Month: April 2021

I am so profoundly grateful to have heard the words

Guilty

Guilty

Guilty

I had expected to feel differently than I did. I had hoped to feel more joy. Justice doesn’t always bring joy!

I had this feeling of despair deep in my gut. I didn’t fully trust that justice would prevail. There was an eerie familiarity to the stare from Chauvin. The same kind of stare as when he kneeled on the neck of George Floyd.

So when the judge read the verdict, I could breathe a little deeper, but the wondering began. Will this day in history begin to bring about change? Many who testified exemplified such courage in their truth-telling. I hope they have some awareness of our gratitude.

Today is an invitation for us as a nation to hold onto hope that change is possible. Today is an important day, but the journey is not over. We have work to be done, and justice will prevail if we continue to bring systemic change and reform.

Today at 510 pm, I did not feel joy. Justice does not always bring joy. Tragedy will always be a part of this story. But today, at 510 pm, I did not feel despair. I could breathe just a little deeper. It was a moment in time when we saw that, yes, Black Lives Matter.

Lord hear our prayers,

Lord convict our hearts,

Lord give us courage,

Lord have mercy!

Blessed be His name!

My Mom can regularly be heard saying, “it’s a new world!”

It causes me to smile when she uses such an expression! It communicates awe and respect for all the changes that she is witnessing. This comes from a woman, who as a 10-year-old, boarded The Maasdam and immigrated to the United States. It is not the first time she has acclimated to a new world. 

The other night we had a dinner table of 12 people ranging in age from 11 to 81. We began to discuss pronouns and gender identity. It was the most fascinating blend of input and honest expression from everyone. We talked about our perceptions, understanding, need for awareness and education, questions we wondered about, and overall desire to move into spaces that felt new and sometimes unknown to us. 

As an Elder at my Church, we are engaging in intentional conversation about being an inclusive church. This is one of the articles shared for education. It comes from the website: https://genderspectrum.org/.

I invite you to take some time to reflect on it as well. These words felt like a genuine invitation. I hope you might consider the invitation as well!

There is a generational divide in how we think about gender. To bridge this gap, those of us who were raised with a more limited view of gender can take this as an opportunity to explore gender with new eyes, read and ask questions to better understand gender’s complexity. As with any learning experience, you’ll learn more about the world around you and about yourself in the process.

More can be found by following the link below to Understanding Gender!

https://genderspectrum.org/articles/understanding-gender

May we live in unity, honoring the diversity that exists within us and around us!

Blessed be His name!

That any of us are alive!

I can often be found listening to the police radio. I find myself overwhelmed with how many reports of reckless and/or intoxicated drivers are on the road every day.

I am keenly aware of the roads as my nephew recently got his permit, and another nephew recently got his license. I am keenly aware of my speed, my driving habits, my blinker use, and where I stop when at a crosswalk.

And then I hear these dispatchers reporting irresponsible drivers who put lives at risk.  I plead with every one of you to do what we can to make the roads safe.

Put your phones away, stop with all the distractions (I saw someone reading while they drove today), wait to eat your meal till you get home, and keep your eyes on the road. Give pedestrians the right away and watch for bikers and give them the space needed.

I know that my awareness is heightened as I think of my nephews, and I can’t quite imagine what it feels like when they are your kids who hit the highways…but tonight, I hope that we all do our part, both in how we drive and speaking into others lives if they are reckless and putting others at risk.

2021 distracted driving statistics

In January of 2021, The Zebra reached out to American drivers to understand the habits they engage in behind the wheel of a car. While many claims they never drive while distracted, others admit to engaging in many other behaviors while driving, including texting while driving.

• 52.5% of respondents reporting eating while driving, down 4.2% from last year’s respondents. Other behaviors include:
  • Texting (23.6%)
  • Taking photos (11.7%)
  • Applying makeup (6.5%)
• 3.4% admitted to drinking while driving!

Our survey also looked into how many Americans view distracted driving, either as dangerous or not.

• 36.4% of participants completely agree that using a mobile device hinders your ability to drive, yet 36% admit to engaging in activities with a cellphone while driving. 
• Less than half of participants completely agree that texting and driving are just as dangerous as drinking and driving, despite numerous studies proving both activities limit your capacity for awareness and focus.
• Only 4.1% of participants ages 25-34 claimed they felt a high degree of pressure to respond to text messages while driving. In total, 12.1% of respondents in that age group felt any pressure to answer a text at all. 
• 17.9% of the age group 18-24 felt the most pressure to respond to a text while driving. Interestingly, it is also this age group that is most often in accidents. 

Be safe and be well!

Blessed be His name!

 

 

Are good for the soul…

Today was one of those days. The temp would only make it to 56, but 56 and sunny makes for a beautiful day!

The warmth of working in the driveway prepping the bikes for spring inspired us to go for our first bike ride. The cool breeze of 56 degrees kept it short. The trees in bloom, the deep and beautiful colors of the flowers, and the sun felt like Spring. The breeze while biking reminded us full spring is still coming.

Tonight we had a beautiful family gathering outside with the fire going. Another sign of early spring. It was a sunny spring day filled with sweet moments. Grateful for my family, corn hole, sunshine, good honest conversations, and Spring. And I love how expressive everyone becomes in Corn Hole!

I hope you enjoyed some sun, some fun, and/or some family and friends today.

 

I wonder what meals you remember from your younger years? Mine would include Hamburger Helper, meatloaf, and shepherds pie. Sundays were often pot roast, mashed potatoes, and of course, a good veggie. When my Dad traveled, we were assured a pot of spaghetti (my Dad was never a fan of pasta), and my Mom has always made the best soup!

This is a meal that I liked as a kid and still like today. I know it is not a popular favorite, but I do claim it as one of mine. I am grateful my Mom made liver and onions for us as kids. My Uncle Bob makes an excellent liver and onions. This week he invited and served a magnificent meal!

I wonder what meal would bring you right back to that growing-up space? Consider adding it to your menu this week and enjoy all the smells, tastes, and feels that come with that meal of long ago!

If you can’t think of one, try liver and onions. You might just like it!

Three years ago today, I wrote this blog.

Living normally

Tonight I read it and think about living normally in 2021. So many things don’t feel normal amid COVID 19 continuing to impact younger people’s lives. My friend, a nurse, told me that two of her patients died last night from COVID —one 29 and one 37. Nothing normal about that.

Tonight I heard the news report of a 13-year-old black teenager shot by police. There is nothing normal about that.

We are awaiting the outcome of the trial surrounding the death of George Floyd. I can tell you that nothing feels normal about that.

I got this alert on my phone today regarding an accident one block from my house. Massive crash on Plymouth and burton; the guy was going at least 100, hit a tree, electric box, and then hit another car before two tires came off. The guy was taken to the hospital and was still unconscious. A lady was taken to the hospital as well. Nothing normal about that.

And as I listen to the police radio, I am pretty familiar with gunfire reports within a few miles of my house. Gang violence is real, and I pray for safety and healing every night as I wrap up my day. Violence so close to home is new to me, and nothing feels normal about that.

And yet, I borrow the words from 3 years ago, words I wrote when my foundation was shaken to the core at the diagnosis of my Dad’s cancer.

… living normally doesn’t mean denying what is real, nor does it mean becoming solely focused on our circumstances….

And so, in 2021, amidst all that doesn’t feel normal, it is essential that we name it and share honestly about the chaos that is real. It is equally important that we look beyond the confusion and pain, the despair and the violence, and speak what we know to be true. Do not shy away from engaging the broken world with truth, grace, and hope. We need one another; we need change; we need voices, compassion, prayer, and hope. Speak against racism and violence, advocate for prevention, engage in restorative justice and healing for troubled souls, and cling to hope. Please, never lose your grace or hope, for that is what keeps us moving through 2021!

Clinging to hope,

Blessed be His name!

“The work of the mature person is to carry grief in one hand and gratitude in the other and to be stretched large by them. How much sorrow can I hold? That’s how much gratitude I can give. If I carry only grief, I’ll bend toward cynicism and despair. If I have only gratitude, I’ll become saccharine and won’t develop much compassion for other people’s suffering. Grief keeps the heart fluid and soft, which helps make compassion possible.”
~ Francis Weller
art credit–C Lynn Reese

I hope as you read this you are able to feel the importance of your life in this broken world. Consider the spaces you will be presented with an invitation to make a difference! Consider the power of your words, your curiosity, your vulnerability or your laughter.

I believe in the power of the moment!

I believe in powerful hope in a broken world carried by broken people to broken people. Together we can make this world a better place.

Blessed be His name!

What a year it has been…

Remember when last year Zoom was amazing. Zoom meetings brought energy and life to our “villages” in a strange season.

Zoom allowed meetings to happen, school to go on, friends to connect, families to be present at loved one’s deaths, and holidays to be celebrated.

One year ago, Zoom was a gift.

In our Council meeting, we talked about how difficult it is to get people to gather on Zoom. People are done with it, don’t want another screen meeting, and overall feel weary and burned out from the same tool that exhilarated us one year ago.

Remember when just over a year ago, Sunday mornings felt hard to get up for. The gathering at Church felt mundane and obligatory for many.   Now, the gift to gather together, to worship, even if masked, feels refreshing and energizing,  like a gift to a community of believers still in a strange season!

Oh, all that can change in a year.

Lord, give us patience and hope,

Blessed be His name!

 

 

 

There is just something about springtime and color that brings my soul a sense of hope. As I get a little older, I am 51 now, I find that pausing every day and noticing Spring buds’ progression, the way the grass greens up, how green onions sprout in odd places, and the smells of rain, cut grass, and spring flowers are all moments of awe and amazement for me! And it really is true that the birds will sing every morning. I really could put my alarm clock away this time of year!

This past Christmas, I gave a few of my tribe spring porch pots as gifts, and I placed an order for a few early Mother’s Day gifts. It was a gift that felt anti-climatic on paper in December. This weekend the gift produced the joy I hoped for. There is no greater joy than giving a gift that brings hope and beauty while supporting a small local business!

If you don’t have color in your yard or on your porch, I encourage you to find something that invites you to pause and remember the miracles of spring

.