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Welcome to Walk & Talk, my monthly newsletter to share stories, inspiration, and hope. I’m Kim Knowle-Zeller, mama, pastor, and writer. I’ve lived in West Africa and one summer hiked 500 miles across Spain, and now I call Cole Camp, MO home with my husband, two children, and dog. I love to walk, talk, and share stories. Thanks for being here!  

Dear Friends, 

This letter is coming to you after a week of it’s-not-covid-it’s-not-strep-but-it’s-awful-and-I-can’t-get-out-of-bed. I’m finally feeling more like myself, but it’s been slow going. My husband finished a two month sabbatical from church and the last three weeks have been a series of unfortunate situations (cue in sickness, an overheating truck and broken transmission, more sickness, a day stuck in the airport, etc…). 

Yet, I can’t help but think that this time of Sabbath rest for my husband and for our family was just as it was meant to be - a reorientation to the here and now. From my bedroom surrounded by diffusing oils, cough drops and tissues, I heard Charlotte and Isaac laughing and playing. As superheroes they flew up and down the hallway. Dishes clanked as they were being put away. The refrigerator opened and closed and meals were prepared over and over. 

One morning, laying in my bed, a knock came and I heard Isaac’s voice, “Put on your mask, Mama, we’re coming to do a check-up.” With doctor glasses on, Isaac stood beside me pondering where to give me a shot and how to check my reflexes. Charlotte dropped off a yellow marker as a popsicle for being a good patient. 

This forced rest and weariness was not what any of us had in mind for a sabbatical, but perhaps here in the throes of temperature checks and sore throat lozenges, perhaps in the sickness and changed plans and the unrest and the unknown, and in the missed opportunities, there are lessons to be learned. There is grace to be experienced. 

Which brings me to a few weeks ago when I flew for the first time in years. Waiting in line at the check-in, a woman in front of me tapped her foot and kept checking her watch. She gripped a wad of tissues in her hand. I asked if she missed her flight. "Yes," she said. Tears pooled in her eyes, I held the silence with her and then she told me, "My dad died this morning." 

My heart broke. It was Father's Day. 

But I also remembered being in a similar position racing in the airport after my dad died. I remember how being in the air *almost* made it feel like nothing had happened and that I was just having a bad dream. I remember the fog of walking through the next few days and the texts from friends. I remember not being able to breathe. 

In front of me I saw this woman's grief, and my own. In the few moments while we stood in line, I didn't tell her any of those things, but I did ask the name of her dad. 

Tim. 

Because I want to remember with her. To show in some small way that she's not alone. 

I hear the saying we’re all just walking each other home. But really I think most days we’re just trying to find a piece of home right here, right now. And we want someone to remember us. 

So from our home to yours, in sickness and in health, in grief and joy, I’m remembering with you, friends. And giving thanks for this moment, right now. 

With gratitude, 
Kim

It is the beauty within us that makes it possible
to recognize the beauty around us.

-Henry David Thoreau

 
My Favorite Things

"Sometimes my grief for my dad shows up in subtle moments: reading an inscription he wrote for me in a book, jazz music playing on the radio, or seeing my kids play with their toy trains. There are days that bring a flood of memories in remembrance, and days when I wish he could witness what I am now experiencing—the life I’ve built with my family.” Always honored to have my words shared on Coffee + Crumbs. This is an essay on grief, trains, and remembering our loved ones. 

"I’m learning from my children that gratitude can be a posture we take with our whole bodies. When they take off their shoes, I believe, they’re able to feel that this earth is a myriad of animals, plants and minerals, all coming together to form God’s beautiful and diverse creation. God is with us wherever we go. God’s goodness, too, is never far from us. The ground we walk on is holy."

Last year my friend Nicole of Little Great Design Co. and I collaborated to create a Garden Prayer Art Print. You can find it here and also check out her other beautiful creations!  

With Lutheran World Relief, I created a free Bible study to use this summer with your congregation. Seeing Our Neighbors is a three-week study based on Matthew 25:31-46. Using Scripture, images, the practice of Visio Divina and prayer, invite your congregation or small group to see how God is calling God’s people to reach out in love to neighbors across the street and across the globe. 

A few of my favorite things on IG recently: my friend Ashlee wrote about the different kinds of quiet she experiences. I love this poem and video from my friend Neidy on the ministry of fireflies.

Since I’m turning 40 next month, I’m here for all reflections on age and time and thankful for my friend Becky and her words here

"Our days were hard, but they were beautiful. For the first time since becoming a working mom seven years before, I had space to simply be. I wrote every morning. I read every night. We took walks to visit the cows. We picked handfuls of dandelions in the field. We ate picnics on the lawn and visited Kyle in the tractor. Everything felt smaller, slower, gentler. And I wanted more.” My friend Jess writes beautifully about taking a career pause and how she hopes her days will unfold.

Love this invitation for an IRL Summer. For our family we spend many afternoons at the pool. We’re also always up for a treat of ice cream! How are you spending your summer days? 
 
What I’m Reading: Shauna Niequist is one of my favorite authors. Many describe her as the older sister they wish we had. I agree. Her latest book, I Guess I Haven’t Learned that Yet, is a collection of essays on the present moment, living through transition, delight, and finding your life right where you are. A few friends are reading Kate DiCamillo’s books so I went to my local library and picked up The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane and was swept away by the story of a glass rabbit and what it means to love. It was a delightful way to spend my kids’ nap time. 

What I’m Cooking: The garden veggies are coming in (as are the weeds) so I’m enjoying this Instant Pot Summer Soup from Pinch of Yum.  

“I don’t know when the dawn will break, for you or for me, but I know that the healing comes in the trying and that even in the dark we have to keep practicing our callings, whatever they are. We have to keep doing the things we were made to do, the daily acts of goodness and creativity and honesty and service - as much for what they bring about inside us as for the good they do in the world.” 
-I Guess I Haven’t Learned that Yet, Shauna Niequist

 

P.S. If you enjoy my newsletter, would you consider forwarding to a friend? The best way to support my writing is through sharing and inviting others to know my work. Thank you! 


I’ll be back in your inboxes the
first Wednesday of August!  

Kimberly Knowle-Zeller Writer Page
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Walk and Talk Monthly Newsletter · 705 S Hickory St · Cole Camp, MO 65325-1177 · USA

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