What I’ve been thinking about lately
What if there is no happy ending?
“Of all the losses experienced in personal relationships, ambiguous loss is the most devastating because it remains unclear, indeterminate.” - Pauline Boss When I teach about holding space, I almost always start by teaching about liminal space. It helps participants...
read moreReflections from a place of joy (my thoughts as 2018 draws to a close)
I can’t remember if I picked a word at the beginning of 2018. I used to choose one faithfully, but that practice hasn’t had as much of a draw for me in the last two years as it once did. In the early years (starting with the year I chose fearless), my word helped pull...
read moreSometimes, it’s okay to let them see you sweat (a reflection on vulnerability and camel shit)
Sometimes it's okay to "let them see you sweat." I sweat. A LOT. And my face turns beet red when I exert myself, so if you’re ever present when I exercise (which, sadly, isn’t often enough) you won’t be able to miss the evidence of my efforts. But this post isn’t...
read moreMy visit to Laker Memorial School, Kitgum District, Uganda
What can I tell you about my experience in Kitgum District of Uganda? I've tried about half a dozen times to write this article and to reflect on what the experience meant to me, but so far every attempt falls short. I was going to tell you about how it felt to be the...
read moreLeadership for times like these
“I don’t think of myself as a leader.” I hear that statement often from my clients and I understand it - I used to say the same thing myself. It wasn’t until a special mentor/boss took me aside and told me that she saw leadership ability in me and then offered me my...
read moreI’m going to Uganda! Will you help me raise money for a toilet?
I'm going to Uganda! In a surprising twist, while I was planning my trip to the Netherlands to teach in November, a window of opportunity opened up and I can't pass it up. As you may recall, for several years, I've been supporting a school in Uganda that was founded...
read moreHow to process criticism, attacks, and negative information about yourself without getting knocked flat
There’s a familiar pattern that shows up when someone criticizes or attacks me. First, I feel it in my body - my throat closes, my muscles tense and the pit of my stomach starts to churn. Usually it’s accompanied with the heat of shame creeping up my...
read moreWhat gets in the way of joy? Some thoughts on fear, guilt, and “fleshly desires”
Friday, after a full day of work and a couple of juicy conversations with faraway friends, I headed to my hammock, tucked under two giant maple trees in my newly landscaped backyard. The late afternoon sun peeked through pinholes between the canopy of leaves, bouncing...
read moreConscientious Disruptor: What it means to grow up Mennonite
When I was a young teenager, our family arrived at our tiny rural church for a special evening service to find a sign on the door. “It is illegal to gather here,” was the essence of the message. “Those who worship here will be tried for heresy and...
read moreWhat I learned about leadership and holding space from a floating unicorn
I was sitting at the beach with my journal recently, while on a private writing retreat with a friend. It was a perfect summer morning, with the kind of blue sky painted with white clouds that makes the world seem a little easier to navigate. I was alone on the beach...
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