I Bring to the Table…

Each of us carry innate wisdom.

How do we express our vital voice in such a way that we build up rather than tear down those we encounter in the day to day?  How can we be compassionate and courageous at the same time?  

How can we be both humble, open to conversations and strong at the same time?  I think of Mary Magdalene and her authority as an Apostle to the Apostles.  She was clearly respected by Jesus as someone who was intelligent and trustworthy.  I think of Valerie Kaur and her teachings.  In talking about social justice, Valerie says...

When we look back through history, our greatest social reformers did more than resist oppressors. They held up a vision of the world as they dreamt it. Nanak sang it. Muhammad led it. Jesus taught it. Buddha envisioned it. King dreamt it. Dorothy Day labored for it. Mandela lived it. Gandhi died for it. Grace Lee Boggs fought for it for seven decades.

They all called for us not only to unseat bad actors, but to reimagine institutions of power, the institutions that order our world. You see, any social harm can be traced to institutions that produce it, authorize it, or otherwise profit from it. To undo the injustice, we have to imagine new institutions and step in to lead them.

This is why I believe reimagining is front line social justice work. It is essential for this moment as we are in the midst of a massive transition here in the United States and all around the world. We can't ever fully be able to transition humanity into a new place unless we imagine it first. So this is how I am defining what it means to reimagine.

To reimagine is to explore a vision of a relationship, a community, a world where all of us are safe and free, where all of us flourish. Reimagining means that we're doing more than resisting our opponents, that we are paying attention to the cultures that authorize them to harm us, the institutions that allow them to continue with their behavior. And if we shift our gaze to institutions, that means some institutions can be reformed, but others must be dismantled and replaced altogether.

Reimagining focuses us not just on what we are fighting against, but the future that we are fighting for. And here's the secret: Reimagining—when we engage in that hard and vibrant work of reimagining the world as it ought to be—we start to realize that we have opportunities, spaces in our own lives to begin to create the beloved community where we are.

When we are brave enough to reimagine, we can begin to become the beloved community by birthing it here and now

“What Does It Mean to Reimagine? ”

by Valarie Kaur, 2021

Can we be a beacon of light in the world, in our own sphere of influence?

How do we shift power structures from within and without?

Can we be fully present to the goodness we find in a circumstance, community, group, person while at the same time seeing the underbelly?

As we re-story our present and future, how do we go about shifting things for the better?  How do we advocate for and bring equity?  

We are powerful souls.  We care deeply about many things.  What if we each choose one thing within our reach and advocate for change?  

What if we step into conversations instead of judgement with love and without fear?  with hope and rather than being reactive we respond with compassion and kindness?  

What if we bring a revolution of love that sweeps around the world.  

The First Nation woman who sang to the pope after asking him to remove the headdress that had been placed on his head comes to mind.  She sang truth to power with deep emotion and conviction and I think the pope really heard her.  

I hope so.  

She is so brave.

She is a blessing in her time.

I close today with a portion of a prayer by Mary Theresa Streck...

May we be blessed with a restless discomfort about easy answers, half truths and superficial relationships.  May we seek truth boldly.  May we love deeply.

This comes on wings of monarch butterflies finding abundant milkweed,

Mary Ann