Weekly Wide-Awake: Peace Is the First Thing the Angels Sang

[The Stage is on Fire] is a page-turner in which, much like life, there are no easy answers and yet each step of the journey yields insight and hope. This work of heart must not be missed!

Melanie Faith

Creative Writing Teacher, Essayist & Poet.

Katie Steedly’s first-person piece [The Unspeakable Gift] is a riveting retelling of her participation in a National Institutes of Health study that aided her quest to come to grips with her life of living with a rare genetic disorder. Her writing is superb.

The Society of Professional Journalists

In recognition of receiving the Dateline Award for the Washingtonian Magazine essay, The Unspeakable Gift.

I thank you … It is the authenticity of your “class notes”; and it is the delicacy and skill with which you present the nuances of classroom life and the actuality of your students’ and fellow teachers’ lives.

Maxine Greene

Philosopher and Education Scholar

Enter your email here to receive Weekly Wide-Awake

back

Weekly Wide-Awake: Peace Is the First Thing the Angels Sang

Peace is the first thing the angels sang
John Keble

I am a big believer in sending Holiday Cards. For me, they are an annual moment to touch base. I get to touch base with myself in the designing, remembering, collecting, and writing that happens in process. I get to touch base with others by reaching out. I absolutely love to get cards and letters, so participating in the tradition myself makes absolute sense.

I am often amazed at the words I find when I sit down to write the letter. My process often starts with finding a quote that captures where my thoughts are this year. I then proceed to weave a narrative the honestly and gently captures our year. That often leads me to reflect on events that have happened — the beautiful and the hard. (Theologian Kate Bowler talks about life as beautiful and hard.) I sit in those thoughts and know deep in my bones that all of it connects me with my circle. Everyone experiences the beautiful and the hard. I think of family members who have passed. I think of those in my circle who have experienced losses of all types and grieve. I think of those facing illness. I think of treasured friendships that ebb and flow. I think of milestones like graduations, weddings, and anniversaries. I think of clean bills of health. I think of concerts and fine meals. I think of visitors and visiting others. Each year is unique and special and I am so grateful to experience it all.

It feels right to write a letter at the end of the year. Last year, a dear friend’s letter started by saying “Happy Everything.” I love that sentiment. If we can not proclaim happiness, how will we find it? Similarly, if we can not proclaim peace, how will we find it? In this way, reflection is a gift. Let me explain. Writing a letter at the end of the year is an act of pause and breath. It is the gift of remembrance and reflection. It is the gift of inviting others into my story and life and remaining connected to other’s stories and lives. It is the gift of oneness, possibility, and love.

That brings me to this year’s Holiday letter. I have been thinking a lot about peace. Peace in all areas of my life and how individual peace connects to peace in our world. There is a connection there. The more we choose peace in our lives — embrace it with our entire beings as attainable and vital and true — the more we will realize peace in our world. We will experience peace in the midst of the beautiful and hard.

Our 2023 Christmas Letter

Habit Tracking — Week 2

I am seeking to build positive habits in three areas of my life — health, work, and spirit. Of course they are all interrelated, but I have separated them out to keep track.

Health — Kentucky Derby miniMarathon

In 19 weeks I will be participating in the Kentucky Derby miniMarathon. I have crafted a training plan that outlines exactly what I need to do between now and race day. It gradually builds in intensity and challenge. I have had similar plans before. I have have had disappointing results that last few years — poor training and painful races. My hope is that the accountability factor of reporting my progress toward race day right here on my weekly posts — which I have never specifically done — will be the encouragement I need to make this a successful race. This week — Sunday to Sunday — I have walked three times for a total of 9 miles. Future weeks on my plan include integrating walking/running, strength training/yoga, healthy eating/drinking, and a daily step goal.

Work

I completed one job application and two project proposals this week. I want to establish the habit of reaching out — to either specific opportunities or places of interest — at least three times a week. After years of not allowing myself to be vulnerable in the way that a job search requires (even using the words job search makes me queasy), my hope is that my confidence and clarity will improve, my job search muscles will strengthen, and a connection between job, work, and calling will continue to be made.

Spirit

I attended church at my neighborhood church. This was the third Sunday in Advent and the service focused on joy. We started going to this church in October and it feels like a spiritual habit is forming. We even brought homemade chocolate chip cookies for the snack table and loaned our waffle iron for next week’s Christmas Eve breakfast. (My habit of morning pages and daily blogging are yet to form.)

Paying Attention

In alignment with — and in preparation for — my 2024 Word of the Year — presence, I am establishing a habit of writing about 5 things to which I have paid attention each week. I could also call this a gratitude list. I could also call this a list of common everyday miracles. I could call this a list of things that make me think. Things will include books, podcasts, music, art, poetry, and other stuff that catches my eye.