Beauty is Not a Luxury

I think that beauty is not a luxury, but I think that it ennobles the heart and reminds us of the infinity that is within us.
John O'Donohue

Lenten greetings from the Huron River.  Fifty years ago, Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King prayed for healing in a world where problems were "gigantic in extent and chaotic in detail." We recognize that this has only intensified.

In a recent email, Ric Hudgens, a pastor in Chicago, described our mutual vocation as "people working in the pinch between stories, dealing with despair and burnout, responding to the pain of others while tending our own wounds."  The work of wounded healing feeds off of, among other things, celebration and beauty.  We are deeply grateful for the Grace and Glory that surround us.  These have come in abundance this month.


The snow kept falling and falling and falling.  One of our spiritual practices is walking to the Huron River in the late afternoon or evening.

Our friend C. John, a teacher of English as a second language in Minneapolis, came for a quick visit before his move to Japan.

We hiked around Ford Lake with dear friends Lydia and Erinn Wylie-Fahey and their boys Isaac and Cedar.  Erinn secretly snapped this photo of Cedar and Tommy perusing the frozen waters.

We traveled to Southern California to staff the Bartimaeus Cooperative Ministries Kinsler Institute for the fourth straight year.  The logistics crew features an Aussie, a Canadian, a Philadelphian and three native Californians.  The week was rich and rewarding with a robust focus on inner work: "Digging In: Heels, Histories, Hearts." A brief summary:

As we face the second year of the Trump regime, we are challenged to “dig in our heels” by deepening and broadening our resistance and resilience. To do this wisely we must “delve into our histories,” exploring the roots of our individual and collective stories in order to animate repentance and restorative justice. And to sustain this work we need to “excavate our hearts,” recovering from our addictions and renewing our spirits for long term healing and movement building.

What a continued honor, gift and grace to serve on this team, and to be a part of shaping and being deeply shaped by the unique space(s) of resistance and renewal cultivated, curated, deepened and proliferated over the course of the Institute week.

We stayed with Lola and Jeannette, who we got to know well during our Ojai Valley residency in the Spring 2017.  The beauty of their hospitality to us all week while we staffed the Institute (which meant lots of late nights, early mornings, sharing the bathroom between 5 of us, stocking the pantry with sugary cereals for Tommy's late night addiction... and even one late night wake-up call from Lindsay when she couldn't find her key!) graced and gifted us deeply.  Not surprising, as the beauty of these two's collective spirit has filled much of our past year with refreshing and abundant gifts of healing, depth, inspiration and beauty.

We breakfasted outside in the low 40's with long distance couple Jacob (Ohio) and Claire (Virginia). Spirit was felt palpably in and around us, as we got the chance to exchange stories and share wisdom about what makes for strong, vibrant, and nurturing long-term relationships. The two-on-two's and one-on-one's we got to have throughout the week were a definite highlight.

We rubbed shoulders with greatness: Sue and Hyun Hur and their children Lynn and Yul. The Hurs head the organization ReconciliAsian, a peace center in Los Angeles that equips leaders in Korean and Asian American churches and communities to serve in ways that promote unity, justice and peace towards reconciliation.  Besides getting to sit at the Hurs' feet throughout the week, soaking up learnings, love, songs, and stories, Lindsay had the fortune of being placed in a small group with Lynn (16). Lynn shared from deeply authentic wells, so that her group of 5 (age ranges: 16 - 72, pictured below) was filled to overflowing with fresh and deeper reserves of inspiration, hope and fortitude for the task of collectively persisting and healing amidst all the terror and trauma being rained down (especially on the most vulnerable communities) in our current political climate.

The BI week was full and rich, so of course we also made time to metabolize it with some spontaneous bubblings of ruckus celebration and rousing after hours story-telling. The love and laughter flowed, and even some random passersby and wait staff at the local Deer Lodge (Ojai) were witnessed joining in on the fun!

And, of course, this trip doubled as one gigantic excuse to spend quality time with our nephews Riley (5) and Mason (1).

Our hearts burn with gratitude for an amazing month of connecting more deeply to ourselves, to dear friends and family, and to the more-than-human world all around us.