“I think you have to think life…right ’til the end…and then you think eternal life.” I met Tony and Jenny Potts at a Bruderhof community in New York’s Hudson River Valley. The Bruderhof are Christians, living in community…they share resources, faith, and a life-long commitment to care for one another. Tony: We are here to serve others. It’s not a life of getting. It’s a … Continue reading Tony and Jenny Potts
“You do all these inspiring things,” she said. “I’m just a planner.” I thought for a minute. One of the things I love about A Peace of My Mind is that it lets me drop into different communities and spark interesting conversations. I meet new people and I see the creative ways that people work toward positive change in the world. One of the challenges … Continue reading Dreamers and planners
Andrea Cano trained to be a hospital chaplain in Portland, Oregon after working in journalism and nonprofit administration. She followed her passion to be with people when they are at their most vulnerable, to help them deal with their own suffering and healing. “We become so much about human doings, we forget to be human beings.” We’ve got to stop drawing lines in the sand … Continue reading Andrea Cano
Michael Reid played bass in a punk band and became addicted to heroin. He was strung out on the drug for ten years. His days revolved around petty crime to feed his addiction, which eventually landed him in prison for more than a year. After his release, Michael started volunteering at a food pantry. Over time, he was given more responsibility, and now Michael is … Continue reading Michael Reid
Deanna Thompson was diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer at age 42 that had metastasized to her bones. The doctors told her she had fewer than five years, but when I interviewed her, it was more than six years after her diagnosis. She lives in St. Paul with her husband and two daughters and teaches religion at Hamline University. “Initially, I thought I was on … Continue reading Deanna Thompson
Betsy Mulligan-Dague runs the Jeanette Rankin Peace Center in Missoula, Montana. She is also a Harley Davidson rider, a boxer, and an inventor. She believes it is important to explore different perspectives. Together, with Dan Gallagher, they found a way to bridge the divide that can exist between veterans and peace activists. “We have things that bind us together that we can fall back on when … Continue reading Betsy Mulligan-Dague
I often hear people express ideas in ways that resonate when we set up studios. Sometimes they are ideas I am familiar with, but they say them in new and articulate ways that make me see things with a new clarity. It is one of the things I love about this exercise of our studio days. Last week at Pacific Lutheran University we asked people … Continue reading building bridges
Jimmy Ta moved from Vietnam to the United States with his mother and siblings when he was in elementary school, but his father was unable to join them for another year. Jimmy struggled with the language, the culture, and with a lack of self-confidence. When a teacher invited him to join a mentoring program called Youth Ambassadors, Jimmy learned that everyone has struggles of some … Continue reading Jimmy Ta
Leroy Sullivan has been the mayor of Donaldsonville, Louisiana, since March 2004. Prior to serving as mayor, Leroy worked at a local chemical plant and was burned over 50 percent of his body in an explosion at the plant. He spent 37 days in a burn unit. Donaldsonville has a population of 7,436, but he says its residents experience the same struggles as larger cities: poverty, drug abuse, … Continue reading Leroy Sullivan
At the end of our dinner presentation at the Center for Transforming Communities, we closed with one final exercise. After hearing many of the inspiring stories from A Peace of My Mind, people are ready to dream big. We ask everyone in the room to take a piece of paper and finish this phrase: I wish…. They can finish the phrase any way that they … Continue reading I wish…
