“In the last BLK reflection,  Dr. Gould named the communal grief and sense of urgency honoring the many civil rights leaders who have recently passed.  And just a day after her newsletter posted, we lost another icon this past Friday in Dr. John Perkins.  Dr. Perkins voice and work was formational for me over many years as he was for many.

Before hearing of this latest passing, I attended a “People, Power and Change” meeting with local community leaders to practice sharing our public narrative stories.  The stories for why we do what we do, the moments in time that called us into our vocation.  The focus was on finding our stories for when situations and life circumstances brought us onto a new path.”

“The prairie dogs facing the sun is an image that returns to me from time to time, a reminder to turn towards the sun literally and metaphorically, to look out for “sun” in my day to day living. To look and see that which brings life.

In the midst of the hustle that is this season, I am reminded to see and not simply look. Or perhaps to look again. To slow down to take in the mystery of each day, to be in awe of my own humanity and that of others. To face the sun as the prairie dogs and pause to take in beauty and delight. As spoken in certain places, we often need fresh eyes to see the ordinary in such a way that the ordinary becomes extraordinary.”

“What songs have traveled to you recently?

The other day I woke up in the middle of the night and could not get back to sleep.  After tossing and turning for a while in bed, I knew that the only thing that could help, would be music and song.  So I got out of bed, a ritual that I have known now for many years, and I sat on my couch and got my headphones ready.  I felt in that moment that I needed some old school gospel, words and tunes that had soothed my heart and body aches in years past.  As I listened and as I sang, I began to weep.  I cried and sang for over an hour, releasing much sorrow and sadness.  There has been an overwhelm of sorrow in these past months, moving between personal losses and pain in my own family, to accompanying friends through betrayal, to walking with communities that are facing incredible oppression and challenges today.”