I want to greet all my fellow women a HAPPY INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY. Although watching the video below may sober your "happy" mood. However, we can change this by working together to empower all our fellow women in the world. We can do this!
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Cheers to all my fellow Women in the World,
I can remember a conversation I had, that unbeknown to me at the time, would one day shape my entire attitude towards life and make some of the most painful and challenging and testing experiences that were yet to happen, bearable. And not just bearable, but valuable.
It was only 8 words in response to a question I posed to my mother, but I knew even at the time by the way the words struck me dumb that I had heard something that was significant and somehow, would shape me.
Marina Abramovic and Ulay started an intense love story in the 70s, performing art out of the van they lived in. When they felt the relationship had run its course, they decided to walk the Great Wall of China, each from one end, meeting for one last big hug in the middle and never seeing each other again...
At her 2010 MoMa retrospective Marina performed the brilliant piece ‘The Artist Is Present’, a 736-hour and 30-minute static, silent piece, in which she sat immobile in the museum's atrium, while spectators were invited to take turns sitting opposite her.
So my earlier post was simply a link to Loco’s prescription for “surgically removing writers block” in a careful way. He started loosening up with a book he couldn’t put down; he exercised his mind by getting into a writers’ group; he chose a subject that would keep his interest and carry him forward; and he replaced the hate that was rising within him with love. He said a lot more than that but you should read it for yourself to get a fuller context: http://www.locoinyokohama.com/2013/03/05/how-to-surgically-remove-writers-block/
One challenge for me has been to live and work alone in Houston for most of the week while Jon lives and works alone in Austin most of the week. I’m not complaining, just observing that my tendency has been to come back to my apartment and either work some more or slip into some mindless tv or resort to comfort food.
Time to get out of that rut!
First stop, music. I changed my schedule to put me in Austin on Monday evenings where I can rehearse with Tapestry Singers and the small ensemble Loose Threads. It’s my 10th year and we’re coming up to my 20th concert on May 5. To return to that great community of women and song is a real lift to my spirits. In the car I can listen to mp3s of our songs to help implant them into my brain. By next week I should be able to sing along with greater accuracy.
Before starting this entry, I couldn’t find a radio station that suited me this evening, so I turned on Pandora and chose the Shuffle option to add interest. Folk, jazz, classical, piano concerti, bluegrass; people like Hubert Laws on flute, Dar Williams on vocals, Wynton Marsalis on trumpet, and already I have the makings of a musical feast!
Exercise was simply a walk around my neighborhood to loosen up my body and mind. Blackbirds were coming home from work, too, and making a racket that made me smile. Neighbor Alice, frail and elderly, was walking around the complex as usual, opening the door or gate for people if she is close by. She was a librarian before retirement–talk about a world of books! If she can get out for a walk several times a day I have no excuse. I do like to walk over to Memorial Park, close to my apartment, or to Hermann Park, close to the church. A beautiful day.
Yesterday Jon was here and we watched the movie Happy. I think next time someone asks me how I am, I’ll say “happy.” Much better than the usual “busy,” don’t you think? You CAN choose happiness.
A couple of interesting things are coming up in my work. On the 16th at 10am, a Blessing of the Animals. We have invited a local shelter to bring some of their adoptable pets for blessings and some extra love. I’ve been told that one year someone brought a donkey; another time, one of those hissing cockroaches (I’m not sure I’m up for that, actually).
In April, we will have a special Coming of Age worship service for ten young people. We’re so proud of them and their work all year long! They will be writing their own statements of belief and I’m sure each credo will rival any religious doctrine. When beliefs come from the heart at a time of spiritual awakening they touch all our hearts. This Friday I’ll get to meet with them during their lock-in to start planning the service with the kids and their advisors.
Also in April there will be a memorial service I will be privileged to conduct. It’s unusual to have this much time to plan such a service, but that’s what the family requested. Two sons will be my primary collaborators.
There is a good bit of work involved in preparing for special events but the payoff is huge. Rites of passage, all three, will include blessings for those beloved with whom we share an extraordinary life. Considering all these blessings from birth to death, along with our animal companions, love and happiness fill my spirit. May you be blessed and happy and full of love!
I was 9 or 10 and a 5th grader at a very revolutionary school in Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn.
It was a Friday evening, I believe, and I was staying over my best friend and classmate Ketema's house, as I often did back in them days, over on Herkimer Street. His father told the two of us to get our stuff together cuz he was taking us to the city, meaning Manhattan.
A nice foot massage this morning. Family time with my boys.
KaleidoscopE (December 2012)
From the desk of Rev. Kathleen Ellis, Assistant Minister
In this column of introduction let me first say that I am so pleased to be here at First Unitarian, right in the Museum District, and in collaboration with ministers and staff from Copperfield and Stafford-Thoreau. What an exciting venture!
My portfolio here has four major areas: membership, pastoral care, social justice, and worship. These Teams are already in place, so I have stepped onto a moving sidewalk and have needed to step lively to get up to speed! I will also assist the Rev. Daniel O’Connell, Senior Minister, as needs arise.
Now for some personal history: My first husband and I lived in the Houston area for 15 years (1978-92) and raised two sons as members of Northwoods Unitarian Universalist Church in The Woodlands. Before going to seminary I worked as a Resident Advocate at the Montgomery County Women’s Center Shelter and also served as a volunteer at Northwoods. The combination of congregational service and shelter work ultimately merged into a call to ministry.
I attended Perkins School of Theology at Southern Methodist University in Dallas and enjoyed a student ministry in Arlington as well as regular guest preaching opportunities in many locations. I earned a Master of Divinity degree, completed other requirements for UU ministry, and was ordained by Northwoods in 1993. Part of my training included a summer chaplaincy at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in 1990 and an internship at Emerson Unitarian Church in 1992 under the supervision of the Rev. Jan Knost.
I have served congregations in Waco, College Station, and Austin; started Young Adult groups in College Station and Austin; and have been active in the Southwestern Conference and the larger UU Association. I have visited Unitarian churches in England, in Transylvania (Romania), and in the Khasi Hills of India.
Meanwhile, sons Rob (and his wife Lin) and Fred Nugen have grown up and live in Tokyo and Austin, respectively. Rob is a computer programmer who also develops applications for iPhones. Fred is a Ph.D. candidate in engineering, doing biomedical research. My husband Jon Montgomery continues to live and work in Austin. We enjoy our “visits” back and forth between Houston and Austin—they keep our relationship stimulating!
Thank you for your warm welcome as I become acquainted with you. To reach me, call 713-526-5200 (extension 210) or email kathleen@firstuu.org.
Blessings,
Kathleen
Tapestry Singers had a wonderful concert on the 3rd and made a special point of inviting former singers to join us for the encore to celebrate our 25th anniversary. The encore “Wise Mother” was written by former director Nell Manycats as an alternative to the Lord’s Prayer. Nell was there to sing with us! We have grown in numbers over the years from 14 to over 70. What a difference in the sound!
Wise Mother, whose love surrounds us, all you make is sacred.
This world is you, your voice speaks through it … to those who choose to listen.
This day is a gift in which to grow.
Please be patient with me, for I have been known to forget that.
And send me those blessings … to make me strong and honest in loving,
so that my inner light … reflects your spirit on all around me
like … a … blessing … / like … a … blessing … / like … a … blessing.
Singing with this chorus has been a spiritual practice for me. Regular attendance at our weekly rehearsals, practice in between, memorization, and supporting the chorus through volunteer opportunities. It’s like the title of one of our songs, “This Is the Sound of One Voice” by Ruth Moody. Even though we sang in harmony we were all in synch, making the differences among us fall away.
Lost in the struggle between Mind and Matter
Daydreamer. Passionate Writer. Music Lover. Photography Taker. Spirituality seeker. Sarcasm Master. Travel enthusiast.
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