February - What Do You Love

And The Growing Edge Podcast Co-hosted by Parker J. Palmer & Carrie Newcomer

“ A vision of hope that excludes compassion for all involved is a charade. Any future worth anticipating as an expression of hope requires love.” Dr. Luther E. Smith

“Love is the greatest force in the universe. It is the heartbeat of the moral cosmos.” Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

In February I’ll be focusing on the idea of love in all its many forms. In these times that feel so often out of joint or broken, I’m leaning into what is at the very heart of my life and experience. To be clear, I’m not going to pretend that what is hard, isn’t hard. It is because things feel so hard that it is essential to find my true grounding, the living water that nourishes, the joy that sustains and beauty, because as Mary Oliver wrote, “We need beauty because it makes us ache to be worthy of it.” I can do my fair share of worry, but I know that worry or rage alone is not going to sustain me through the next four years. What will sustain us and allow us to stay engaged is the power of what we love, not just the possibility of what we fear. When I feel adrift or unsure of what to do next, I ask myself, “What do I love and what does love require of me in this moment.” Dr. Howard Thurman developed a concept that emphasizes love and a “love-ethic” as a force for social change and justice. Love is a call to action and the most powerful way to confront hate or hateful ideology. Love is not cotton candy, it is powerful stuff. Love will lift us higher but it will also ask us to do the most courageous thing.

I remember when my daughter Amelia was born. I always believed if I had children, I would love them. Of course, I would love my daughter. But I was totally unprepared for what I felt when I looked into her eyes for the first time. I took one look at her and it was not a sweet hearts and flowers moment, but a powerful protective love tsunami, and I thought, “Holy shit, I would lay down on the railroad tracks for this kid.” I still feel the same way. Love, love will always take us to the growing edge and ask us to be true.

And yet, one of my personal adages in life is “love…love is simple, but, well, people are complicated.” And so I’ve spent a lot of time wrestling with how to not just love the people who are easy to love, but maintain an attitude of love, or at the very least compassion, for those who are not always easy to love. Dr. Luther E. Smith (professor, author, mystic and preeminent scholar of the works of Howard Thurman writes “ Becoming a people for justice and beloved community involves becoming engaged in the healing process. Indifference is not a faithful option. Love and hope provide the strength and courage to be present to pain and to focus energies on the work God dreams for us.” To stay engaged, particularly in times that are painful or heartbreaking, requires me to tap into the strength and courage found in the power of love that animates us and the hope that sustains us.

To be sure, there is what I call “big love” the kind of love I felt looking into my daughter’s eyes for the first time, the kind of love that sustains me, that is as the orientation of my life not just the destination. And yet, there is also what I call “joyous little loves”. I mean I love blueberries and those first redbud blooms. I love how my old dog snores and runs sometimes in her sleep. I love jumping into the pond on a hot summer day. I love my friend Marcia’s farm and all the women who work there. I love the smell of firewood in the hearth and lilacs in the spring. I love Ted Lasso and grumpy Roy Kent, and warm socks and the little kids holding hands as they cross the street, I love my neighbor even though I don’t love the sign in his yard, I love wild trillium and dutchman’s breeches, I love my hairdresser and her stories about her two kids, I love the little brown birds at the feeder and the woodthrush song echoing in the woods, I love my family of origin and my family of choice, I love how Gary Walters plays piano, I love how my husband gets so happy and gestures wildly with his hands when he’s talking about a new idea, I love, I love, I love, I love so many things—I could not begin to count them all.

And friends, there is so much power in all that big, little, crazy, silly, transcendent, joyous, pull out the stops and turn it up to eleven love. And that, all that big and little love, is what shows me how to live —even it challenging or painful or uncertain times.

And so today…I’m going to start with a love topic that is second nature for me in this series of postings about love. I love the arts. I love the arts in all its forms— music, dance, theater, film, visual art, fiber art, poetry, literature, story of all kinds—beauty in all its forms. I’ll post some links to art that has moved me in the past year, and I hope you’ll share links in the comment section or tell us about what kinds of art has encouraged you and inspired you.

Let us joyously relate and remind one another of what we love and be encouraged by all the love that is swirling around us, within us and between us— even now, yes even now.

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Question

Was there some work of art that touched you this year (podcast, poem, film, theater, book, dance, music, even conversersation because conversations are art forms too)? Tell us about it. I’ll be compiling our list…I LOVE your suggestions and I’ve discovered many new works through your suggestions.

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Something I Continue to Love

I love my ongoing collaborations with my dear friend Parker J Palmer - that cherished friendship and ongoing converversation is high high high on my list of things I love. I hope you’ll check out our Our Podcast Newsletter on Substack for The Growing Edge Here

The Growing Edge Podcast Co-Hosted by Carrie Newcomer & Parker J. Palmer

I hope folks will check out The Growing Edge Substack Newsletter this month. Parker’s thoughtful commentary is always important reading for me! There is always Notes from the Edge and information on upcoming online or in person appearances.

Also Parker has a very vibrant and thoughtful Facebook Author’s Page. His regular posts are also good for the heart and soul. Here’s the Link It is one of the only only reasons I’m still Facebook Page :-)

Episode 58: Cutting Loose—Sometimes from Sorrow, For No Reason, You Sing

Join Parker and Carrie for a conversation about William Stafford’s poem “Cutting Loose”. In this episode we explore the way that disillusionment or feeling lost can bring with it a powerful sense of reality, faithfulness and even new direction. Parker and Carrie talk about their own experiences of feeling lost and listening to the sound of the genuine within them. In these challenging times, this is a poem that has much history and wisdom to share. We hope you’ll join the conversation by listening to the episode and commenting on Substack. Carrie also plays here song “Learning to Sit With Not Knowing” live during the program.

Visit our website for the full archives of The Growing Edge Podcast. If you enjoy the podcast please remember to rate us on I-Tunes, Spotify to help us reach new listeners and grow the conversation

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Loved It….Arts I Loved & Now and Always

— because we need beauty that makes us ache to be worthy of it.

Music - Things I’ve been listening to alot in the past weeks - and collaborations I’ve loved!!

Field of Stars - John McCutcheon I am so delighted that my friend and colleague, John McCutcheon has just released a beautiful new album. The title track “Field of Stars” was co-written by John and I and appears as a duet on his new album. It was such an honor to be part of the project. Here’s a link to a lovely lyric video on YouTube of the title Track. You can also find more about John McCutcheon, his many albums, work for justice, touring, how to purchase his music and support his work on Patreon at www.folkmusic.com

And now I’ll let you read through and check out the rest of my “loves” on your own.

Aoife O’Donovan & Hawktail Play All My Friends - Aoife O’Donovan & Hawktail

Austin City Limits Live- Watchhouse

Highway 66 Revisited - Bob Dylan

World on the Ground - Sarah Jaroz

Still Life - Humbird

Meet Me At The Edge of The World by Over The Rhine

The Tree of Forgiveness by John Prine

Books -

I either read or re-read them this year that talk about all kinds of expressions of love…from love of the natural world, love of justice, love of a place, love of what makes us better people. - All links will take you to Morganstern’s Books, (a favorite local independent bookstore). But if you are on a limite budget there are many on a great used bookstore site AbeBooks.com

Hope is Here: Spiritual Practices for Pursuing Justice and Beloved Community by Dr. Luther E. Smith

Healing the Heart of Democracy - Parker J. Palmer (reissue with new commentary)

The Summer of the Child & This is Happiness - Niall Williams (or essentially anything Niall has written)

Jayber Crow and - Wendell Berry

The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store - James McBride

Practicing to Walk Like a Heron, Jack Ridl

The Centering Moment - Howard Thurman

Incitements to Joy - Ross Gay

The Comfort of Crows - Margaret Riekle

A Field Guide to Getting Lost - Rebecca Solnit

Theater - Dance

Illinois - music by Sufian Stevens, Choreography by Justin Peck

Podcast

The Furious Flowers Podcast - Episode 1 is a particular favorite

Poetry Unbound - Padrig O’Tuama (Padrig has a lovely Substack presence )

Substack Newsletters

I actually subscribe to many Substack offerings. You can see many of my recommendations here on my Substack Page but I’ve been following several authors and artists this year that I’ve loved .

The Cottage Diana Butler Bass- Progressive Christianity, thoughtful theological commentary, always smart, always with huge heart.

Plain Speech With Philip Gulley - Progressive Quakerism, novelist, theologian, no holds barred prophetic voice for love.

Open Windows With Anne Telnaes - Pulitzer Prize Winning Political Cartoonist

Letters from an American Heather Cox Richardson Political commentary from the viewpoint of a respected historian.

Visual Art - I can spend hours sitting or standing in art museum. They always inspire me - here’s a few recent visits

The Dinner Party by Judy Chicago - Brooklyn Museum of Art

The Katsushika Hokusai Exhibit The Art Institute of Chicago

The Book of Kells Exhibit - Trinity Library Dublin

And….The Henry Moore Retrospective that continues to haunt my dreams in a good way, and standing and sitting for hours in the South Asian Art, and Modern Art section and people watching at the Chicago Art Institute

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I Love Your Posts

I loved so many of your comments in the past month, I’m going to go ahead and repost a few here. I hope you’ll read through the comments that happen in any of my weekly postings…There is such a well of experience, wisdom and decency so apparent in the words of this community.

I’m in a horse community & I see folks from many areas offering their trailers to bring horses & any animals & people to their lands far from the LA fires to safety. I don’t know their politics but they are willing to help strangers & take them into their homes, farms, land. They aren’t asking who they voted for first. That sustains my belief that most people are good at heart. We are stronger together -Christine Scribner

There should be more dance parties, especially when times are hard. Diana Thompson

“From the FB page Rumi and Spiritual Quotes: Some say time heals all wounds, but I've found it's not time alone - it's the quiet strength we find in each other's stories. Like stars appearing in the darkness, each shared memory of loss illuminates the path for someone else. We don't overcome grief; we learn to weave it into something meaningful together.” -Teri Sandler

My recent experience of joy has been subtle and more like a smile the starts in the corner of the mouth and slowly becomes a full grin. Amy Virnig

“When I get upset about recent events, I try to do something to help someone in my small pond of influence. Yesterday it was taking breakfast foods to a local warming shelter so someone could have a warm breakfast, and helping a friend navigate finding a nursing home placement for her husband. This makes me feel like maybe kindness and caring for others matters after all…” Betsy Maples

“For me the worst aspect of suffering is the loneliness that accompanies it. Maybe that’s why we have the maxim, “Pain shared is half the pain.” And taking that Zen story one step further, I see friends and loved ones around me as the lake in which the salt of suffering dissolves. That thought brings me joy and reminds me of the other half of the famous maxim: “Joy shared is twice the joy.” Cozad Taylor

AND SOOOOO many more….

One Inch Photos

My friends Krista and Dave gave me a dozen of beautiful blue eggs from their happy free range chickens with fuzzy feet. ….and I love them.

Until Next Time…..

-Carrie