Song – Page 8 – Keeping the Faith

It is human to yearn for a return to “normal.” Yet sometimes following any disruptive event, a return to normal becomes impossible. What typically emerges from these events is a new normal that is based on what we have learned from that disruption. -Jim Dillon

In Charting a course to a (better) new normal, the importance of dialogue, openness, learning and considering “new rules” to follow are presented as key factors for persevering throughout this continually changing landscape of life today. I mentioned in a meeting last week that I feel as if I am re-inventing myself as a father,Continue reading “It is human to yearn for a return to “normal.” Yet sometimes following any disruptive event, a return to normal becomes impossible. What typically emerges from these events is a new normal that is based on what we have learned from that disruption. -Jim Dillon”

What a week this has been! Time flew by in my household. We spent lots of time focused on learning at home and enjoying the outdoors with activities like biking, hiking and walking, while also attempting to juggle the demands of our jobs. Friday has taken on new meaning now that my family is fiveContinue reading ““Women belong in all places where decisions are being made.” -Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg”

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”

These words provide me with a welcome source of inspiration today. I have found much of this week’s national political dialogue to be toxic. We are stuck indoors due to the poor air quality from the California wildfires, while my colleagues in the New Orleans area brace for potential hurricane impacts. In Milwaukee, Jacob BlakeContinue reading “In the midst of winter, I found there was, within me, an invincible summer. And that makes me happy. For it says no matter how hard the world pushes against me, within me, there’s something stronger. Something better, pushing right back! -Albert Camus”

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”

I read this passage on a card I received in the mail yesterday. I was struck by how rewarding it was to open a written correspondence. The card was sent to me by a colleague in Washington, DC, and it also felt nice to receive good news from our nation’s capital…for the first time inContinue reading ““Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong.” 1 Corinthians 16:13″

“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.””

Yesterday was an odd day that began with a coyote lunging at my dog on our morning walk, and concluded with several hours of playing guitar with my neighbors. We played songs by Bob Dylan, Janis Joplin and Van Morrison, artists from another time who held lofty ideals about community and society. My dog isContinue reading “The measure of wealth in a civilized nation is not the currency accumulated by the lucky few, but rather the strength and resonance of social relations and the bonds of reciprocity that connect all people in common purpose- Wade Davis”

Last week I was involved in meetings with a group of Brothers and with my children’s school, both of which discussed the importance of connectedness amidst virtual community. The loss of in-person community is real, yet we also have an opportunity to leverage our common mission to overcome the inherent obstacles of being physically separated.Continue reading “Empathy is the social glue that holds a civilized society together. Empathy lays the core for helping kids live one truth: we are ALL humans who share the same fears and concerns, and deserve to be treated with dignity. -Dr. Michele Borba”