dear ones, for the first time in nine days i went to the grocery store. i had a heightened sense of awareness of how everywhere i touched or breathed might possibly contribute to the corona sadness. i was shopping with great intention, purpose and love for five at my house, for my parents, my […]
Audio description on youtube: dear one, when i started making art again and writing for my web site here i had to choose a name. i wanted a name to represent me differently, to remind me of the importance of owning how my posts might potentially ripple out into the world. one way of […]
dear ones, many years ago i was really sick. i had an illness that was never really diagnosed or named. my mental and physical unwellness disrupted every aspect of my life, my understanding of myself, my relationships with people, and my career. you might remember my six-word story: her personal earthquake reinvented her everything. well […]
“Only two things that money can’t buy and that’s love and homegrown tomatoes.” ~John Denver dear ones, for the past nine years, from the safety of our old and very broken system, I have practiced an even older system called gift economy (another description here gift economy ) for years i’ve offered my work as […]
dear ones, i’m having great difficulty alongside you (at the CDC-recommended potentially safe distance), about the condition of humanity right now. to honor and express my dismayhem, i’ve decided to be open about my internal struggles and more forthcoming with writings that have come to me… through me over the last few years; writings I […]
Dear Ones, ♫♪ It has been a tremendous musical JOY to revisit Dvořák’s Requiem mass with North Carolina Master Chorale the past two months preparing our forthcoming concert. Sixteen years ago we performed this work and now–16 years older and wiser–and me with a love and gratitude for the medicine that is music STRONGER […]
The look on Sonshine’s face is amazing! You can feel the astonishment with him.
All of what you are talking about, I did, in the late seventies. I started on the path to being a UU Minister. It was a crazy thing to do, but I really felt “called,” in the sense that this profession seemed to pull together most everything I was and wanted. 3 years of seminary, meeting with the “Fellowshiping Committee” and being told to take a course at Meadville Theology School in Chicago on UU History, and after that, being an Intern at a UU congregation in Lincroft, NJ, being Ordained there and finally becoming a REAL “REV” Joan Gelbein! The 15 years I spent as minister in Arlington VA were some of the best years of my life. I was right – it was a scary challenge and I did it–and how I loved the work! I WAS really suited to the work and did a great job. There were moments of anxiety and “what am I doing here?” — but I kept on going. The “Guidance Moment” I had was when I took a workshop in what will you on with your life, led by a elder UU minister. We wrote about out history and he outlined all I wrote that indicated my loves and skills. He said to me, “How about becoming a Worship Specialist?” It was in the 70’s and I had become moved by Feminism. So, I chose to follow a path of ministry instead!
Wonderful! Thanks for sharing both the picture and the thoughtful words!
Every photo of your three radiant children that you share always makes our hearts bubble with happiness. Thank you for Sonshine! And thank you for the loving gifts left on the porch today!