Keeping the Faith

Spirituality is recognizing and celebrating that we are inextricably connected to each other by a power greater than all of us, and that our connection to that power and to one another is grounded in love and compassion. – Brené Brown

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)

If we need a miracle to take us to the place of freedom, it happens when we trust God to heal what we cannot. -Sr. Jeana Visol, OSB

Mad World

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.

No matter what tools you use to create, the true instrument is you. And through you, the universe that surrounds us all comes into focus. -Rick Rubin

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.

If the Kingdom of God is in you, you should leave a little bit of heaven wherever you go. -Dr. Cornel West

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;

there is nothing to fear.

And I laugh and dance.

It’s in my veins,

and I dream, free.

I belong here.

Who knows what gift

Tomorrow will make to us?

Today is all I have;

I will treasure it.

Thereby manifesting

as much light as I can give off.

And to be happy is the solution;

it can make everything better.

And I laugh and dance.

It’s in my veins,

and I dream, free.

I belong here.

And I laugh and dance.

It’s in my veins,

and I dream, free.

I will go on until the end

I will go on until the end.

I belong here.

Because even the smallest of words can be the ones to hurt you, or save you. Natsuki Takaya

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.

-Rachel Held Evans Searching for Sunday

Mercy is our attempt at grace. If we can’t be graceful, at least we can be kind. -Kevin Fisher Paulson

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.

Blessings to you and yours!

A Prayer for Vision – Maureen Hillard, SND

May you be blessed with vision.

May your light invade any darkness.

May it be soft brilliance,

As bare as candlelight,

Guiding you through

Twilight ‘til dawn.

And when the dawn breaks,

May you find yourself

Upon a threshold.

May you enter

And go through,

And may you emerge

Into the dance –

A whole and holy new

Dance of grace.

Silence is not the absence of something but the presence of everything. – Gordon Hampton

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).”

One isn’t necessarily born with courage, but one is born with potential. Without courage, we cannot practice any other virtue with consistency. We can’t be (authentic) kind, true, generous, or honest. – Dr. Maya Angelou

I love these weeks that immediately follow the change in Daylight Savings Time. With the extra time each evening, my kids are playing basketball outside for longer periods of time, they’re skateboarding later and their practices are extended just a little bit. It’s as if their childhood reawakens with just a little extra light each evening. Plus the recent full moons have been beautiful.

Today I share this screenshot of a prayer on kindness that sums it all up for me. With this reminder, and the quote on courage, we can enter into this Easter season ahead with a focus on what is most important: spending time with loved ones, practicing courage, and embracing kindness. Blessings on your week ahead!

To put faith to work is the source of our hope. -Thomas Groome

Today I share some golden nuggets from a few sources of inspiration. Author Thomas Groome and his work, What Makes Education Catholic: Spiritual Foundations, continue to be the focus of my team’s professional development and group learning. And one of Sheryl Crow’s final songs in her Tiny Desk Concert struck a chord with me this week. “Out of Our Hands” is about 20 minutes in, intro’d by a wonderful reflection on compassion from the Dalai Lama.

God is good, as we journey along toward the Resurrection time that serves as the bridge toward hope and peace. Blessings on your week ahead!

From Thomas Groome:

As Catholic educators we can constantly encourage our students to be confident that ultimately no falsehood can become true, no tyranny endure, no oppression triumph, no injustice prevail, no slavery remain, no discrimination become just, no cross be too heavy, no addiction be beyond recovery, no bad habit unbreakable, and the list goes on. What a spiritual foundation of faith-based hope this is for all people, and one in which to ground Catholic education. (p. 36).

Sheryl Crow, Out of Our Heads

If you feel you want to fight me
There’s a chain around your mind
Something holding you tightly
What is real’s so hard to find

Losing babies to genocide
Oh, where’s the meaning in that plight
Can’t you see that we’ve really bought into
Every word they proclaimed and every lie, oh

If we could only get out of our heads
Out of our heads and into our hearts
If we could only get out of our heads
Out of our heads and into our hearts, oh

Someone’s feeding on your anger
Someone’s been whispering in your ear
You’ve seen his face before
You’ve been played before
These aren’t the words you need to hear

Through the dawn of darkness, blindly
You have blood upon your hands
All the world will treat you kindly
But only the heart can understand, oh, understand

If we could only get out of our heads
Out of our heads and into our hearts
Children of Abraham, lay down your fears
Swallow your tears and look to your heart

If we could only get out of our heads
Out of our heads and into our hearts, oh
Children of Abraham, lay down your fears
Swallow your tears and look to your heart

Oh, let them go
Let them be, let them go

Every man is his own prophet
Oh, every prophet just a man
I say all the women stand up, say yes to themselves
Teach your children best you can

Let every man bow to the best in himself
We’re not killing any more
We’re the wisest ones, everybody listen
‘Cause you can’t fight this feeling anymore, oh, anymore

If we could only get out of our heads
Out of our heads and into our hearts
Children of Abraham, lay down your fears
Swallow your tears and look to your heart

If we could only get out of our heads
Out of our heads and into our hearts
Children of Abraham, lay down your fears
Swallow your tears and look to your heart, oh

Silence is not the absence of something, but the presence of everything. -Gordon Hempton

I have been on a bit of a U2 kick of late. Last week I read Bono’s memoir, Surrender. On Sunday evening, my family and I enjoyed viewing “Homecoming” on Disney+. This music documentary includes U2 bandmates Bono and The Edge, along with David Letterman, as they introduce David to Dublin, Ireland, tell stories, and play music.

I have long admired the music of U2, and have always appreciated Bono’s faith which he wears on his sleeve, through both his lyrics and his activism. I am pleased to share an excerpt from his book below, along with the Tiny Desk concert link which promotes a new compilation of U2 hits that they recently produced. Of course, all of these event and activities are aligned to promote the band itself, which I am also happy to do.

This recent time reading, listening to music, and admiring the art and impact of U2 has reminded me of my family’s Irish roots, at a most appropriate time. Furthermore, I’ve appreciated each of these resources as beneficial to my Lenten prayer and reflection. I hope they may serve a similar purpose for you, and blessings on your week ahead.

“Well, while I hope God is with those of us who live such comfortable lives, I know God is with the poorest and the most vulnerable. In the slums and cardboard boxes where the poor have to play house. In the doorways as we step over the divine on our way to work. In the silence of a mother who has unknowingly infected her child with a virus that will end both their lives. God is in the cries heard under the rubble of war, in the bare hands digging for air. God is with the terrorized. At sea with the desperate, clinging onto drowning dreams. God is with the refugee. I hear his only son was one. God is with the poor and vulnerable, and God is with us if we are with them.”

-Bono, Surrender, p. 531.