This past year I have written more online. I have used social media to ask the questions my heart ponders or frets over, share the news that crosses my path, and to articulate the ways I make meaning of the world around me. The responses from people reading my words have helped me see more […]
Author Archives: ashley
We Must Look at and Heal Poverty
“The well-off and the secure have too often become indifferent and oblivious to the poverty and deprivation in their midst. The poor in our countries have been shut out of our minds, and driven from the mainstream of our societies, because we have allowed them to become invisible. Just as nonviolence exposed the ugliness of racial […]
Do Whatever You’re Good At
I’m thankful for this reminder for acceptance and forgiveness from Heather Plett. If you’re busy dismantling the patriarchy, you don’t need to know how to fold a fitted sheet. If you’re a safe place to land for wounded friends, it’s okay if you forgot to take out the trash this week. If you’re creating a […]
What Are We Paying Attention To?
“Bomb threats were called in to at least 16 Jewish community centers and other institutions in seven states on Monday.” – News Source Which realities are people choosing to pay attention to? Which ones do we ignore or look away from? Which will motivate us to make new choices in the name of humanity and […]
Don’t Be Afraid — Be Focused, Determined, Hopeful, Empowered
May we all find this place of hope and motivation and the courage to keep showing up… and may all young people find peers and adults to walk with you, encourage you and remind you of what a badass human being you are and how incredibly important your wisdom, skills and insight are to the […]
I know, I know If you could go back you would walk with Jesus You would march with King Maybe assassinate Hitler At least hide Jews in your basement It would all be clear to you But people then, just like you were baffled, had bills to pay and children they didn’t understand and they […]
2017 Reflections and an Invitation
My sense is that 2017 will (continue to) test our humanity and our devotion to freedom for all on this planet. Here in the United States, a question seems to be around how much do we truly believe in a democracy, in some version of this radical experiment of a government for and by the […]