This past weekend my family and I escaped to the beach with three other families, as part of a Labor Day tradition where we’ve had the blessing to witness each of our ten total children grow in their relationships with one another, and in their appreciation for the beautiful setting of Cailfornia’s Central Coast. There were multiple nights of campfires, guitar music and singalongs, and a beautiful experience of community and belonging. Thank God for family, friendships, and nature…and the privilege of time away.
I am pleased to share Dave Matthews’ recent tribute to Jimmy Buffet, along with a powerful poem on journey and voice by Mary Oliver. Blessings on your week ahead!
| Mary Oliver The Journey |
| One day you finally knew what you had to do, and began, though the voices around you kept shouting their bad advice — though the whole house began to tremble and you felt the old tug at your ankles. “Mend my life!” each voice cried. But you didn’t stop. You knew what you had to do, though the wind pried with its stiff fingers at the very foundations, though their melancholy was terrible. It was already late enough, and a wild night, and the road full of fallen branches and stones. But little by little, as you left their voice behind, the stars began to burn through the sheets of clouds, and there was a new voice which you slowly recognized as your own, that kept you company as you strode deeper and deeper into the world, determined to do the only thing you could do — determined to save the only life that you could save. |
Keeping the Faith 