An April of Conferences

April 2016 has been a month I've been looking forward to since last summer. I had culminating conferences in three different groups that I am a part of. After months of planning, I was expecting April to stressful. Instead, it was wholly inspiring.

After the Baltimore Yearly Meeting's Peace Networking Day on April 2, I wrote "First one down and a success!" I had a powerful conversation on the drive to the event with a peace activist, and I shared with him the discomfort I feel in the way he presents a message of peace (sometimes he makes peace sound like an exclusive club). I appreciated the opportunity to speak truth to power. The conference was combined with a Youth Peace Day hosted by SSFS. It was wonderful that the two conferences coincided because it was inspiring to see the work that students are doing for peace. As a whole, the day was full of exciting collaborations, from which I learned a great deal from my peers and was able to envision all of what Bethesda Friends Meeting is capable of!

The SR TEDx conference was themed "The Mystery of the World," and the talks were consistently thoughtful and deepening. They offered all of us new ways of approaching the world around us. At the time I wrote that, "TEDx feels like a mascot for all the work I do" because it had a spirit of social action. It was inspiring to have a broad audience exposed to such positive an encouraging messages. The greatest part was that my stepmother was one of those incredible speakers. I was so proud!

Finally, last weekend I had the Quaker Palestine Israel Network Collaboration. It was an amazing opportunity to connect with people who share my passion and values. One of the themes was that investing in peace takes head and heart. It helped me to feel comfortable taking on stand for the Boycott Divestment Sanctions (BDS) movement as the most authentic form of solidarity with the Palestinians and the most promising means of supporting the Palestinians in having a voice in peace talks. What a powerful reminder that pacifism isn't passive.

I'm coming out of this month a more grounded woman than when I entered it. So much of my time is put into activities that help me to be the change I want see in the world. This month helped me to see that it's worth it.

Pendle Hill is my Mecca

I love Pendle Hill because it is where my people are. When I was there last weekend for the Quaker Palestine Israel Network, I kept having flashbacks to my time in the Friends Council on Education Institute for Engaging Leadership in Friends Schools because we were in the same rooms I had enjoyed five years earlier. I have strong sense memories and they are only being affirmed and made stronger.  Both experiences have been incredibly positive and significant in shaping me into the woman I am today. They have each made me more sure of myself and my purpose. Pendle Hill remains an important touchstone for my life.

Honoring Kevin

My colleague Kevin passed away earlier this year. He was a beloved teacher, colleague, friend and mentor. He lived a life of faith in action. He is what we all aspire to be - funny, inspirational, authentic, impactful, and kind. Although I didn't know him as well as faculty members who had worked with him for years, I was touched by his Light, as was everyone else in our community. He came to school to teach through mid-January and passed away at in early February. He was able to do so because he was driven by love.

Today we had a "Shakesfaire" in honor of Kevin and his appreciation for Shakespeare. It was one of the most joyful learning and teaching experiences that I have ever been a part of. Teachers had booths relating their passions to Shakespeare, which left students with all the right kinds of questions that they could go on to explore further. It was also a reminder for all of us that learning is supposed to be fun, and it is a time of year when we need reminding. I hope we cover a topic in such a joyful and interdisciplinary way every year from now on. It is certainly how students learn best. I know Kevin is proud of us.

To Be Lovestruck

“Martin Luther King, Jr. called for us to be lovestruck with each other, not colorblind toward each other. To be lovestruck is to care, to have deep compassion, and to be concerned for each and every individual, including the poor and vulnerable.” — Cornel West 

Ever since I read this quote, I have embraced the concept of being lovestruck. I have been reflecting on the importance of being lovestruck by everything with which I share the precious resource of my time. That is how I live my life in a spiritually grounded way. That is how I make all of my work love made visible, following the sentiment of Kahlil Gibran. There is a power that accompanies love. I can't do anything beautiful or true without it.

Peacemaking

Yesterday at work, the Upper School community was asked to identify peacemakers in our midst and put them on a post-it with an explanation. I was overwhelmed by the number of people who see me as a peacemaker. My favorite part was the number of different reasons they gave in their explanations - reflecting all five Goals of Sacred Heart Education. Love, light, activism, dedication, awareness raising, inclusivity, and positivity were all named as reasons why. I know so many people who embody all of those qualities, but rarely do we have the opportunity to have them reflected back to us. It is an honor and a joy to work in a community that both sees and appreciates me.

Sometimes hard work pays off!

In the past 24 hours I've gotten more thank you notes for more different things than any other 24-hour period of my life. There is nothing more affirming than being a part of meaningful work. While I'm purposefully behind the scenes for much of what I do, it is special to know that my work can help other people engage more deeply with their community. My favorite thank you was this quote about TEDx: "I said to a person sitting close to me that it was better than church!  The reply?  'This is church!'  It was such an uplifting event and definitely made me a better person for having been there.  Thank you!" I am grateful to be of use.

Standing up for my beliefs

I was extremely proud today that I took a new step in my Black Lives Matter work. For the last several months I have been developing and collaborating on a flyer with the information I find most compelling about BLM. Today we finally passed them out in Bethesda. I'll admit I was more nervous than excited. I don't like the idea of pushing things on people, plus Black Lives Matter makes me feel more vulnerable than a cause like environmental stewardship, which is not identity-based. Indeed, there were a few shouts of "All lives matter," one of which was directed at me and followed by "asshole!" But much more than that, people accepted our flyers with smiles and appreciation. Some people shared how much it meant to them and said they'd be back! There were lots of honks and waves and one car that shouted "Yes they do!" One of our first takers was a colleague and friend of mine who, without even seeing me, when asked if she would like a flyer exclaimed, "Of course!" with more enthusiasm than anyone else all day. No one said this work would be easy, and I genuinely appreciated the opportunity to articulate my values and to thicken my skin.