Dear President Trump, I’ve told you before how I say a series of loving-kindness prayers for a bunch of people, including you, every morning towards the end of my walk or run. It keeps me steady and helps me recharge my supply of positivity and kindness, which really does seem like it could be finite … Continue reading A worthy pipe dream
Spiritual Practices
Connection and care
Dear President Trump, Last night our minister’s Christmas Eve meditation was entitled “Discomfort and Joy.” I wish you could have heard it; it was really beautiful and the message is one I think many of us desperately need to hear and abide. The main point is that having to contend with discomfort makes space for … Continue reading Connection and care
Yay for handy trash cans!
Dear President Trump, With so much vitriol and sadness slamming us on the national front as we head into the Thanksgiving holiday in a couple of days, I think I want to pull in a bit and focus today on some positives. You maybe saw this if you were up early when it was still … Continue reading Yay for handy trash cans!
No matter what, there’ll still be trash to pick-up
Dear President Trump, I woke up with my jaw especially sore this morning from grinding my teeth extra hard all night. I was able to sleep, though, and I think having read in the HP about Michelle Obama’s reprise and elaboration of her encouragement to stay the course with integrity and to safeguard our dignity … Continue reading No matter what, there’ll still be trash to pick-up
“Love moves the world towards love”
Dear President Trump, I think I’ve told you before that at the beginning of my now 466 page document holding all my letters to you there are a couple of pages of random quotes and ideas that I’ve collected for possible incorporation into some-day letters. I usually just scroll past these bits to the beginning … Continue reading “Love moves the world towards love”
Poisoning the body politic
Dear President Trump, Yesterday we went to the UW/University of Colorado homecoming game with our football fan friend from Texas. It was actually the first football game I’ve ever watched from beginning to end. We made it through half of the UW/Oregon game last year before the snow and cold temperature got to be too … Continue reading Poisoning the body politic
Compassion is hard
Dear President Trump, Recently I was talking with one of my colleagues about how the terms loving-kindness and compassion are often used interchangeably. He was making a strong argument for greater precision and I was trying to follow, but not really understanding the big deal so I finally said as much. He explained that loving-kindness … Continue reading Compassion is hard
Pretty lovely
Dear President Trump, Today I saw and heard things that give me hope that we have the capacity to be ok, that we can come through this sad, infuriating, broken time of ours and be ok. This afternoon we went to the Total Experience Gospel Choir’s farewell concert honoring Pastor Patrinell Wright. It was in … Continue reading Pretty lovely
“Jagged edges”
Dear President Trump, The sermon on Sunday was delivered by one of our associate ministers, a woman in her late 60s or early 70s who went to divinity school just a few years ago after her husband died. The title of her sermon was “Fully Human: Our Jagged Edges.” The premise of the message was … Continue reading “Jagged edges”
Make it so
Dear President Trump, Yesterday I went to a writing class for people who want to become better allies both through their writing and in real time encounters. I left quite humbled and feeling as though I have a lot of remedial work to do. One of the exercises involved writing a manifesto framed by the … Continue reading Make it so
Daily Trump Letters 