They arrive in early spring and take up residence next to me. I have tried to meet them but they seem shy and aloof and quickly leave. In my comings and goings, they yield to me and move out of my way. Sometimes I tiptoe toward the house, thinking I do not want to disturb them, but I must have startled them because they let out a squawk and quickly leave. This is not the first year they chose to live next to me. Perhaps it is the fourth year, so I am guessing, even with their shyness, they must still like living next to me. They practiced social distancing with me...
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Last week my manager asked my co-workers and myself to contemplate several questions from an organizational, team and personal perspective. The following are the questions we were given for a personal “inward reflection”:
• What did I learn about myself?
• What do I want to ensure I continue?
• “Because I had the chance to go through a pandemic, I …”
I found the entire exercise to be helpful, but these last three questions, in particular, were good to reflect on. Still, in the end, it felt like an oversimplification to...
Two things:
1) At the end of last week I was invited by the mayor’s office to contribute toward a collection of faith leader messages addressed to city residents. The intention was to offer words of encouragement during the anxieties of this pandemic. In the message I suggested this time has similarities to two of the major storylines in the Bible – Exile and Exodus. The 4 ½ minute video can be viewed HERE and you may recognize some of the other clergy in the playlist...
The rains came! Here in Thailand, from somewhere around mid-November until mid-April we don’t see any rain. And, in the midst of no rain the farmers begin to burn their old crops. The pollution gets pretty bad. Really bad, actually. As soon as April comes we start to check the skies for rain clouds and praying that they come sooner than later.
This year, right smack dab in the middle of the burning season, we found ourselves in the midst of a pandemic. Don’t go outside, you say? Already planning on staying inside.
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My father would insist that significant events be acknowledged and commemorated. His tributes were often simple. If we were on a trip, he would find a cupcake and a candle and noisemakers and sometimes hats. Everyone nearby who could gather did, and faces shining and smiling, we would sing happy birthday. His motivation, which was pure and joyful, was to say, “I see you and you mean something to me.”
I learned that desire to remember and memorialize. We are in the middle of this pandemic, so I don’t know yet the meaning of it and everything I’ll...