I spent time last fall with Cornell Cooperative Extension as their offices talked about love. Not romantic love, but the sort of love Dr. King referred to when he spoke of Beloved Community. The idea that we can care for one another. Build one another up. Make sure that people have access to the resources and support they need in order to thrive. The sort … Continue reading love
Last week I spent a few days in the Jackson Heights neighborhood of Queens, New York. I’ve been frustrated with the angry rhetoric about immigration and immigrants in the political cycle. There is no doubt that we have a broken system in our country. I’ve seen first-hand the humanitarian crisis at our southern border and there are people smarter than me who have not yet … Continue reading American stories
I spent time in New York City last week. Meetings, reconnecting with friends, gallery hopping, networking. It was a chance to refill my creative cup and to imagine new possibilities. After all, our new book has been out for two months now. My head is filled with all sorts of “what’s next” scenarios. Maybe it’s the small town Wisconsin boy in me, but I am … Continue reading NYC
I’ve been really interested in this question of community lately. Especially as we come out of the pandemic, where our experience of community was so drastically changed. Especially as we go into mid-term elections where our sense of a common vision is challenging. Especially as we have spent these last two years on the road, constantly reimagining what it means to belong in a place. … Continue reading Building community
Dr. Simran Jeet Singh is the Executive Director of the Religion and Society Program at the Aspen Institute and the author of The Light We Give, How Sikh Wisdom Can Transform Your Life. We talked about his love for basketball, his advocacy for religious pluralism and a surprise lesson he learned one day recently when he forgot his earbuds while going for a run. “Life … Continue reading Simran Jeet Singh
Over the past few weeks, I’ve produced a series of remote portraits with Ithaca College and gathered stories around the question, “What does community and belonging look like for you in this time of pandemic and protests?” It’s something I’ve thought of a lot lately, as we all learn new ways of navigating the world. As Karen and I leave our home of 20 years. … Continue reading Ithaca Remote
Last week I was at Cornell University as the Irik Sevin Fellow in Residence at the Alice Cook House. It was a chance to get to know some of the students in an extended engagement and as part of the week, we set up a studio and asked the entire West Campus community, “What kind of world do you want to live in?” We did … Continue reading What kind of world?
“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
We forget to lay down our burdens. We forget that we can heal. We put up walls and isolate and push away when the thing we want most is to connect. We convince ourselves we are powerless and forget the power of five simple words: “I’m sorry.” and… “I forgive you.” A Peace of My Mind visited Syracuse University and asked, “When have you found … Continue reading Syracuse University
