Last week right about now I was sitting on a bench overlooking the beautiful St. Joseph river, watching the way the water changed color as the sun rose in the sky, noticing the ducks and gulls flying toward Lake Michigan, feeling a wonderful sense of relaxation all around me—inside and out. That’s one of the […]
Read more "A Harvest of Peace"What does it mean to be truly and deeply kind? Maybe you can think of someone who was always kind to you. You might remember their smile, a gentleness, a lap you knew you could climb up on. Maybe she always had time for you. Or perhaps he was the only one—no matter what you […]
Read more "10 Kindnesses"Well, it’s been quite stretch here for us lately. Unexpected events, uncertain outcomes, things like safety—our personal safety, the safety of our meeting—on our minds and hearts. This experience has made real for me what a blessing and a luxury it is to feel safe: some people live with insecurity and fear every single day. […]
Read more "A Shepherd’s Care"The original inspiration for our message today came weeks ago when I first saw a photo that Brooklyn Friends Meeting had posted online. The picture showed the sign out in front of their meetinghouse—much like ours—and it said, “Meetings for Worship Every First Day (Sunday) 11:00am. All Are Welcome.” And then, beneath that, there was […]
Read more "The Roots of Community"So how many times this week did you feel your heart warmed by reminders of goodness in the world, lifted with a feeling of hope, or maybe embraced as you felt connected to others and to God? Chances are, if you follow the news, those heartwarming moments are few and far between. It’s just part […]
Read more "Heartwarming"It’s taken me about 45 Christmases, but I think I’m finally ready to accept and admit and make my peace with the fact that I am not very good at wrapping presents. When I begin, I always envision this beautiful box wrapped in brightly colored paper—it has smooth sides and sharp pointy corners, and paper […]
Read more "Emmanuel!"Already it’s apple season. And that brings lots of things to be thankful for: Apple cider, apple cake, cinnamon apple bread, apple pies. Tart apples, sweet apples, crispy apples, red, green, and gold. Life is good, especially in the fall, isn’t it? The local you-pick apple orchards are now open for business, and farm stores […]
Read more "Apple Season"