Gossamer Threads

This post was shared originally on the Exploring Sainthood blog (which no longer exists).  In this time of uncertainty and fear, spiritual practices can sustain us.  If you're not a religious person and the word "spiritual" doesn't feel right to you, think of this as deep and grounding self-care.  Use what works for you and leave the rest. I'm hoping to write a part 2 for this soon, sharing more ideas and the kinds of spiritual practice I'm engaging in right now. ______________ As I’ve mentioned before, one the blessings of attending a Unitarian Universalist church this last year has been the opportunity to get a broader perspective. The most interesting part is that I’m learning that my previously narrow views of what it meant to be Mormon and do things the Mormon way might not have been completely accurate. One of the responsibilities of membership at Unity Church-Unitarian is this: Cultivate a spiritual practice.  Attend to your spiritual/person...

A friend shared this video that I then watched as part of my morning spiritual practice.  Please take a few minutes to watch and listen before reading the rest of this post. It made me think about some of the other worship spaces that I have been in and how art was used or not used in the interest of helping people have spiritual experiences. And then I thought about how we all learn differently, so maybe the things that help us to feel wonder and awe are also different. OK, I put in the maybe to soften this.  I believe that what helps us to feel wonder and awe varies from person to person, and in one person at different points in their life. I'm a big believer in beauty and that beauty can be found even in the most harsh or sparse or bare places.  When I was a child, the world-side denomination that I was a part of began to remove all art from it's worship spaces. (Murals in historic buildings were exempted, and in all buildings there is still a lot of religious ...

I’m slow getting to this, but since this was probably the most important decade of my life so far, I felt it was important to spend some time reviewing it.  My 40’s were amazing.  Not easy by any means, but they were so full of what I needed to grow and move in the direction of my call.   Grief I lost many friends, family members, and mentors during this decade. There were also many tragedies to grieve. I'm grateful that I also found communities that held me in my grief and gave me a place to grieve in the way that I needed to.  Work Continued to teach voice lessons at Eastview High School. Involved in MMTA and NATS .  Started a Facebook group for voice teachers.   Began studying tai chi, then certified to teach, then became a Senior Trainer.  Worked at Target Picked up another lesson location with Lakeville Community Ed.  Hired as Women's Ensemble Assistant at Unity Church-Unitarian .  Health Fell and broke my e...

Last January, I attended the Prospective Student Conference at Meadville Lombard Theological School in Chicago and knew that I had found home.  When I returned to Minnesota, I quickly finished up all the materials and sent in my application for the Fall 2019 semester.  Early in the year, I was part of a thresholds group at church, where I made my first mask.  This mask launched an art project and spiritual practice that took me deeper than I ever expected: “Eat Chocolate.  Make Art.”  I’ve also done a lot of other art exploring my calling.   Continued making plans to move to Idaho. Gave notice at all my jobs.  I’ll be moving in late August or September of 2020. Mom remarried in June and I was able to go to Idaho and spend some time with her and other family.   Ruth Palmer retired, and Ahmed started as Director of Music Ministries at Unity Church-Unitarian.  I’ve learned so much from both of them that I know will show up in my fut...

I read somewhere recently about how many of us struggle with goals because of how we approach them.  I know that for me, goals were heavily influenced “should” statements.  They were things that to a large extent were externally driven, things that I thought I needed to do and be because of the way I interacted with my culture. It’s not that I wasn’t taught how to set goals.  Mormons are big on goals overall, and I spent over 6 years from the age of 12-18 specifically setting and working on goals in a church program for young women called “Personal Progress.”  But goals weren’t enough for me to make the kind of progress I really needed. Take for example these goals that I found recently. Based on a few items included on the list, I assume these were set sometime between 1998 and 2000.  I’m also including some information about how I did with those goals. 5 year goals Begin concert career—Didn’t happen.   Full-time job with benefits—Nope Or enou...

So time in the early to mid 90's, I wrote a creed.  Even then, it felt radical, pushing back against how I had been educated in music.  Don't get me wrong. I had had many wonderful teachers who stretched me and gave me tools that I still use today, Many of my experiences were life changing in positive ways.  But those positive experiences existed within a system that could often be more damaging.  When everyone talks about how the program for first year must majors is primarily about getting you to change your major to something else, something is broken. This can't be healthy.  But I took those drops of positive in the sea of despair and let them form what I believed about music education. Every few years, I stumble upon that Creed as I'm looking for something else.  And of course, I never put it in a place where I can easily access it when needed.  It's here somewhere in my house, but I couldn't find it this morning.  And that's OK, because I ...