Finding Sustenance in this Season

It's the Season for Daylight Savings Time, Spring, Lent & Anxiety

Dear Ones,
Now that we've sprung forward, the sun is setting after 7:15 p.m. here on the shores of Washington's Hood Canal, though we've yet to see the sun as another atmospheric river flows overhead. The flowering quince is budding, the salmonberry beginning to leaf, and the shot-weed is scattering seed in profusion immune to my eradication efforts. My yearly lenten journey following Jesus to Jerusalem with the cloud of death on the horizon is underway. In the next few weeks our family will celebrate the birth of both our wonderful grown daughters virtually. Mask mandates have been lifted and I've made travel plans to see my dad and stepmom soon, hoping that my three shots and a bout with omicron will keep me from transporting the virus. And the suffering unleashed in the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine threatens to leave me awash in helplessness and despair.

The challenge always is to hold the wild and varied aspects of our human experience in a tension tight enough to keep us from being flung off the teeter-totter, yet loose enough to bend and sway in the messy and difficult, without losing sight of the love and beauty that exists despite everything. Strengthening my commitment to my church community, leaning into photography, and spending evenings with my husband and Betty White (Hot in Cleveland) are lifting my spirits.

I wish you sustenance and resilience in all that comes your way this season.
With love,
Cathy

APRIL EMAIL A DAY FOR UKRAINIAN AID

I'll be sending out a daily email from April 4th-30th in honor of National Poetry Month. This is my third year running a poem-a-day project, and this time around the email will consist of both an original photo and three-line poem in the spirit of Haiku. You're welcome to receive the email as a momentary pause from the demands of your day, or as inspiration for your own poetry, prose, photo, or other creative act.

If you'd like to sign up for the daily email, my request is that you make a contribution to an organization of your choice providing aid to the people of Ukraine. I'm suggesting $10 (or the amount you might spend on a book of poetry) or whatever feels right for you. For charity suggestions, see my picks below. If you've recently made a donation to this cause, let me know where and the emails will be your "thank you." And if your finances don't allow for a contribution at this time, you're still welcome to participate.

When the month is over, I'm inviting those who have written poetry in response to the photos to participate in an anthology I will publish. All proceeds from the sale of Poemographs for Peace will be directed to these two charities: the United Methodist Committee on Relief where 100% of donations provide direct assistance to Ukrainians in country and refugees; and World Central Kitchen where volunteer chefs are feeding thousands of the hungry in Ukrainian cities and refugees at border crossings.

Together we can use our gifts and resources to make a small difference in a world so achingly full of need.