Seeking Authentic Voice

One day, a little over fifteen years ago, I went to the pet store for a bag of cat food. This particular pet store always had the cutest puppies and kittens, all hand raised from local families. My six year old son was with me - he loved the lizards. That day I was completely taken by a little eight week old puppy. I had no intention, absolutely no intention of getting a dog. A few months earlier I had put down another dog, our beloved Bingo, a stray who found us some eight years earlier. I intended to be a dogless family, just cats. But then this puppy, with big brown eyes looked at me. And melted my heart. I promptly left the store, minus cat food, but with son in hand. I called my husband and asked him to run over to the pet store and check out the puppy. I told him I'd get the kids and join him later, but he was to ponder whether or not we wanted this puppy. We'd decide when I joined him. I collected both kids and slowly made my way back to the store. There I found my hus...

This morning dawned bright and sunny, a welcome relief from the seemingly endless rain that is defining this late spring and early summer season in SE Michigan. I do love cloudy, rainy days and take them as an invitation to read, reflect, and do interior work both within me and within my home or the church. However I have a vested interest right now in balancing this rain with sun and warmth: walking to yoga and nurturing my baby vegetable garden. Walking to yoga is one of my CREDO II "Rule of Life" practices. Five times a week, sometimes more, I rise early and walk to an early morning yoga class. Sometimes the first class is at 7am but on Saturday it is 8am and on Monday, my day off, I usually take the 9:30 class. The walk is only fifteen minutes each way, not far. It is a lovely walk through quiet tree-lined neighborhoods. Walking is an intentional decision.  I could ride my bike or drive the car. I do love to ride my bike and on hot summer mornings it is one of my fa...

I am busy. Oh my, really busy. All in good ways. I helped organize and send off our delegation to Liberia. I arranged, also, for the church to do a wire transfer of some money to help the church in Liberia build their school. I have never done an international wire transfer before - but trust me it is not like what one sees on television. It's a little more complicated...but very cool! Then I spent a week following the delegation's posts on Facebook of their travels while they were there.  I wrote newsletter articles and a bunch of other documentation trying to help the congregation understand what we are doing. It is amazing how complex it can be to people who are not part of the day to day conversation. I know that leadership is always several steps ahead of the congregation, and this has really made that point clear. Despite very intentional efforts to communicate well! In addition to all of this, along with a lengthy Vestry meeting to finalize the budget (with a pr...