Last week I was privileged to enjoy time in the New Orleans area with our school leaders. Learning and growing alongside them is one of the best parts of my job. Speaking of learning, last night I played my guitar for the first time in a while and I learned a new chord configuration…thirty years in, part of the joy I experience with this hobby is how never-ending the learning curve is. That’s a nice metaphor for life.
Today I share two articles that have informed my thinking in the past week. Nine Ways to Fill Your Cup When You’re Running on Empty reminded me of the importance of staying grounded, especially during this busy fall season with my kids’ schools and our work commitments. Listening with Franciscan Ears is a nod to both my passion for music and also my appreciation for the example of Saint Francis of Assisi. Happy early feast of Saint Francis (October 4).
Last night my son and I heard this song, “Winding Roads,” for the first time on our way home from soccer practice. It’s authors are among some of my favorites, with the last names of Marley, Weir and Johnson. You can read more about their creative process here:
Today’s Gospel reading from Luke speaks for itself. Jesus provides such a meaningful framework for life and relationships in this teaching. Blessings on your week ahead!
The Beatitudes
20 And he lifted up his eyes on his disciples, and said:
“Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.
21 “Blessed are you who are hungry now, for you shall be satisfied.
“Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh.
22 “Blessed are you when people hate you and when they exclude you and revile you and spurn your name as evil, on account of the Son of Man! 23 Rejoice in that day, and leap for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven; for so their fathers did to the prophets.
24 “But woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation.
25 “Woe to you who are full now, for you shall be hungry.
“Woe to you who laugh now, for you shall mourn and weep.
26 “Woe to you, when all people speak well of you, for so their fathers did to the false prophets.
Love Your Enemies
27 “But I say to you who hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you,
28 bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you.
29 To one who strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also, and from one who takes away your cloak do not withhold your tunic[b] either.
30 Give to everyone who begs from you, and from one who takes away your goods do not demand them back.
31 And as you wish that others would do to you, do so to them.
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.
I recently started reading Braving the Wilderness: The Quest for True Belonging and the Courage to Stand Alone, by one of my favorite authors/speakers/thinkers, Brené Brown. I have been leading workshops on “Belonging” in our schools of late, and this resource is a great add to my toolkit. Dr. Brown’s Ted Talk on “The Power of Vulnerability” transformed my leadership style over a decade ago. I highly recommend you view it here if you’re not familiar with this insightful, entertaining and thoughtful presentation.
Dr. Brown’s book introduced me to a style of bluegrass music that I was previously unfamiliar with- High Lonesome Bluegrass. Below is a link to a song called “Gloryland,” which aligns with my vision of the Kingdom of God. This vision involves a sacred place where all are welcome…are happy..and belong.
I am pleased to share the below prayer for your reflection. I hope we can all carve out the space and time to listen, unclutter, and recognize God’s beauty…I was able to do so this past weekend, with a visit to the Dahlia Garden at Golden Gate Park with my family (depicted above). Blessings on your week ahead!
A Prayer for Discernment Lord, help me now to unclutter my life, to organize myself in the direction of simplicity. Lord teach me to listen to my heart; teach me to welcome change, instead of fearing it. Lord, i give you these stirrings inside me, I give You my discontent, I give You my restlessness, I give You my doubt, I give You my despair, I give You all the longings I hold inside. Help me to listen to these signs of change, of growth; to listen seriously and follow where they lead through the breathtaking empty space of an open door.
Common Prayer Pocket Edition: A Liturgy for Ordinary Radicals Paperback – February 11, 2012 by Shane Claiborne (Author) and Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove (Author)
It’s been a whirlwind of a week at home as we settled into new routines associated with school, music lessons and the seasons of football, soccer and volleyball. I also traveled for the first part of the week and so instead of tri-locating among her work and two different sports practices, Brigid helped our kids learn new bus routes to “keep all the plates spinning.” We’re having a lot of fun; after a great summer each of us are excited to be back in action with school, work and friends.
This week I share several resources I’ve stumbled upon in recent days; the YouTube video is a fantastic, mandolin-enriched cover of a favorite of my songs. The image I found on Twitter – and along with the quote- they remind us of God’s awesome care for us. And the spoken word below comes from Richard Rohr’s Center for Contemplation in Action, another of my go-to sources for reflection.
Blessings on your week ahead!
I’m Here, I’m Listening
Spoken word poet Amena Brown responds to the question, “How do you know when you’re hearing from God?”
She said, “How do you know when you are hearing from God?” I didn’t know how to explain … My words never felt so small, so useless, so incapable
I wanted to say Put your hand in the middle of your chest Feel the rhythm there I wanted to say you will find the holy text in so many places On crinkly pages of scripture In dusty hymnals In the creases of a grandmother’s smile
God’s ears are here for the babies For the immigrant, for the refugee For the depressed, for the lonely For the dreamers The widow, the orphan The oppressed and the helpless Those about to make a mess or caught in the middle of cleaning one up Dirt don’t scare God’s ears God is a gardener God knows things can’t grow without sun, rain, and soil …
I want to tell her God is always waiting Lingering after the doors close And the phone doesn’t ring And we are finally alone God is always saying I love you I am here Don’t go, stay Please
I try to explain how God is pleading with us To trust To love To listen That God’s voice is melody and bass lines and whisper and thunder and grace
Sometimes when I pray, I think of her How the voice of God was lingering in her very question How so many of us just like her Just like me Just like you Are still searching Still questioning, still doubting I know I don’t have all the answers I know I never will That sometimes the best thing we can do is put our hands in the middle of our chest Feel the rhythm there Turn down the noise in our minds, in our lives And whisper, God Whatever you want to say I’m here I’m listening
Amena Brown, “She said, ‘How do you know when you are hearing from God?’,” in A Rhythm of Prayer: A Collection of Meditations for Renewal, ed. Sarah Bessey (New York: Convergent Books, 2020), 7, 8, 9, 10–11. Used with permission of author.
My city is alive with children and their families. My oldest son started high school earlier this week and my youngest two kids began this morning…they took the bus to school today with their mom, which was a first. We are lucky to have that option! As I drove our oldest through the city to drop him off, I encountered many families walking and waiting for public transportation, for the public school system also starts today. The vibrancy throughout San Francisco is palpable, and I love the refreshing nature of each new academic year in education.
This reflection, The Small Rectangle, provided me with a new resource for approaching perspective with a growth mindset. As an optimist, I sincerely appreciate the focus on the positive. Here’s to the school year ahead!
Today I also read this nice review of Jon Batiste’s new release, World Music Radio. You can read it here in the NY Times. Enjoy listening to one of the songs below, “Calling Your Name.” Blessings on your week ahead.
This week I finished the book Leadership is a Relationship on a plane, and am pleased to share the except (depicted) on everyday practices to inform our approach to leadership. I also read this pearl of wisdom (below) the other day in my daily reflection resource, Give Us this Day. And I am pleased to share a song by artist Gaby Moreno, who I also read about this week given that she will be performing in San Francisco later this fall at the Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival.
Blessings on your week ahead!
To be fashioned in the image of God is to be life-giving, generative, and imaginative. All of us are gifted with this potential. We’re not merely consumers, we’re creators! To the point – create more than you consume. Create peace and justice. Create connection between diverse peoples. Create art and music. Plant, grow, cultivate life. Create love and support for family, friends, and community. Our gifts, whatever they may be, are to be used to bring about a more life-giving world.
-Michael Peterson, OSB
FRONTERAS (Borders)
–Gaby Moreno–
There’s a path that brought us here.
It knows nothing about the borders of the passion inside of me.
Longing is what pushes me forward with every new sunrise,
with my fears, illusions, and the remains of yesterday.
Hope is with us.
With it nothing can stop us.
I (go) holding you hand, and you (go) holding mine;
This week I picked my youngest kids up from overnight summer camp, dropped my oldest off at high school orientation, and squeezed in a hike with all three of them at a favorite trail in Marin County – this one leads to the ocean, and I appreciated a few minutes at the beach to think and soak in the fresh air.
I read this reflection the other day and appreciated its perspective on that which is most important. The descriptive words stand out to me. Enjoy! Blessings on your week ahead.
In contrast to every other kingdom that have been and ever will be, [the Kingdom of God] belongs to the poor. Jesus said, and to the peacemakers, the merciful, and those how hunger and thirst for God. In this kingdom, the people from the margins and at the bottom rungs will be lifted up to places of honor, seated at the best spots at the table. This kingdom knows no geographical boundaries, no political parties, no single language or culture. It advances not through power and might, but through acts of love and joy and peace, missions of mercy and kindness and humility. The kingdom has arrived, not with a trumpet’s sound but with a baby’s cries, not with the vanquishing of enemies but with the forgiving of them, not on the back of a warhorse but on the back of a donkey, not with triumph and a conquest but with a death and a resurrection.
And yet there is more to this kingdom that is still to come, Jesus said, and so we await a day when….justice will roll down like a river…when [all people] will live together in peace.
Since I last wrote, I enjoyed an eighth grade graduation at home with loved ones in town to join my son in his celebration….then my younger two kids frolicked around in the woods for a week at overnight camp….while both my wife and I took part in various end-of-the academic year programs at work. Plus our family also enjoyed a couple different weeks of down time in the mountains of North Carolina and along the coastal town of Manzanita, OR; our recent road trip to Oregon was definitely a highlight of the summer.
Mentally, for me this week marks the start to the new school year and I am feeling (almost) ready. I’ve been blessed by some great family memories this summer along with some fulfilling professional opportunities in Napa, Chicago and Moraga. My cup is full, my daily routine feels balanced (for now)…and I look forward to the excitement ahead.
Yesterday I walked my dog early in the morning, per my daily routine. As my view focused upon the rising sun eclipsing the marine layer on the horizon, I was struck by the beauty and serenity of my neighborhood park. Shortly thereafter I was jarred out of my contemplation by the sight of the bushy tail of a coyote around the corner…and so my dog and I turned around at at a brisk pace toward our destination.
I thought this encounter was symbolic of the pace of this time of year. I cherish moments of reflection in the midst of the frantic activities of the conclusion of a school year. At home and at work, a flurry of celebrations, concluding rituals, and pressing priorities are buffered by experiences of joy, laughter, and fun. The summer awaits.
I have spent a good deal of focus in recent months on the concept of inclusion. In particular, the notion of cultivating environments of belonging for young people is a priority for me, as a parent and as an educator. I stumbled upon the below while preparing for an upcoming workshop; this excerpt from a Christian Brothers’ document resonates with me.
Blessings on your week ahead!
“This is perhaps the best expression of our association: to generously provide places where welcome, peace, and respect are lived out and characterized by the acceptance of each person. Places where…being different is an enriching component of community life (Circular 461, 2.3.2).”
Keeping the Faith 