Seeking Authentic Voice

On the last Sunday after the Epiphany I offered the congregation two pieces of paper, one with the question, "This Lent I hope to cultivate..." and the other with the question, "This Lent I hope to let go of...". Then after the service we folded the papers into origami butterflies. I then wrapped each butterfly in tissue paper and hung them on our dried branches as cocoons. We'll open the cocoons for Easter and rehang the butterflies. On Pentecost we'll let them go, perhaps burning them and sending them up into the air?  I didn't read what people wrote, but as I folded some of the paper squares into butterflies I did see some of the responses, it was interesting to note how many said they hope to let go of "anger" in this season of Lent.  Anger. Anger was not my response, but I understand the desire to let go of anger. We live in an angry world today, so much anger all around us.  How do I let go of anger? Will I let go o...

The Summer Day Mary Oliver Who made the world? Who made the swan, and the black bear? Who made the grasshopper? This grasshopper, I mean- the one who has flung herself out of the grass, the one who is eating sugar out of my hand, who is moving her jaws back and forth instead of up and down- who is gazing around with her enormous and complicated eyes. Now she lifts her pale forearms and thoroughly washes her face. Now she snaps her wings open, and floats away. I don't know exactly what a prayer is. I do know how to pay attention, how to fall down into the grass, how to kneel down in the grass, how to be idle and blessed, how to stroll through the fields, which is what I have been doing all day. Tell me, what else should I have done? Doesn't everything die at last, and too soon? Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life? from New and Selected Poems, 1992 Beacon Press, Boston, MA I've been thinking a lot about my life these days. Or rather, I'...

A few months ago I learned to knit socks. To my great delight I find that I love knitting socks. There are difficult and challenging aspects requiring a lot of attention followed by a repetitive pattern that takes very little concentration. I learned to knit with five needles. The two most challenging areas for me are the initial joining together of the stitches, which have been divided equally onto four needles, stitches on the fourth and first needles need to be joined together. I was taught how to do this but I seem to have forgotten some piece of that instruction (it was unique to the woman who taught me), so I struggle to create a smooth connection. Once that is accomplished, for better or worse, it is a challenge to knit/purl the initial rows while juggling five unwieldy needles. Once I have knitted about a 1/4 of an inch the needles are much easier to manage, staying more or less stationary due to the weight of stitches. This knit/purl pattern, or some variation of the sock cuff...