Dear Friends,

 We hope that you are safe and well.

 Today's Meditation is "Goldfinches" written by Danusha Lameris. It comes to us through The Association of Clinical Pastoral Education newsletter which invites us to ponder "Where is your heart today? What do you hope? What do you fear? What do you trust? May we be blessed by something like the goldfinch the poet writes about."

We invite you to join us as we commit ourselves to working tirelessly to end systemic and structural racism in our society, in the church, in healthcare, in the workplace--wherever it shows up so that everyone may come to have more abundant life. May this meditation nourish our contemplative-active hearts and sustain all of us in action.

In the spirit of our philosophy of co-creating community and our awareness that the Spirit speaks through each of us, we invite you to share your meditations with us as well. We truly believe that it is God's economy of abundance: when we share our blessings, our thoughts, our feelings, we are all made richer.

We hope and pray that you find peace, healing, hope and the infusion of joy in your life!

With our love and care,

Ron and Jean

Where is your heart today? What do you hope? What do you fear? What do you trust? May we be blessed by something like the goldfinch described by

Danusha Lameris:

Goldfinches

by Danusha Lameris

Good luck, they say,

to see one,

its face and breast

pure citrus

against the grey sky.

And today,

I am twice blessed

because two such bird

grace the low boughs

of the persimmon,

eating the soft heart

of winter’s fruit—

though they will

feast on thistles

pulled from the dry flowers

and so are said

to eat the thorns

of Christ’s crown,

to lift some small measure

of his suffering.

Whatever your grief,

however long you’ve carried it—

may something

come to you,

quick and unexpected,

whisk away

the bristled edge

in its sharp

and tender beak.