. “My Oldest Friend… and steadiest companion”… a paradigm shift … about my body… the latest in a long line of shifts … in my relationship with my body… long ago I stopped judging it and hating it… grew in gratitude for all it’s brought me through… today though… a new perspective… seeing it as my oldest friend… considering how I love my friends… what it means to listen to them… to respect them… listening to my body through this lens… wondering what it needs from me… how I can support it… what I need to stop doing to it… noticing immediately how this changes choices I make… and how I am more attuned to how it feels.

Beautiful Things… God Moments

1. A Brisk Walk… around Winton Woods Lake… grateful for a spurt of energy… that got me moving this morning… accompanied by a lively conversation with my sister.
2. “The pattern of its breaking… involves also… the pattern of it’s healing”… Wendell Berry’s Big Book Lesson… listening to what the woods have teach him…. how all things broken and disordered … will be restored… ordered… healed… “as so / we trust and live and love”… that we who have a place in Creation… will also, in time, like the woods… will discover our “disorder ordered”… grateful for his reminders that all things comes together for good… Love Wins.
3. “Eve Remembering”… Toni Morrison’s poem… midrash on the second creation story… offering a look back on the garden… from the long distance of a life fully lived… offering the eating of the apple … and eyes opened wide… as freedom… to explore greater wildernesses… to discover summits outside the garden… worth scaling and climbing… only to discover … the sacred journey always brings you home… to the summit of yourself… grateful for this reinterpretation of Eve… and reflection on the path of spiritual awakening and maturing.
4. Wisdom Wednesday… grateful to be gathered again… around a feast … Toni Morrison’s words for the soul…. bread, chocolate, cheese and nuts… for the bodies … all of us together… a feast for one another… sacred community… holy listening… companions on the pilgrim path.
5. “Oh, go in beauty… Peace be with you… till we meet again… in the Light”… our closing chant… with an Irish melody… sending us out in joy… loved this tune… sang it all the way home… and to my housemates with happiness.

 

Feb 24 2022 – Beautiful Things… God Moments

1. Triumph and Tragic… sitting in Memorial Hall… listening to live music… luminous songs written by woman saved by art and music… from an abusive childhood… songs that name the violence… and the victory over it… her joy and beauty washing over all of us… as the news of missiles bombing Kiev flash across my phone… “you are not alone” she sings … a song written for her daughter… I sing the same words to strangers across the ocean… reminded again how fully joy and grief can occupy the same heart… hope and despair… celebration and lament… grateful to have been given a heart large enough to hold it all.
2. Handed to Me… eyeing this concert from afar… my friend Sandie sharing the beautiful story of Allison Russell… how she transformed her trauma into music… during COVID… inviting me to join her at this concert… wanting to go… paralyzed by all the time conflicts I’d have to resolve to make it… so doing nothing… at her home tonight working with her husband Owen on my website… knowing they are headed to the concert later… and I never arranged my life go with them… Sandie coming in… she had two tickets available last minute… do I want them?… felt like Spirit nudging me to get myself there… pushing through my paralysis… resolving my conflicts… grateful for 2^nd chances… and an evening of beautiful music with friends.
3. Perseverance… conversations with an engineer … longing to hear God’s voice in their life… so moved by their persistent practice of prayer… waiting … listening… trusting… leaning into mystery… when they’ve been trained their whole life to solve problems… use logic… praying Love meets them on their path… grateful for their witness… grateful to be invited to join them on their journey.
4. “Perverse and Faithless Generation”… harsh words… spoken by Jesus… wondering with the good people of St. Simon’s… what to do with them…Jesus’ frustration is understandable… his expression of it challenging… we all know those moments… when we’ve taught the same lesson many times… and the ones we’re teaching still don’t get it… UGH!… not sure what to do with these verses… grateful I don’t need to have an answer… grateful to wrestle with this… knowing it always leads me into deeper wisdom.
5. Beginning with the Birds… this morning’s Wendell Berry poem… reflecting on the many ways the birds bless us… the trilling of the owl at night… the joyful flight of the swallows… the song of the warbler… loved reading these glimpses into the winged community … with my beloved… who loves the birds.
6. Windsong… how a light breeze… can make a big sound… being serenaded this morning … by the sonorous song of the windchime.

 

Feb 25 2022 – Tikkun Farm Beautiful Things… God Moments

1. Service Immersion Days … Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy… High School students coming to the farm for a day of service learning… great leaders from every Tikkun program… inviting students into projects from all sectors of the farm…  painting feed cans… baking goodies for volunteers…  processing alpaca fiber…  creating a shady sitting area…  clearing brush from the fence line.. all in windy, rainy, snowy,  chilly weather!
2. Too Many Cooks in the Kitchen… Not! … the sounds of love and laughter… from our High School volunteers… while making cookies, ganache and baking bread … stocking up to have for with fellow volunteers … sharing their lunch with Tikkun Staff… who gathered in the kitchen to nourish their bodies… and stayed to help Jeanne prepare the kitchen for the afternoon shift of volunteers… and then came back… to help clean up after… a day of  beautiful fellowship.
3. Life Lessons…. a high school volunteer … helping out with our Free Market… being moved by a young boy’s excitement … finding fruit available when he came to shop with his family… expanding her awareness of those in need.
4. Show Me the Water…. Rejoyce grateful for a rain downpour… being able to see how the water moves across our land… making it possible to plan earthworks to maximize water conservation… minimize topsoil erosion… and create safe walking paths for our guests… like the ducks… she’s the only one who wants to be outside playing in the rain!
5. A well organized white board … Carolyn our greenhouse leader… creating a planting chart for the year… organized by growing spaces on the farm… telling us what to plant when… when we can harvest… how crops will rotate among grow spaces… wow!
6. A Network of Support… Nathan meeting Jeanne at her car to offer assistance… Ez and Morgan asking “how can I help”… so grateful for this team of leaders… all looking out for one another.

Beautiful Things… God Moments

1. A Walking Partner… the only reason I got up this morning … early enough to walk around the lake… so grateful for conversation… nature… and movement… so good to start the day with these gifts.
2. Deja Vu… a second walk with another Friday Friend… so grateful for her willingness to drive longer than we walked this morning… as I had to cut our route short to get back to the farm for an event.
3. Skimming the Water… the blue heron…. flying out where I could see her… right before we turned around … to head back to the car… gliding just over the lake… wings almost touching the water… truly a morning visit from Spirit.
4. Ruth Anne’s Posse… my dear friend… inviting her dear friends… to the farm… for a day of retreat and reflection… looking back over the past season… wondering what’s coming next… such a gift …. to spend the day with these gifted women.
5. Extra Support… Tonya sharing her day off…. with the retreat … making her amazing homemade Maple-Pecan scones… and getting the fire going… before she headed off into the rest of her day… everyone deeply blessed by her offering of love and time.
6. My Beloved’s Vulnerability… sharing how crushing the events in Ukraine feel to him… his deep sadness to witness Putin’s cruelty… so grateful he lets me see his spirit… I know so many share his shock and sadness at what’s transpiring.
7. A Quiet Night… ending a day of crushing world news… gathered in one another’s company… Tonya and I cooking together… my beloved keeping watch over his grill… circling up around the fire… and a show… grateful for the deep gift of simple rituals… knowing they can’t stop the violence on the other side of the world… but they can hold us… when we don’t know how to help.

 

Feb 26 2022 – Beautiful Things… God Moments

1. “What I Would Like to Create Abundantly in My Life is…”… spending a beautiful morning with my dear friend Ruth Anne Wolfe… listening with others… as her sister Liz leads us in an Abundance workshop… challenging us to shift our perspective… examine the fear and scarcity beliefs that shape what we see around us… encouraging us to imagine what is possible… while it is not the answer to poverty … grateful it encouraged me to notice where God is out to gift me… not get me.
2. Cold Frame Lids… the stunning surprise… one of our urban farming job training graduates… continuing his work on the farm… builds things! … working with Carolyn … our greenhouse coordinator… to build cold frame lids for our raised beds… so we can get planting in them sooner… his surprise how much he loves building things… love hearing him talk about his woodshop teacher… grateful he had a woodshop teacher… love how he’s sharing this interest and skill with the farm.
3. The Poor People’s Campaign… visiting Tikkun Farm… painting signs for an upcoming march in Cleveland… challenging policies that hurt the poor… grateful to have this group of compassionate, active, informed citizens on the farm.
4. Bobcat Lessons… my beloved showing the women on the farm… how to run the bobcat… each of us taking a taking a turn moving woodchip piles… loved my lesson… amazed how easy it was to drive this machine… so grateful for my beloved’s patience… he’s a great teacher!
5. Movie Night… everyone in the house gathering around the fire… popcorn… and some movies… “The Pentagon Papers” with Tom Hanks and Meryl Streep… deeply moved by Kay Graham’s courage… to put her family newspaper… the Washington Post… on the line… to print the truth about the gov’t lies about Vietnam… following up with the joyful music of “Sister Act”…. grateful for the circle of laughter and connection embracing us all… as we stopped to discuss issues raised by the movies… ask questions… feed the animals… stretching our evening out beyond the movie… a soothing balm for souls weary of the violence, unkindness and deep sadness swirling around us.

 

Feb 27 2022 – Beautiful Things… God Moments

1. From Lament…. to Love… reflecting with the good people of St. Simon’s… on Jesus’ lament… “You faithless and perverse generation, how much longer must I be with you and bear with you?” … seems so out of character for Jesus… where is his patience, compassion and kindness?… wasn’t sure what to do with this outburst… until confronted this week with so much violence and bullying… from political leaders using their power to hurt the vulnerable… rather than nurture and protect them… Putin invading Ukraine… Texas and Florida passing bills aimed to silence trans and gay children… and punish their parents and teachers… so sick and weary of so much hate and violence… suddenly Jesus’ lament became my own… “You faithless and perverse generation, how much longer must I be with you and bear with you?”… grateful for his words … and that he says them… reminding me of the power of lament… how we must name what feels hard and hurting… before we can let it go… and move on to loving… in the very next breath Jesus invites the father who’s son needs healing… from the dark powers of the world… to bring him close… and Jesus rebukes the darkness… offering love in its’ place… that is my work too… to lament… so I can be love in the world… especially now… when the hate seems so high… we need a lot of love.
2. Special Delivery… my beloved giving up his favorite sabbath moment… hanging out all morning on the 3rd floor… reading and reflecting… in order to bring to church… the cable I needed to connect my computer to the TV… that I thought was in my bag… but was not… he didn’t even lament… just offered with so much love and grace to help me.
3. Technology Challenges… the frustration of trying to share videos about the Poor People’s Campaign during our Black History Month presentation… in a way folks at church can see it on TV…and folks at home can see it on ZOOM… and we can all hear… seemed to stretch us beyond the limits of our technology… grateful for the immense patience of the St. Simon’s congregation… both in person and at home… and someone’s suggestion to just email the link!… and then the committee of men… who dismantled the huge TV from it’s rolling stand… so we could move it from the sanctuary…. to the parish hall… up and down so many stairs!… and then put it all back together again… so we could watch our Lenten video series during our fellowship lunch… grateful for their patience … and loving support of community experience.
4. TURN… beginning our Lenten video series with the good people of St. Simon’s… focusing on the seven practices of “The Way of Love”… loved the low buzz of conversation among folks at their lunch tables… as we considered the many ways we can TURN back towards God and one another… and how we might want to TURN this Lent… what practices we might want to take on… to draw us closer to Love… grateful for this series… and the lovely way folks connected with it and one another.
5. Road Trip… arriving home from church… finding Tonya packed and ready for our road trip… to pick up our new piggies… water for me… snacks for the ride… veggies chopped and ready for the piggies… a lovely day for a drive… grateful for the 5 hour round trip… giving us time to talk and connect.
6. The Piggie Relay… the wonderful volunteer from Piggsburg Pig Rescue… who helps bring foster pigs to their new homes all over the country… meeting us half way… so we could pick up our two new piggies… plus Ms. Dolly Parton… who’s new mama from Louisville, KY was meeting us at the farm… to take her the rest of the way home… never in my wildest dreams imagined… I’d be part of a pig network.
7. The Welcoming Committee… Silas checking in all afternoon… on the expected time of arrival… of the new piggies… excitement brimming over as he greeted us when we pulled in… Meghan helping us carry their crate to the barnyard… Max sniffing the new arrivals … and then walking away… the new piggies excited to explore… and so happy to be here… their tales would not stop wagging!
8. A Contented End… the whole house settling in for dinner and a show… as we brought the day’s events… and the weekend… to a quiet close… feeling deeply moved by the older man on Queer Eye… who had not changed a thing about his house… after moving into it 15 years earlier when his parents died… his feeling that he was a failure compared to his siblings… who nominated him for the Fab 5 transformation… amazed by his complete openness … to have his life changed and updated… and then his deep gratitude for how they did it… he could not stop weeping as his home, his clothes, his hair… all received such loving care… the best part was when they helped him adopt a new dog… so much joy as this man welcomed his large family of nieces and siblings into his home no one had been in for almost two decades… I love a happy ending!
9. Hitting the Wall… grateful for my housemates… who cleaned up dinner… as I fell asleep on the couch… waking up in the wee hours of the morning… to find all the food put away… and kitchen reset to start a new week.

 

Feb 28 2022 – Tikkun Farm Beautiful Things… God Moments

1. A Beautiful Tapestry … of folks who support the farm … and lead our programs… amazing volunteers… interns and co-ops from local universities… job training graduates… one paid staff… AmeriCorps members who give their time, energy, and passion… so grateful for all this passion, talent and time… with everyone contributing … we keep growing!
2. Tiffany’s Yoga Support… leading our Nourishing Family team through yoga every week… supporting those who support Tikkun Farm…. taking the time and energy to listen… hearing what individual members of the Tikkun Team are experiencing in their body … showing them how to use yoga to help ease those issues.
3. A Certain Blue Haired Lady … who notices when someone is having an off day … taking time to check in with them… this big-hearted grandma has a special sense for knowing who needs the love!
4. The little things – organization for the win!… love the creative way Jeanne organized the measuring spoons in the kitchen… hanging them all on the cabinet door!
5. Warming Up… sitting by the farmhouse fire… after a chilly day outdoors … Ez sharing the “Chick Care” brochure he created… for folks fostering baby chicks… amazed by this young man’s versatility… he creates on the computer… uses power tools… connects with volunteers… so grateful he’s joined our team… his excitement about the arrival of the new piggies… how thankful he is for everyone contributing to welcoming these newest members of our barnyard family… grateful he can support our animal volunteers… without displacing them.
6. 5 year-old Teachers… the kindergarten class … Darby visits every week… surprising her with homemade thank you cards … her deep gratitude for them! … “I should be the one writing the thank you cards!…  For every lesson I teach them about the natural world…  they teach me three about the human world. …  so grateful to have gotten the chance to know and teach and learn and grow alongside them.”… I always know the Spirit is at work … when it’s a “Win-Win”.
7. Unexpected Gifts… Carolyn our greenhouse leader… fixing our fiber carder!… who knew she knew how to tinker with machines… as well as grow plants!

Beautiful Things… God Moments

1. How We Fight… early morning coffee conversation with my beloved… about war… and violence… and how we fight… thinking of the beautiful orthodox temples … and how different it is to destroy sacred sites… instead of military bases… how it crosses the line from military strategy to cruelty… when we attack the places and things people love… how it destroys more than buildings… it attacks hope and morale… “They thanked me… a random American… 70 years later… for not bombing their sacred spaces… when the United States dropped the atomic bombs on Japan.”… despite the grim nature of the conversation… it felt sacred … naming these distinctions… understanding that violence has layers … hoping Putin does not descend into cruelty… feeling protective of Orthodox churches… and all they symbolize.
2. Sabbath Practices… meditating in front of the fire… listening to a guided meditation snuggled in on the couch… slipping into a late morning nap… deeply grateful for these restorative practices… eased the tiredness from the weekend schedule… and the sadness stirred up by my conversation with my beloved about the sacred spaces in Ukraine… hit the reset button to begin a new week.
3. One More Grant… submitted… took all afternoon… but grateful to tell the story … of Tikkun Farm’s gardens… and how they restore souls… while feeding bodies.
4. Piggy Visits… checking on our new barnyard guests… love how they come running… making their happy grunting noises… glad to have their backs scratched… really hoping you brought a snack for them.
5. Date Night… collecting all the ingredients… to make stir-fry together… on the third floor… my beloved and I expanding our date night… from eating together to cooking together… both of us coming into the evening grumpy… for random reasons… but boy does it feel tempting to blame the other person in the room… grateful we took time to clear the air… before we tried to cook together… helped us hit the reset button… got some music playing… found our way into a lovely evening together.