Time For New Stories

As I reflect on this new year, I want to share a singular thought that keeps coming to me—2018: The Year of New Stories.

I’ve decided to consider what old stories are ready to be put to bed. Those stories that might have served me in the past, or maybe never did. The stories that I don't want to take with me into 2018. And, with more room in my heart, mind, and soul, what new stories might I be able to write? To tell? To create? To live? 

Our stories can keep us stuck in old patterns, and confine us to small dreams and fruitless actions. Or, they can open the doors to new ways of being in the world and in relationship with ourselves and with one another. New stories offer us a vision of how things could be, and invite us to take daring and necessary leaps of faith. Sometimes they even weave new patterns in our hearts that allow us to make peace for the first time with who we are in all of our glory and our brokenness. 

As 2018 begins, I find my heart overflowing with gratitude for you...for those of you who are near and dear, those with whom I have only recently crossed paths for the first time, and, for those of you I may never meet but who share this planet we all call home. You matter in so many ways, and my life is abundantly filled with love, deep joy, and meaning because of what each of you bring to the world.

As human beings we are storytellers at heart, and we see ourselves in one another's stories. May we be bold, and bring forth stories worthy of telling for years to come.

With abundant gratitude.

Molly

Photo: Tom Pierson

The United Church of the NFL

Most Sundays I attend the church where my husband and I are members. We are an open, affirming and accepting church which means all are invited to the table, the doors are open in extravagant welcome to any who would enter, and when we come together as a community, we try to live with the hard questions rather then settle for the easy answers. On any given Sunday the sermon challenges me to live more courageously, and to care about and work for what matters.

I love our church.

This past Sunday, it had been a long but good week, and our church is a 45 minute drive away, so God and I decided to stay home. Turning on the TV to watch a little NFL football, I discovered that I didn't have to leave home to go to church. Church came to me. Welcome to the United Church of the NFL. After reading this post I hope that you will come away challenged to live more courageously, and to care about and work for what matters.

I love the NFL

Some people will tell you that a good sermon is a 3 Point Sermon, which as you can probably guess, serves up three key points. Here are the three I received from the pulpit of the NFL.

Standing for what you believe in might mean sitting down.

Across the league teams chose to protest during the national anthem. Some sat, some kneeled, others raised fists, while still others locked arms or held hands. A few teams decided to stay in the locker room or tunnel until the anthem was over. This was not a protest against our flag or a sign of disrespect towards all who have served or are serving this beautiful, broken country of ours. It was not done in an effort to undermine the ultimate sacrifice that countless members of our military have made throughout our history. In fact, quite the opposite. The players were calling us to a higher standard for which those sacrifices were made. The were calling our entire country to a higher standard, us as individuals to a higher standard, and, they were calling the leader of this great country to a higher standard. A standard that should reflect what this country claims to stand for when we raise the American flag high in the air. The claim that all are created equal and deserving of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, not to mention deserving of respect, dignity, compassion, and for God's sake, common human decency and kindness. And since it starts at the top, our leader should lead the way, should set the highest of high standards. Unfortunately, thus far, he has not, did not, and is not. His bar has been set ever lower, as demonstrated by yet another divisive tweet from the man elected to lead our country. A tweet that  demanded some kind of appropriate response from players and coaches alike.  Pete Carroll, head coach of the Seattle Seahawks, as a true leader does, chose to "go high" in his response, speaking truth to power in a tweet of his own. 

We don't have to agree on everything to come together for the common good.

After watching several games, numerous press conferences, and reading various commentaries, it is obvious that not everyone agreed on the approach to take regarding the national anthem. Since the Seattle Seahawks are my team (forever and ever amen) I take this second point from them. From what was shared in his Monday Press Conference Pete Carroll said that it took multiple meetings, challenging conversations, the expression of emotions that ran deep and raw, intentional listening, and ultimately, a willingness to come together for the greater good of the team. According to Coach Carroll, there were players for whom it was a painfully difficult decision to choose to stay in the locker room, and not be present on the field during the national anthem. Ultimately, what made it possible for everyone in the room to come together as a team is the same thing that is needed to bring our divided country together. Empathy. Somehow the players,  found a way to extend empathy to one another, to attempt, to at least try, to walk in one another's shoes, to see life through a lens different than their own, and to entertain the possibility that the experience of one of their teammates might have something important to teach them. That is incredibly hard work to do, and it requires more strength, courage, and resilience than any football game ever will.  But...If they can do it, I believe we can too. We have to. 

(For more insight from players, listen in as Doug Baldwin and Michael Bennett share their thoughts in their post game press conferences.)

Keep Going

My daughter has a favorite coffee mug, made by Oiselle -a Seattle-based by women, for women athletic apparel company. The mug is white with the following words on it: 

 

"There is no secret. Keep going." *

This final point in the NFL sermon was brought to life during an unfortunate play late in the first half of the game between the Chicago Bears and the Pittsburg Steelers. Marcus Cooper, Cornerback for the Chicago Bears, got his hands on a blocked field goal. Ball in hand he took off at full speed, on his way to what looked like a sure touchdown. None of the Steelers were going to be able to stop him, and it appeared that he was home free. And then he just slowed down. He started his celebration before crossing over into the end zone, which gave those in pursuit time to force a fumble at the one yard line. The result, due to a penalty on the Steelers, gave the Bears just enough time for a field goal and an additional three points. It could have been seven, but the player with the ball in his hands slowed down. He didn't keep going. 

Our country is in trouble, and it is going to take all of us to fix it. It isn't going to be easy. It isn't going to be quick. We have to keep pushing forward We have to keep our eye on the prize, which is a country in which the flag we raise reflects liberty and justice for all. A flag for which we are all proud to stand.

Amen.

* mug no longer available for sale on Oiselle website

The United Church of the NFL

Most Sundays I attend the church where my husband and I are members. We are an open, affirming and accepting church which means all are invited to the table, the doors are open in extravagant welcome to any who would enter, and when we come together as a community, we try to live with the hard questions rather then settle for the easy answers. On any given Sunday the sermon challenges me to live more courageously, and to care about and work for what matters.

I love our church.

This past Sunday, It had been a long but good week, and our church is a 45 minute drive away, so God and I decided to stay home. Turning on the TV to watch a little NFL football, I discovered that I didn't have to leave to go to church. Church came to me. Welcome to the United Church of the NFL. After reading this post I hope that you will come away challenged to live more courageously, and to care about and work for what matters.

I love the NFL

Some people will tell you that a good sermon is a 3 Point Sermon, which as you can probably guess, serves up three key points. Here are the three I received from the pulpit of the NFL.

Standing for what you believe in might mean sitting down.

Across the league teams chose to protest during the national anthem. Some sat, some kneeled, others raised fists, while still others locked arms or held hands. A few teams decided to stay in the locker room or tunnel until the anthem was over. This was not a protest against our flag or a sign of disrespect towards all who have served or are serving this beautiful, broken country of ours. It was not done in an effort to undermine the ultimate sacrifice that countless members of our military have made throughout our history. In fact, quite the opposite. The players were calling us to a higher standard for which those sacrifices were made. The were calling our entire country to a higher standard, us as individuals to a higher standard, and, they were calling the leader of this great country to a higher standard. A standard that should reflect what this country claims to stand for when we raise the American flag high in the air. The claim that all are created equal and deserving of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, not to mention deserving of respect, dignity, compassion, and for God's sake, common human decency and kindness. And since it starts at the top, our leader should lead the way, should set the highest of high standards. Unfortunately, thus far, he has not, did not, and is not. His bar has been set ever lower, as demonstrated by yet another divisive tweet from the man elected to lead our country. A tweet that  demanded some kind of appropriate response from players and coaches alike.  Pete Carroll, head coach of the Seattle Seahawks, as a true leader does, chose to "go high" in his response, speaking truth to his power in a tweet of his own. 

We don't have to agree on everything to come together for the common good.

After watching several games, numerous press conferences, and reading various commentaries, it is obvious that not everyone agreed on the approach to take regarding the national anthem. Since the Seattle Seahawks are my team (forever and ever amen) I take this second point from them. From what was shared in his Monday Press Conference Pete Carroll said that it took multiple meetings, challenging conversations, the expression of emotions that ran deep and raw, intentional listening, and ultimately, a willingness to come together for the greater good of the team. According to Coach Carroll, there were players for whom it was a painfully difficult decision to choose to stay in the locker room, and not be present on the field during the national anthem. Ultimately, what made it possible for everyone in the room to come together as a team is the same thing that is needed to bring our divided country together. Empathy. Somehow the players,  found a way to extend empathy to one another, to attempt, to at least try, to walk in one another's shoes, to see life through a lens different than their own, and to entertain the possibility that the experience of one of their teammates might have something important to teach them. That is incredibly hard work to do, and it requires more strength, courage, and resilience than any football game ever will.  But...If they can do it, I believe we can too. We have to. 

(For more insight from players, listen in as Doug Baldwin and Michael Bennett share their thoughts in their post game press conferences.)

Keep Going

My daughter has a favorite coffee mug, made by Oiselle -a Seattle-based by women, for women athletic apparel company. The mug is white with the following words on it: 

 

"There is no secret. Keep going." *

This final point in the NFL sermon was brought to life during an unfortunate play late in the first half of the game between the Chicago Bears and the Pittsburg Steelers. Marcus Cooper, Cornerback for the Chicago Bears, got his hands on a blocked field goal. Ball in hand he took off at full speed, on his way to what looked like a sure touchdown. None of the Steelers were going to be able to stop him, and it appeared that he was home free. And then he just slowed down. He started his celebration before crossing over into the end zone, which gave those in pursuit time to force a fumble at the one yard line. The result, due to a penalty on the Steelers, gave the Bears just enough time for a field goal and an additional three points. It could have been seven, but the player with the ball in his hands slowed down. He didn't keep going. 

Our country is in trouble, and it is going to take all of us to fix it. It isn't going to be easy. It isn't going to be quick. We have to keep pushing forward We have to keep our eye on the prize, which is a country in which the flag we raise reflects liberty and justice for all. A flag for which we are all proud to stand.

Amen.

* mug no longer available for sale on Oiselle website

The Thread

For months and months my writing had a clear, specific focus to it, as I worked to complete the manuscript for BLUSH: Women & Wine . Daily, and with purpose, I would head to my desk, sit down, and allow the message to find its way onto the page. Some days the writing was harder than others, yet slowly but surely, the thread that wanted to run from beginning to end began to shimmer and weave the words forward into my long imagined book. The thread, I explained to those who wondered, wasn't about the fact that I had long used my nightly wine ritual as a way to distance myself from pain, stress, and uncomfortable emotions and issues. Nor was it about my commitment to changing an unhealthy pattern. The thread ran, and runs, deeper than understanding and changing a habitual coping mechanism. My thread, the one I have attempted (with varying degrees of success) to hold on to over the years, is made of the these three deeply held strands of belief:

1. We are all created in the image of God.
2. We are all called to live as authentically and whole-heartedly as we are able.
3. We are all here to love, help, and heal the world that is within our reach.

Anything that gets in the way of our ability to hold onto our thread is deserving of our full attention. Wine was getting in my way. Thankfully, now it isn't. 

However.

After the book was published, my thread sort of disappeared. Life became about promoting the book, creating buzz, garnering more attention, and increasing sales.

Not. My. Thread. 

In my efforts to promote the book, I forgot about my purpose. When I most needed to remember it, the following piece, written by my good and wise friend David Berry, showed up in my in-box. His words led me back to my thread. My purpose. Which is to help people live authentic, whole-hearted lives, in order that they might better love, help, and heal the world that is within their reach.

I'm feeling the silkiness of the thread in my hand again, and my commitment to hang on to it is renewed. I know it will lead me to the next right steps. As it always does. I'll keep you posted.

Until then, I invite you to pour a glass of your favorite wine, savor David's words, and hang on to your thread.

You Have To Explain About the Thread

JULY 10, 2017DAVID BERRY

“The Way It Is”

There’s a thread you follow. It goes among
things that change. But it doesn’t change.
People wonder about what you are pursuing.
You have to explain about the thread.
But it is hard for others to see.
While you hold it you can’t get lost.
Tragedies happen; people get hurt
or die; and you suffer and get old.
Nothing you do can stop time’s unfolding.
You don’t ever let go of the thread.

– William Stafford –

I was captivated this week by the most recent episode of the podcast, This American Life. Specifically, a segment featuring the magicians Penn and Teller describing their process of developing a new trick. Teller, the conspicuously silent partner, has fallen in love with the idea of recreating a classic floating ball and hoop routine. Penn is less enthusiastic, as in not at all. As Teller works and works to make the trick worthy of their show by the standard they have agreed to over 40 years of collaboration he falls short time and again.

A breakthrough comes when they agree that the way to make the trick compelling to both themselves and their audience is to let the audience in on it from the very beginning. The trick begins with Penn’s announcement: “The next trick is done with just a piece of thread.”  And off goes Teller, beautifully and brilliantly manipulating a ball with nothing more than a piece of thread.

What Penn and Teller understood and acted upon – after years of work on one specific illusion – is what William Stafford implores us to do in the poem above: “You have to explain about the thread.” 

I am often in a position to do exactly that. In the classroom or at a speaking engagement I am frequently asked about my own thread. Why do I do what I do? How did I get started? What are the steps I took from there to here? I always respond in the same way, that I knew exactly what I was supposed to do with my life when I was 17 years old. A bright red thread emerged through my experiences in musical performance and student leadership. I was intuitively aware that the abilities developed and practiced in those early settings were the strengths I would call on throughout my adult life. I held onto the thread through the first few years of college but lost it completely once I had to marry my intuitive sense of it to the harshly practical world of “knowing what you want to do with your life.” I didn’t know how to manifest my nascent understanding of my thread into a next step. And I was too afraid to explain about the thread. I wasn’t willing to say, “This is my thread. I don’t know much about it but I do know a few important things, not least of which is that it’s mine. Will you please help me figure out where it leads?”

Instead, I let it slip away. As it turns out, it did not let go of me. We played peekaboo on occasion, a flirtation here and there, but it took over 10 years and an extraordinary confluence (aka, the thread working hard behind the scenes) of people and events to land me in front of a classroom of aspirational leaders. The specifics of that first class are hazy because my memory is dominated by the aliveness I felt at having my hands on the thread once again.

Most recently, my thread has led me to the college classroom and the opportunity to teach and mentor undergraduate students. The thread has a solid sense of humor. It says, “You struggled to claim me as your own. Others struggle, too. Here is your chance to help a few people struggle a little less, to find the thread a little earlier, and to gain the confidence and declare their commitment to hang on.”

There is no “magic.” There is finding your thread and there is holding onto your thread because “while you hold it you can’t get lost.” There is demonstrating to all who cannot see it that what looks like magic is just your commitment to trust where it will lead. Sometimes, like Teller performing for a full house, we hang on with artistry and elegance. Sometimes, like Teller in the early days of practice, we hang on in spite of our fumbling because our curiosity compels us to learn where it wants to go.  And sometimes we don’t hang on at all. But it is there, waiting to dispel the illusion that we can find our way without it.

What is your thread? Where is it leading?
Who have you explained it to? Who have you asked for help?
What makes it hard to hang on?
Is there someone whose thread confuses you?
Will you listen to them explain about the thread?

For further reading, here’s another reflection on “The Way It Is” by Parker Palmer.

DAVID BERRY is the author of “A More Daring Life: Finding Voice at the Crossroads of Change” and the founder of RULE13 Learning. He speaks and writes about the complexity of leading in a changing world.

 

Behind The Curtain: The Inspiration for BLUSH: Women & Wine

I am so happy to be able to share this lovely interview, and grateful to Hélène Tragos Stelian and  Next Act For Women for sharing my story.

Writing a Book about Women and Wine: Molly’s Story

Hélène

After a long career in Human Resources, Molly found the voice she’d quieted in her youth and began to write. Her book, Blush: Women & Wine, explores how so many of us turn to wine to soothe our discomfort and avoid painful feelings. 

Tell us a little about your background.

The youngest of four...

am a Pacific Northwest girl. Born and raised in Portland, Oregon, I was the youngest of four by a long shot. My siblings are 8, 12, and 13 years older than me. My mom tried hard to convince me that I wasn’t an “oops” baby. But seriously? My parents were wonderful, loving people with busy lives of their own. My dad was....

How It Works

"There’s no nonstop flight from order to reorder. You’ve got to go through the disorder." 

- Richard Rohr

Order

 

Recently I listened to an episode of On Being, the Peabody Award winning public radio conversation and podcast, hosted by Krista Tippet. Her guest for the episode was Richard Rohr, the Franciscan priest, writer, teacher, and founder of the Center for Action and Contemplation in Albuquerque, New Mexico. In the midst of their rich and robust conversation, Fr. Rohr offered a simple metaphor for the path to spiritual transformation. He explained that he tells his students to imagine three boxes:

Order

Disorder

Reorder

That's how it works.

The only way to transformation is through each of the three boxes. And as much as most of us cling to the desire for order, often clawing and fighting to keep things neat, orderly, and all buttoned up, we can't leapfrog from order to reorder. That's not how it works. Disorder is part and parcel of the path to transformation. For a deeper dive into Fr. Rohr's wisdom on the subject, I highly recommend listening to the entire On Being episode, as well as reading his thought provoking Falling Upward: A Spirituality For The Two Halves of Life.

Reflecting on his three box metaphor, and juxtaposing it with life as I've come to understand it, his words ring true. It also dawns on me that we are presented with an abundance of opportunities, both grand and small, to practice walking the transformative path. As individuals, partners, families, communities, societies, and even as a species. Some of those opportunities are ours by choice. Most of them are not.

We recently had our great room and kitchen repainted. In the course of just one day, as we moved every single thing from the areas to be painted out onto the deck, we went from order to disorder. Anyone driving up to the house that day would have thought that whoever lived there must have died, and an estate sale was in progress. A week later, new paint on the walls and the painter paid, we began the process of reorder. It was sort of a fun-but-royal pain in the ass. It was also a subtle kick in the ass to arrange life differently. To take the time to put back only those things we love and that serve us well. A couple of  trips to the dump and the Goodwill later, our home is in the process of a beautiful transformation. A transformation made possible by the chaos that came before it. Prior to living amidst the disorder, we were unable to see the overcrowded forest for the familiar trees.

Disorder

The good news is that disorder is always an invitation to put life together differently. When we chose to repaint our walls, we also chose to invite disorder into our lives.

The bad new is, that's not how it usually works. We don't choose disorder. Disorder is thrust upon us.   

The landlord informs us that she has decided to sell the house we're renting, and we have 30 days to move. 

We fall into bed, desperate for a good night of sleep, and then our baby throws up, spikes a fever, and we are on the phone with the advice nurse at 2am.

At a routine check up, our doctor finds a suspicious lump.

Headed to a crucial meeting, we miss our connecting flight.

We wake up one morning to find that our car has been stolen.

On an evening walk we get hit over the head with the fact that we have been using wine as a coping mechanism for years. 

A conversation we thought would turn left, takes a sharp turn to the right.

We suddenly lose a beloved member of our family.

The financial rug gets pulled out from beneath our feet.

We cast our vote on Election Day, and wake up the day after.

Order

Disorder

Reorder

That's how it works.  

Time to get to work.

Reorder

Hide And Seek

Dear You,

Come out, come out, wherever you are. Without you, I am nothing.

Love,

The World.

When I was a little girl, as I remember it, everyone came to our house for Thanksgiving dinner. Tables were put end-to-end to make room for our extended family, and while there was a "kids table" set up, my cousins and I preferred to hide under one of the other tables. Sure that the grown-ups couldn't see us, we sat under the table as life continued on around us, and the adults played along with our little game. What with our giggles and little feet poking out from beneath the linen table cloths, we were hiding in plain sight. Sometimes we hid for the thrill of it all,  but mostly it was a strategic ploy to avoid Uncle Blake's lumpy gravy and my aunt's famous creamed onions. But eventually we had to leave our little hidey hole, and would find, much to our dismay, our untouched plates still awaiting us, and the gravy was now not only lumpy, but cold. And the creamed onions were, well, still creamed onions.

When my daughters were little girls, they loved to play hide and seek. One of their favorite hiding places was under a blanket. Sure that I couldn't see them, they sat as life continued on around them, and I played along with their little game. "Now where could they be?" I would wonder aloud, well within their earshot. What with their giggles and little feet poking out from beneath the blanket, they were hiding in plain sight. Sometimes they hid for the thrill of it all, but mostly it was a strategic ploy to avoid any unwelcome chores, or to delay the inevitable bedtime. Eventually they had to leave their little hidey hole, and would find, much to their dismay, the chores still awaited them. And bedtime was, well, still bedtime. 

Hide and seek is not only a childhood game. Most of us play it for most of our lives. And like me, my cousins, and my young daughters, we hide smack dab in the middle of the room which is our life, hoping not to be found by whatever it is that we'd rather avoid. But unlike the unwanted lumpy gravy, creamed onions, childhood chores and the inevitable bedtime, now we hide from more serious things. Pain and discomfort, unresolved issues and challenging conversations, unanswered questions and unfamiliar territory, important decisions and necessary changes. These are the things from which I have often hidden. Still do sometimes. But when I do, the game always ends the same way. With lumpy gravy.

Every one of us does it. We play hide and seek from our own life, and, we hide under tables of our own choosing. My tables have included, but are not limited to:

One too many glasses of wine.

Taking care of everyone else.

Staying busy, no matter what.

Blaming others for the state of my life.

Binge watching my latest favorite series

We hide under the blankets of our own weaving, made up of the threads of our long held stories, fears, wounds and sorrows. My blanket has been made up of fabrics including, but not limited to: 

I am not enough.

I might fail.

It's too hard.

It will be too painful. 

I don't know how it will turn out.

But our tables don't keep us safe, they keep us small. Our blankets don't protect us, they prevent us from living the life that is ours. Hiding from our lives today only means running back into them again tomorrow. Over, and over, and over, and over, and over...

So come on. 

Come out, come out wherever you are.

It's time to come out from our hidey holes and get on with our messy, complex, beautiful, imperfect, creative, compassionate, flawed, and, one-of-a-kind miraculous lives. Our life is waiting for us, and so is the world.  And, no matter how long we crouch under our tables and huddle under our blankets, those creamed onions will be, well, still creamed onions. 

 

Water-Ditching Survival Training

Posted earlier. 

Now more important than ever.

My husband Tom is a scientist. A volcanologist to be more exact, and his area of expertise is the lahar, a destructive mudflow on the slope of a volcano. Sometimes his research takes him out into the field, and sometimes that means flying in a helicopter. As an employe of the US Geological Survey, he is employed by you, the American taxpayer, which also means that you pay for him to receive Water Ditching Survival Training. Your tax dollars hard at work. Please know that you have my profound thanks!   

A short explanation of said training is that he and his fellow students are taken to a local pool where they spend several hours learning about and practicing what to do in the event of a water ditching. They take turns strapping themselves into the seat of a mock helicopter airframe, are then plunged into the water where the airframe is rolled over and over until they find themselves submerged under water. They are disoriented and expected to find their way back to the surface. Sound like fun? 

Imagine what that might feel like.  You are flying along, minding your own business and then something happens that sends you careening off your fight path and into the watery depths. It is dark and cold, you are confused and unsure which way is up... literally, and terrified and desperate to get out. My first instincts would be to 1. Panic. 2. Free myself from my seatbelt as fast as possible. 3. Get out of the aircraft. 4. Swim back up to the surface. 

Following those instincts, I'd probably drown. 

According to his training, Tom learned (and I'm loosely paraphrasing here) that as soon as you realize that you are headed for the water you should 1. Stay focused.  2. Grab ahold of something, anything - the door handle, steering wheel, armrest, and hold on until the helicopter settles.        3. Unstrap your seatbelt while STILL HANGING ON TO YOUR HANDHOLD.  4. Figure out which way the bubbles are rising  while STILL HANGING ON TO YOUR HANDHOLD.  The bubbles are rising to the surface, but you may be hanging upside down. That handhold is the only thing that will orient you to which way is actually up. Then, and only then, are you ready to let go, free yourself and swim to the surface.

I hope to God almighty that I never, ever, have to try that out in a real helicopter and a real body of water, and I hope you never do either. But. Water-ditching happens to us in life all the time. We are flying along, riding inside of our life, and suddenly we are plunged into deep water and have to find our way back to the surface. We lose our job and don't know what to do. We get a new job and don't know what to do. Our heart gets broken and it feels like we will never recover. We fall head-over-heels in love and it feels like we will never recover. We move to a new town and find ourselves alone and uncertain in the midst of the unknown. We don't move to a new town and find ourselves alone and uncertain in the midst of the familiar. We over-commit and pay the price. We under-commit and pay the price. We take a risk and fail. We play it safe and fail. 

These past few months have left me under water wondering which way is up. The handholds that are helping me find my way to the surface are the ones I've learned to grab, and include the practices and people that keep me grounded, spiritually, physically and emotionally....Meditation, prayer, exercise, sleep, good nutrition, French Press coffee (really!), time and connection with my inner-circle, (including myself).  The people who keep me both grounded and oriented are those who love me for who I am and who I am not, who show up no matter what, are willing to be vulnerable and real, and who have sworn (along with me) to tell one another the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth so help us God.

As the saying goes....Shit happens. So does water-ditching. 

• What is your handhold?
• Who is your handhold?
• What is it that will steady you, and allow you to wait for things to settle?  
• Who will help you orient yourself so that you can find your way to the surface?  

Time to get to the surface!  We've got work to do!

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The Dash That Connects Our Dots

This was first posted on December 5, 2015. In light of the current state of our world, it seems that the dash that connects our dots is more important than ever. Time to connect our dots in ways that heal, restore, touch the world for the good of all. Because we are all in this together. 

We have a tradition at our church.  After the sermon, called a Reflection by our community (which I think is a totally better name for it), those of us in the pews have a chance to give our two-cents worth, which often is as valuable as the message itself.  Recently there was a reflection about the importance of a hyphen, that punctuation mark defined as “the sign that connects two words”.  We were challenged to think about the connection and meaning conveyed in that small little mark. Afterwards as a few of us reflected on the Reflection, one person shared that the first thing he thought about was a childhood memory of visiting a nearby cemetery.  He would wander through the headstones, most of which gave a birth year, followed by the year of death, connected by not a hyphen, but a dash.  To be more specific, it is the En dash, as opposed to the Em dash, that is used to indicate spans or differentiation. (To read more about the dash — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dash) That dash served to represent all the years between the beginning and end of a life.  He commented that those two dates on the headstones were in many ways the least significant, as all of the living of the person buried there was to be found in that tiny dash. Made up of every step, every thought, every word, every pain, every relationship, every breath, every…. everything of that person’s life, the beginning and the ending are but dots on either side of the lifeline that connects the first breath to the last.  An entire life is contained in that dash. 

It’s all about the dash.

Over the years, I’ve reviewed more than my share of resumes. Potential candidates for hire or promotion list their experience, starting with the most recent, and identified with the starting and end dates of that position.  A long expanse of time does not automatically equate to depth of experience or expertise. What did you learn?  What did you contribute? How have you grown? Tell me about the dash.  Nor does a short experience suggest a lack of lasting impact.  During his short time in office, prior to his assassination, John F. Kennedy’s presidency was marked by history making events and issues including the Nuclear Test Ban Treaty, the establishment of the Peace Corps and the Cuban Missile Crisis.  Length of experience always counts for something.  That something is contained in the dash.  

 It’s all about the dash.

In the biblical story of creation contained between Genesis verse 1, which was the beginning of it all, and verse 31, when God saw that it was good, a lot happened in the time spanned between the those two verses.  From an endless void to a world teeming with life, whether you believe that took seven days or billions of years, that heavenly dash contains a hell of a lot.  The story is found in the dash. 

It’s all about the dash.

In the past three years we have planned as many weddings for our daughters.  The first two were beautiful, the one still in the planning stages will be so as well.  A wedding is an important event, and marks a deep commitment being made between two people.  The wedding is only the beginning.  The marriage is what happens from the moment vows are made to all of the rest of the moments when the vows are kept. Or not. The quality of the life built together by two people isn’t found in an evening of ritual and celebration, no matter how well planned, extravagant or beautiful.  A marriage is found in the dash.

It’s all about the dash.

Time is a gift.  One of our most valuable resources, it can be sliced and diced in so many ways.  Every day is a new choice, a multitude of choices about what will happen in the moments in front of us. Our life is found in our dash, as It is what connects our dots that tell the story of who we are, what we do and how we do it.  

I was born October 12, 1953.  So far, my dash, which measures about 1/16 of an inch in my favorite font, American Typewriter, contains 63 years, 3 months and 24 days.

Molly Davis

1953 - 

It’s all about the dash. 

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