The gift within the pain...
Blog Posts
Presence
It is never easy to pack up and move; the emotions that slip into each suitcase, plastic bin, and aged box hold a lifetime of memories. When the choices are limited and feel like they’re less than our own, the mix of gratitude and hesitation is palpable. Establishing resettlement homes for refugee families has groomed … Continue reading Presence
What Was Hard About Today?
It was one of those teacher days… in the class I was observing a lesson in, the co-teacher called in sick and would be out for the rest of the week. A little one vomited in class and that made other children feel sick. The class, though rich in goodness, has their fair share of … Continue reading What Was Hard About Today?
The Space
JOY
This Christmas as I reflect on what the past year has given me, I recognize that JOY has found me! For so long, I have searched for my niche, and while every corner of my life feeds me… bright contentment has settled on my soul… Many paths have led me to this time… Each turn, … Continue reading JOY
Look for the Crack
Groping in the darkness, all we can rely on is the belief that beyond the unrest is the light we know is calling us. Too often, life these days takes us from crisis to crisis. From personal to family to community and globally, we are bombarded with the challenges of difference. The isolation we were … Continue reading Look for the Crack
Which Path?
The harshness of the world’s realities has many of us pausing more and more often as we seek answers and clarity for how to face the future. I think about the foundations that were given to me and how they have sustained me during many of life’s tribulations. I am tempted to feel for the … Continue reading Which Path?
Missing The Moments…
It may feel as if the Climb never ends. Niagara Gorge, Niagara Falls, NY Perhaps it is because you are Looking at the Top... ...that which is farthest away. Angels' Landing, Zion National Park, Utah Look instead, at the step you are on TODAY. Angels' Landing; on the Trail There is something to be learned, … Continue reading Missing The Moments…
Love and Wisdom Larger than Ours…
Easter 2021… Who would have ever predicted LAST Easter when we were cautiously hopeful that we might "soon" be able to gather again for family holidays in a life fully lived, that a year later we would still be living the challenge. In our home, we decided to make our own traditions, so we planned … Continue reading Love and Wisdom Larger than Ours…
If It Can Work for Children…
Flashback to 2018 when I was still in the classroom… As we each found our spot on the rug… one person deep, so that NO One was out of the circle of belonging, everyone knew this was a safe place to be their true self. Some weeks, it was simply a light exchange of “What … Continue reading If It Can Work for Children…
Essential…?
Twelve long weeks ago, I was made keenly aware of how the Covid-19 pandemic and subsequent quarantine was a wake-up call. Despite the challenges, I witnessed people becoming keenly aware of their priorities, asking those important questions... what really matters? Family. How do we Protect.? What is REALLY Essential? How can I best Connect? How … Continue reading Essential…?
Education… Our Future…
During National Teacher Week, our hearts and minds have gone to ALL the many factors that encompass 'being a teacher.' The spotlight on educators is brighter than ever, as we face what it means to teach a child in today’s world. Every day, I hear another story. The images sometimes bring me heart ache, sometimes … Continue reading Education… Our Future…
We Will Never Agree…
It does not take a pandemic to point out the realities of human nature and interaction. If nothing else, the current world situation, and how various authorities are responding, shows the vastness of interpretation, values and human reaction. But what surfaces for me, is what I view as the 'bigger truth.' Sedona, Arizona, circa 2011 … Continue reading We Will Never Agree…
Keep Watch with Me
I went back tonight to the spiritual community of my young adulthood. I went back to say goodbye, as yet another church in the city of Buffalo is having its doors closed. I went to offer support, and was taken aback by how it hit me… Memories flooded over me… this was the church of … Continue reading Keep Watch with Me
Little Bits of Light can Illuminate the Darkness
The last week or so saw an uptick for me as the group I volunteer with finished our 29th home for a refugee family of 6. It takes me back to Spring 2022, when it was suggested that I "check the group out…” When I did, I learned that ‘they’ accepted every aspect of support: … Continue reading Little Bits of Light can Illuminate the Darkness
Invite Small Moments to Inhabit Your Heart
Inviting small moments to inhabit my heart… that is my challenge this Thanksgiving… my beacon of light in a world that tends to point us to the darkness. Yesterday, it was a grey, dreary day in Western New York… the rain had stopped, but the dampness had pasted the land with flattened leaves and a … Continue reading Invite Small Moments to Inhabit Your Heart
Thy Kingdom Come…
So many hands and hearts touching so many lives… This week, another marvelous experience of people making the world a better place. 4 trucks... 1 trailer...11 pick up and drop-offs...50+ volunteers... 1 home... 3 apartments, and reorganizing our storage unit, (paid for by generous donors) ~ THIS was our charge, as we answered "yes!" to … Continue reading Thy Kingdom Come…
There Will Come Another
Today marks the 17th anniversary of the Western New York October Storm. The lessons I learned during that unexpected storm have guided many a decison over the past 17 years. In memory of that event, the book There Will Come Another, A Lesson from the Trees, is again available for purchase at a special 'Storm … Continue reading There Will Come Another
One Last Pause… The Gift of Slowing Down…
Four months…! It’s four months today that I had my shoulder surgery. A little over five months that my friend graciously offered me her recliner chair so that I would be able to sleep and heal therapeutically. When I got the text that they were on the way… I paused… She and her grandsons were … Continue reading One Last Pause… The Gift of Slowing Down…
Perspective Offers Us a Wider Lens
On a recent morning of service working with volunteers on establishing a refugee resettlement home, I was asked to work with an agency employee to pick up items from our storage unit (provided by the sponsoring agency.) Having this chance to work directly with staff was a first for me, and was particularly rewarding as … Continue reading Perspective Offers Us a Wider Lens