Emery House

Have you ever kept silence?

I am not talking about the “Quiet Game”- you know, the one, the one your parents (or you as a parent) have instigated out of a desire of a quieter space with less bickering, I am talking about, as the psalm says, “Be Still and Know”

Being still and being quiet are HARD in this day and age.

We live in a world where ever statement expects an answer, people ramble on just to work out their own thoughts or just to fill the space. There is always a radio, TV, podcast, pandora station, or youtube video to listen to. 

To find quiet we have to literally unplug and disconnect. Intentionally remove the stimuli and even then often we find ourselves still looking to the next thing to do. being still is not what we are good at, or perhaps not what I am good at doing naturally.

Most of us are still when we are asleep. Deep and restful sleep freshens us.  Deep stillness in the same way also refreshes us, allows us to regain our center and focus.

I arrived this afternoon at the Emery House for my retreat.

At the Emery House we do everything in silence except prayers at 7:30am, 12noon, 6pm and 8pm. All else is in silence (well except when you arrive, they do greet you and welcome you). I sat in my room awaiting prayers this afternoon and listened to how quiet the house was and how still it was. The stillness brought the reminder to me all that I am thankful for, the gifts of stillness, of time, of people as they flitted in and out of my mind.

Emery House was originally a working farm that was donated to the Society of St John the Evangelist for hospitality and retreat. The Emery Family were hard workers and felt strongly about caring for the poor and hospitality to their neighbors, they inherited land and when the final family member died, they gave this house to the brothers to allow others to come and be fed in mind, body and spirit.

How do you keep silence?

How do you help others find and keep silence in their lives? (Perhaps “The Quiet Game” isn’t such a bad idea after all)

A Taste of Boston

On the first Sunday of Sabbatical my true love gave me a 5:30am flight to Boston!

Early but we arrived in time to go straight to a Red Sox game in 37 degree weather. The ballpark frank was DELICIOUS and the FREE hot chocolate just as good! After a day of Traveling we were toast and headed to bed early.

Monday, April 16, was Patriots’ Day and, of course, the boston marathon. Rob and I grabbed breakfast and then hopped on the T. We entered into McGreevey’s to watch the race - the weather was RIDICULOUSly gross. COLD and DOWNPOURING, we were delighted to be inside and quickly made friends with folks at the bar who were cheering on a young man from Nebraska who was doing really well! Sam Adams even brews a special brew for the marathon called: “26.2” It was amazing to watch the finishes and cheer folks on.

Amazing the professionals and all the runners as they accomplished such a race, the joy of those who have run it before and those we saw the next day in Boston hobbling as they walked- Boston was full of joy and passion despite such dismal weather.

We ate oysters at the Oyster House and Cannolis at Mike’s and then took my sodden self home (Rob wins best dressed for weather that day).

Our Final day in Boston was spent in Plymouth, Milton, Brookline, Cambridge, and Salem. We had a car, what can I say?! It is astounding how many of the 102 pilgrims did not last the first year in Plymouth. Also noteworthy was the burial ground (originally they hid their dead so the natives could not see that they were weak) and the memorial to the native chief are not too far apart on top of the hill looking towards the sea. Between the two is a plaque stating the “Day of mourning” that is celebrated on Thanksgiving Day. A hearty reminder that the pilgrims survival also meant natives were killed and died due to colonies.

In Milton, Rob found the house he lived in for a year while his father was on sabbatical, we saw the birthplace of George W Bush (who knew!) and then headed to Cambridge where we saw JFK’s birthplace and the Julia Childs’ home. We ended up at JFK’s library and walked through history- a Great Wall for the peace corps and another glimpse into the civil rights movement from JFK’s perspective.

We ended with dinner in Salem, chasing the witches and sunset. Also noteworthy was a memorial in Salem for the women who were killed for “being witches” and the unfairness to them.....a beautiful grove of trees planted for each of the women named.

A Wedding in Mississippi

So MOST people begin their sabbatical with retreat time.

The first weekend of my sabbatical was filled with officiating and celebrating a wedding.

A wonderful opportunity to SEE a family I had not seen in nearly 10 years hear of their joy and help them celebrate their new chapter in their life.

To get to the wedding, I flew into Memphis, TN and took the time to visit the Loraine Hotel, the place where Martin Luther King, Jr. was assasinated 50 years ago this month. The museum they have created in this space in comprehensive and awe-filling. The story telling was moving and reminds us that the story isn’t over. The entire second museum is about the continuing legacy of MLK and the voices yet to be heard and who are helping to make these stories be heard.

I continued south to Mississippi to rehearse the service and then eat dinner with the wedding party and family at the bride’s grandfather’s home, a big house filled to the brim with family and friends and lots of BBQ.

The next morning we got up and went to Oxford, MS and ate at the Big Bad Breakfast restaurant and then toured the square, I caught up with friends and we dodged raindrops. We were not able to go to the Ajax Diner which employed every member of the bride’s family at one time or another, adopting them in as family.

The wedding was beautiful and joyfilled. A 19th century methodist church was a fun liturgical space for an episcopal wedding complete with Eucharist :). The reception was again at the Bride’s grandfather’s home catered by a restaurant in town whose tradition is to feed the entire staff after closing. All invited to the table to make sure there is at least one good meal in their bellies. It was a kind and wonderful gathering from meal to meal, table to table as we blessed this new couple and refreshed old friendships. 

TASTE and SEE- Cooking Class#1

Taste and See

Our first cooking class was Cuban Cooking, we watched and tasted the delicious-ness of Cuban Mojo Pork, Rice, Sofrito, Beans, and cinnamon covered plantains. There was also a sweet, but not too sweeet, mango and passion fruit mouse cake for dessert. YUMMO!

At Kitchenable, Jessica leads you through the entire recipe and then lets you "taste and see" what you too can make at home. We really enjoy her classes, she is knowledgeable in the culinary arts! 

Pictured below are our appetizer of pimento cheese and crackers, the main course of Pork, rice, beans, and sofrito, and then of course the plantains.

A Table Overflowing with Love

What a wonderful week!

Easter was April 1st, I celebrated a birthday with a 10k run and then this past Sunday I experienced so much love and grace with a magnificent send off. In our liturgy at 9 and 11:15am we said our prayers, ya'll blessing me on my adventure and I meant every word that I said, "I will miss you and am thankful for the ministry that you will do while I am away and the ministry God has for us when I get back!" My heart is full of love and my coffee table is full and overflowing with the tangible well wishes for this sabbatical time.

I am so grateful for the support of friends and family as we begin this sabbatical time. I am in the midst of "refinding" my tables in my house, scaring aware the dust bunnies, cleaning away the cobwebs and sorting through things that have been piling up.

While my entire sabbatical will not be "doing" tasks, sometimes you have to clear out the cobwebs so that you can see more deeply as to where God has been dwelling in your midst and the gifts and joys that have been dormant in my life.

Sabbatical rhythm is different, my schedule has shifted, my pace is a bit different, I look forward to sharing more as the cobwebs dissipate and the adventures continue!

Taste and See God's Presence: Gathered Around the Table of Reconciliation

What makes your heart sing?

Where is it that the things that you do and love and ministry come together?

These were the two questions that I pondered last year when I sat down to think about a potential 3 month sabbatical for the spring of 2018. A sabbatical is a time of period set aside for rest, renewal and refreshment. Weekly, we take a sabbath, a rest from our labors, to worship and give thanks for the blessing we have to reconnect with God. A sabbatical is longer and often occurs after 7 years of ministry.

As I thought of these questions, I realized I had one answer for both: A Good Meal Around A Table.

Where does my heart sing? When I am in community and eating great food.
What do I love to do? Cook, take photos, be with others as they experience joy and sadness.

What do we do well as a church? We come together and are fed. We come together despite socio-economical differences, political differences, we come to eat and to share what we have in community.

Several summers ago in Cuba when I was on a mission team there, we used the same table for our work bench, our supply table, dinner table, and our altar- it was the only table in the building! We, a group of limited English and Spanish speakers, gathered around to give thanks for the day, to receive our supplies for the day, and to be fed for the day from the same table. We might not have understood every word from the other person, but we understood each action done in love as a community.

I love to share a meal with friends, strangers, to laugh, to cry and to break bread together.
I think that may be why I ended up in where I am in ministry, several times a week gathering around a table where we are fed and reminded that we belong to this community, our beautiful warts and all.

Scripture is FULL of imagery around eating. Jesus is always feeding people, gathering for meals, and talking about the heavenly banquet table. And, if we are honest we are constantly hungry, hungry to be known, to be included, to be deeply fed by the love of God.

I realized that in a sabbatical I hoped to be fed spiritually but also to learn a bit more about people's story and see how others have brought people to god's feasting table.

I jokingly say, "You can fight about politics and religion, but nobody argues with you when you claim your mother's apple pie is the best recipe ever." We have fierce memories around food, it's a love language for some. This sabbatical time is a time to learn some new cooking tools, to learn some photography skills, and to listen around the table about how people have worked to bring others to the table.

I am so thankful for those who have made this possible and given me the time and resources to journey a bit away from home and encouraged me to do so.

This blog will keep you updated on the adventure, snippets along the way as I share the experiences of listening to story, taste the goodies of people's cooking (and try my own hand at it!), and keep visioning about that table where all can gather.

I look forward to sharing as I Taste and See God's Presence: Gathering around the Table of Reconciliation.

Final day!

Today we sent off the pilgrims 2 by two and the last six of us depart together for late flights.

Today we visited the final home and resting place of W.E.B. DuBois. A wonderful home and space of history.

Then we visited the first president of Ghana's maseoleum and his story.

After lunch we said goodbye to our Canadian pilgrims and did a quick shopping trip. Today we head to the airport and begin our journey home (3 airplanes and nearly 24hrs of travel arriving in TLH Sunday evening)

So thankful for the opportunity to be here and come back to share the story.