Article – Page 6 – Keeping the Faith

“After years of being taught that the way to deal with painful emotions is to get rid of them, it can take a lot of re-schooling to learn to sit with them instead.” – Barbara Brown Taylor

In a meeting with school leaders earlier this week, I acknowledged the extreme duress facing school leaders, educators and parents with children learning at home, along with the physical suffering endured by so many others. Uncertainty, ongoing changes, and exhaustion are common. I reminded them that we are in the longest marathon of our lives,Continue reading ““After years of being taught that the way to deal with painful emotions is to get rid of them, it can take a lot of re-schooling to learn to sit with them instead.” – Barbara Brown Taylor”

At this mid-September point, let us keep the educators and families we serve in our thoughts. As these weeks of the new academic year turn into months, I trust that the strength of our school communities will provide the support we need. I can attest to the long days encountering all of us, and alsoContinue reading ““If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other.” -Saint Teresa of Calcutta”

In this thought provoking piece, I Need You to Care That Our Country Is on Fire, journalist Charlie Warzel makes a compelling case for the urgent need to address climate change. At times I find it difficult not to despair around this issue, especially given that I have been unable to go outdoors for daysContinue reading ““Lord, take me where You want me to go; let me meet who You want me to meet; tell me what You want me to say, and keep me out of Your way.” – Fr. Mychal Judge, OFM, NYFD Chaplain”

Over the weekend we celebrated another of our children’s birthdays. We Facetimed with family, played games in our basement, and celebrated being together. The air cleared enough for us to spend an afternoon at a park with friends. Witnessing our kids running around and laughing was a gift in and of itself. This week marksContinue reading ““The current pandemic has highlighted our interdependence; we are linked to each other, for better or for worse. Therefore, to come out of this crisis better than before, we have to do so together, all of us, in solidarity.” – Pope Francis”

In today’s Gospel reading from Luke, following a healing miracle “at daybreak, Jesus left and went to a deserted place.” I am struck by this example, and so many other examples, from Jesus’ ministry when he sought out a quiet place to be alone and reflect. I seek these similar places in my own life,Continue reading ““It takes all types to make the world. Sometimes you wish it didn’t.” – Novelist Gloria Naylor”

This weekend my family played “Reverse Charades” while indoors due to the wildfires. We also enjoyed late afternoon hikes once the air quality improved, thanks to the end of day breeze from the ocean. We enjoyed superhero movies on “Marvel Mondays” during the summer; I had planned to discontinue this practice due to the screenContinue reading ““We can look upon the face of anyone or anything around us and say- as a moral declaration and a spiritual, cosmological, and biological fact: You are a part of me I do not yet know.” -Valarie Kaur”

This week’s protests by professional athletes have drawn even greater attention to the urgent need for reform in support of racial equity. The African American community in the United States deserves better. Their experience of daily life is an unjust one that demands change. And so I was proud of all my favorite teams- hereContinue reading ““I need y’all to do more than just hear me right now. I need y’all to FEEL me.” -Renee Montgomery”

Today is the first day of school for my kids. Their chromebooks are set-up and I installed a wi-fi extender at home so that my internet could withstand the numerous daily Zooms. The sense of loss of the in-person experience is offset by the excitement my children have of seeing their friends on their screens.Continue reading ““Love recognizes no barriers. It jumps hurdles, leaps fences, penetrates walls to arrive at its destination full of hope.” -Maya Angelou”

When I initially read this article on preparing for increasing stress levels, I thought it may be a resource as schools continue to re-open in varying ways; the stressful impact of Covid upon the continually changing educational landscape cannot be overstated. Then yesterday afternoon I learned of wildfires now burning through several surrounding counties nearbyContinue reading ““We are in a moment of extreme vulnerability when life and death hold hands.” Rabbi Delphine Horvilleur”

“No wonder those words have weathered the centuries so well; no wonder they are still music to our ears. They assure us that those who please God are not those who can carry the heaviest loads but those who are willing to share their loads, who are willing to share their yokes by entering intoContinue reading ““Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.””