HELLO!

Today I juggled more balls in the air than I have on any of the other 300 days I have served Woodlawn United. And I am NOT talking about other work I do, not the navigation work, not the funerals I do for the funeral homes. ALL of the balls in the air had the words Woodlan United Church on them (not literally, I know some of you are very literal). The good news is…Bethe and Kaitlin were with me to keep the balls in the air. To repeat, while I am very hyper physically, I am emotionally calm. I try my best to be a “non-anxious presence”. That emotional calm does come in handy when people are anxious about decisions, surprises, challenges. I typically know who to call and how to get to the needed decision.

I wasn’t always like this. Once, I wanted to be liked. I wanted to fix. I wanted to rescue. I wanted a happy ending (see Walt Disney and Hallmark movies). Now, I want to make a difference. I know what I know, and I know what I don’t know. I do not want to fix. I want to help people make decisions, give them all the information and support they need. Unless their decision is dangerous, to them, to others, I will do my best to encourage them to own their own path. I do not believe God made me the one who knows how others should live (it is amazing how many people do assume they know what is best for others). Instead of making specific recommendations, I share what works for me and hope others will share what works for them. I have learned so much from listening and watching others navigate their lives. I am blessed to live in community.

With all the balls in the air…Bethe was being her Spirit-filled self, there when others needed her. I was making calls, collecting wisdom, and preparing for our evening faith study, about…death. In a strange way, sitting with 20 others in a circle, talking about death, is very life-giving. It reminds me life is short, fragile, how precious life is. What inspires me, on days like this, is how many people in faith communities like ours, with no profit in mind, no power or recognition to be found, simply show up, do hard things, care for others, and move the cause of justice forward, inch by inch. It’s all we can do. That and keeping these balls in the air.

Peace, Kevin

PS Before the balls were in the air I had post it note with ten things I hoped to do today. Even with the balls in the air, I managed to do all 10.