Finally jumping in...

Welcome to my Substack!

After many months of resisting the urge to join the crowd over on Substack, I have finally done it! I won the battle with my naturally contrary self.

For those of you who have subscribed to my monthly email in the past, you will continue to automatically receive them, just in this new form.

For those who are new around here, You may be wondering why I call this place “A Capacity for Wings – Notes on Hope and Flourishing”.

This famous poem by Emily Dickinson gives a hint as to why.

“Hope” is the thing with feathers

BY EMILY DICKINSON

“Hope” is the thing with feathers -

That perches in the soul -

And sings the tune without the words -

And never stops - at all -

And sweetest - in the Gale - is heard -

And sore must be the storm -

That could abash the little Bird

That kept so many warm -

I’ve heard it in the chillest land -

And on the strangest Sea -

Yet - never - in Extremity,

It asked a crumb - of me.

This hope living in the depths of each of our hearts has wings, the capacity to take flight, to rise above the circumstances—the storms, the unknowns, the hardships—and soar. Not that we will not or do not experience the depths of sorrow, grief, and ache that is part of the human condition, but that there is something within us, planted there by God, which allows us to view not only our current troubles but so much more. The hope is always there but it also needs to be stoked. When we rehearse the goodness of God we experience every day, the beauty we behold, and the truth of our belovedness, hope is stretched and strengthened.

Flight offers a different perspective on the life we are living. Every so often we are gifted with an awareness of what truly matters in life— in the moment we are standing in. We find ourselves in liminal spaces and glimpse a grander view, the key to a well-lived life. It is as if the veil between this life and the next is lifted for a moment and we capture a hint of glory, a taste of heaven. I think of the times when we have been overcome with beauty, or experience being seen and loved for who we are, the miracle of childbirth (even amidst the pain) and the hallowed moments as someone we love is suspended with one foot in this life and one in the next.

I wonder if we can access heaven’s view more than we are accustomed to? If part of our spiritual formation is like being handed a pair of God-glasses through which to see?

This is why I form words into sentences and paragraphs and send them out into the world – to help us see through the lens of hope.

I also hope you will stick around and offer your thoughts and reflections in response.

Together we can lead each other toward hope and flourishing.

On another note..

I write from the middle of life, with an empty nest, where I am still learning to pay attention. I am seeking to live life examined and I wonder if there is a way we can discover how to do this together. Won’t you join me?

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