Thank you Jeff, for the opportunity to do one small thing today. Sending love and am so grateful to you and your words. Excited about the robin family!!!
Beautiful and thought-provoking as always, Jeff. Thank you.
I was in Senegal last month and on a long bus ride through the countryside with a new friend…she told me the story of her recent Hajj and I found myself weeping through each portion and day she shared, so touched by all the details I knew nothing about.
Once again being patient, listening well without judgement and choosing to see another’s heart was a gift to me.
May your baby robins fledging go well, as one dealing with jay babies fledging yesterday....cute but needy and the parents are stressed. I didn't realize they have to care for them even after they leave the nest.
Jeff - would it be possible to Venmo you directly, or does Ponds Reformed Church have Venmo? I want to donate but would prefer not to share my cc info with yet another platform… 🙏
This and all your links were so satisfying! Diana butler bass speaks about gardening as a distraction from all the devastating things going on in US and the world. I love how your friend travels bc he needs God! We of all religions, seek the same peace, love and goodness of God❣️
Hi Diane! Is that the word Diana Butler Bass used—"distraction"? I don't regularly read her work, so you'll have to tell me. It's an interesting word, I think. "Distraction" means to draw one's focus away from something else, and I'm not sure I agree with that. If anything, I think gardening helps me contextualize all the devastation. It's as if it widens my lens, so that I can take in more of the full picture, seeing the beauty and the potential alongside the ugliness and the loss. I don't see it as a distraction so much as I view it as a clarification.
Hi! I am one of those people who really love you, and read all your work and saw you in Cambridge Mass. so it’s an honor to hear from you ❤️so Diana B Bass has a Substack called the cottage,Nadia boltz Weber and her are close. shes an exceptional historian and theologian. She was writing your exact thoughts! she did not use the word distraction and your explanation of the whole concept of why would planting a garden be a distraction is spot on. She was planting a garden in defiance of her grief at the devastation ,both internally and externally, she is witnessing and feeling this Memorial Day (as she sees American flags all over the place) and as trump leads America into the most horrible of places, and inhumanities … with disrespect of all that is Gods, all the while invoking his name (my translation) This beautiful piece is on this weeks cottage Substack, I highly recommend her! I love your vulnerability Jeff and I love your writing and the beautiful soul that you are❣️
Diane, I know who Diana is! I just don't read her work regularly. I did find the essay you are talking about, and here's where I differ: I don't plant my garden in reaction to what else is going on in the country or in the world. It's not an act of defiance for me. I do it partly to feed my little household and partly because it's an investment in goodness of all different kinds.
After reading Good Soil I see what you mean! I absolutely love how you feed your little household and the relationship you have with your gardens! It is so beautiful!!!!!!! Keep showing us your labors of love! Your awesome!!!!💛🌺🪻
It’s been an overwhelming week, and just reading your friend Hussain’s statement, “God didn’t abandon [Hagar], so he won’t abandon me,” hit me with some unexpected force. I’ve been reckoning with some fear about the future and how often it’s easier to disbelieve God than it is to be honest about how afraid I am or how much I still struggle to follow after God. Thanks for cobbling all of these neighbors together—it was the encouragement I needed.
That was lovely Jeff. I do love to watch the birds nest building. It's quite the busyness they have going on! Your photos are beautiful and a balm to my weary soul. Thank you for those and for your presence along with that beautiful song.
Thank you for taking me back to some of my favorite 90’s worship songs! I feel so far removed from those church experiences now but the joy and nostalgia for my youth choir days was immediately activated with the mention of Testify…Shout to the Lord… and Lord I Lift Your Name…It reminded me that I can still cling to the good of those experiences while also moving forward in my curiosity & faith. Also as an avid bird watcher and obsessed foodie, I relished every single bit of this letter. Thank you. Your words are always a bright spot on tough days.
You're welcome! These things are a part of us and of our stories. I think there's a way to hold them graciously, even if we are not in that same place anymore.
Thank you Jeff, for the opportunity to do one small thing today. Sending love and am so grateful to you and your words. Excited about the robin family!!!
Beautiful and thought-provoking as always, Jeff. Thank you.
I was in Senegal last month and on a long bus ride through the countryside with a new friend…she told me the story of her recent Hajj and I found myself weeping through each portion and day she shared, so touched by all the details I knew nothing about.
Once again being patient, listening well without judgement and choosing to see another’s heart was a gift to me.
Love you friend. Grateful for your gentle and kind brilliance that informs our souls. ✨
May your baby robins fledging go well, as one dealing with jay babies fledging yesterday....cute but needy and the parents are stressed. I didn't realize they have to care for them even after they leave the nest.
Jeff - would it be possible to Venmo you directly, or does Ponds Reformed Church have Venmo? I want to donate but would prefer not to share my cc info with yet another platform… 🙏
Sure, I'd be glad to pass the donation along. My Venmo is @byjeffchu
Sent!❤️
Ponds has the option for people to not use their credit card and pay directly from a bank account, which is what I chose to do.
We have the same variety of irises. They're beautiful here too. 😊
Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts. It gave me much needed hope and perspective.
This and all your links were so satisfying! Diana butler bass speaks about gardening as a distraction from all the devastating things going on in US and the world. I love how your friend travels bc he needs God! We of all religions, seek the same peace, love and goodness of God❣️
Hi Diane! Is that the word Diana Butler Bass used—"distraction"? I don't regularly read her work, so you'll have to tell me. It's an interesting word, I think. "Distraction" means to draw one's focus away from something else, and I'm not sure I agree with that. If anything, I think gardening helps me contextualize all the devastation. It's as if it widens my lens, so that I can take in more of the full picture, seeing the beauty and the potential alongside the ugliness and the loss. I don't see it as a distraction so much as I view it as a clarification.
Hi! I am one of those people who really love you, and read all your work and saw you in Cambridge Mass. so it’s an honor to hear from you ❤️so Diana B Bass has a Substack called the cottage,Nadia boltz Weber and her are close. shes an exceptional historian and theologian. She was writing your exact thoughts! she did not use the word distraction and your explanation of the whole concept of why would planting a garden be a distraction is spot on. She was planting a garden in defiance of her grief at the devastation ,both internally and externally, she is witnessing and feeling this Memorial Day (as she sees American flags all over the place) and as trump leads America into the most horrible of places, and inhumanities … with disrespect of all that is Gods, all the while invoking his name (my translation) This beautiful piece is on this weeks cottage Substack, I highly recommend her! I love your vulnerability Jeff and I love your writing and the beautiful soul that you are❣️
Diane, I know who Diana is! I just don't read her work regularly. I did find the essay you are talking about, and here's where I differ: I don't plant my garden in reaction to what else is going on in the country or in the world. It's not an act of defiance for me. I do it partly to feed my little household and partly because it's an investment in goodness of all different kinds.
After reading Good Soil I see what you mean! I absolutely love how you feed your little household and the relationship you have with your gardens! It is so beautiful!!!!!!! Keep showing us your labors of love! Your awesome!!!!💛🌺🪻
It’s been an overwhelming week, and just reading your friend Hussain’s statement, “God didn’t abandon [Hagar], so he won’t abandon me,” hit me with some unexpected force. I’ve been reckoning with some fear about the future and how often it’s easier to disbelieve God than it is to be honest about how afraid I am or how much I still struggle to follow after God. Thanks for cobbling all of these neighbors together—it was the encouragement I needed.
I love the Hagar story so much. And as someone who has tons of fear, I send you my solidarity!
Thank you, friend!
That was lovely Jeff. I do love to watch the birds nest building. It's quite the busyness they have going on! Your photos are beautiful and a balm to my weary soul. Thank you for those and for your presence along with that beautiful song.
Thank you for taking me back to some of my favorite 90’s worship songs! I feel so far removed from those church experiences now but the joy and nostalgia for my youth choir days was immediately activated with the mention of Testify…Shout to the Lord… and Lord I Lift Your Name…It reminded me that I can still cling to the good of those experiences while also moving forward in my curiosity & faith. Also as an avid bird watcher and obsessed foodie, I relished every single bit of this letter. Thank you. Your words are always a bright spot on tough days.
You're welcome! These things are a part of us and of our stories. I think there's a way to hold them graciously, even if we are not in that same place anymore.
Wonderful meditation. I loved the robin and Husain and Linda. Thank you.