Time for the Turning
Years ago, I loved to listen to Gordon Bok singing “Turning Towards the Morning” on well-worn Folk-Legacy LP. I could listen for hours to his lyrics and soothing baritone voice singing with partners Ed Trickett and Ann Mayo Muir. The song comforted me with its gentle hopefulness. Oh, my Joanie, don’t you knowThat the stars are swingin’ slowAnd the seas […]
Finding our way across choppy seas
“It may be that when we no longer know what to do we have come to our real work” Wendell Berry I had hoped that when I took a couple of weeks off in August, the world would, too. I celebrated my birthday quietly, rolling it out slowly over several weeks. I helped my husband […]
Balance continuity and change
In these times of turbulence and rapid change, when areas like the environment, voting rights, and immigration demand immediate, constructive action, why does continuity matter? Because it is continuity that can give us the balance and strength we need to embrace change. Leveraging Change I was reminded of the need to balance continuity and change […]
Create the tension for change
When we work in a problem-solving mode, we remain limited. Our energy stays focused on the problem, instead of what we want. I’ve reached a point in my book-writing where feedback from first readers is critical. Constructive, critical feedback shows me what is working and what is not. It provides a snapshot of current reality […]
To gain perspective, turn upside down
The tragedy of George Floyd invited many of us to wake up, to see the world as it is and not what we believed it to be. To see the world of systemic discrimination, inequities, and violence that have been hidden in plain sight for years. As for the outcome of the trial, I’m […]
Is it time to start returning?
It’s time to start talking about APAD: Anticipatory Post-pandemic Apprehension Disorder. Unless it’s just my issue. I was so excited to have my second COVID vaccination shot last week, I’m starting to feel like there’s light at the end of the tunnel. I can see my grandson! Hug a friend! Maybe I can start returning […]
Celebrate Valentine’s Day with a fiercer love
I’ve been learning about a new face of love reading Valerie Kaur’s See No Stranger: A Memoir and Manifesto of Revolutionary Love. Her writing is glorious. Who else could have successfully braided memoir with a manifesto? Memoir calls for personal vulnerability. Manifesto asks for a strong, sometimes fierce, stand. Valerie gives us both as she […]
Let’s sing a new revolution
In Estonia, people sing. An Estonian woman I heard speak in an online singing class talked about Laulupidu, Estonia’s choral song festival. Begun in 1869, it now draws 100,000 participants, including 30,000 singers. Wikimedia commons. Estonian Song Celebration. Photo by ToBreatheAsOne Then, she added that the country liberated itself from Soviet rule through their “Singing […]
Seeding a new beginning
“Stories are like seeds. It pays to know what you want to harvest from your garden so you can plant the right seeds.” Mary Alive Arthur, story activist. Inauguration Day felt like the true start of the new year. With so much commentary–I’ll let others address the politics. I celebrated the day with a rite […]
Stay calm–and vigilant
Last Saturday, as elections results were finally announced. I celebrated. Relaxed. Cried. Then I looked up and knew, “It ain’t over yet.” I thought back to my time competing my horse at cross-country events. I’d gallop my horse across fields, charge through water, jump over ditches (or so I hoped), and face thick stone walls. […]
