Dear friends,
I really enjoyed our Coffee Hour Chat a couple of weeks ago! Thank you for the hospitality and warm conversation. I especially appreciated your comments and questions, many of which have stayed with me as great food for thought. This includes – well, have you ever answered a question in front of a large group and later thought of better ways you could have answered or what else you wished you’d said? I definitely do that!
One question along those lines was: “What are you passionate about?” It was asked during a part of the chat when people were asking about my life personally, and I answered it from that mindset, saying I was passionate about things like my family, being in nature, and taking photos. That’s all true, but later it came to me that I hadn’t said the core thing I’m passionate about in life.
I’m most passionate about the overflowing potential of who we truly are as created by divine love – and that we can experience that, in glimmers or in cultivating more encompassing experiences of that overflowing stream of joy, love, devotion, equanimity, clear presence, aliveness. I’m passionate about doing whatever I can to know this by experiencing it, and about supporting others to do the same. And I’m really passionate that it’s not just for ourselves, but we can embody this in the service of love and transform the world.
This question also brought up my wondering about you: What are you passionate about? In that vein, I’ve 
created a wall area in the gym where I invite everyone to share what they’re passionate about. You can write multiple answers in different places on the wall. You can include pastimes, personal passions, deep spiritual passions – whatever you like. To read these will be a delight for me and I hope for all of you, too. It’s also a great contribution to our transition time discernment, our wondering about what is God calling St. Paul’s to now? Who are we? What kind of parish are we being called to be?
You can sign your name to what you share or just your relationship to the parish – parishioner, visitor, EWP, staff, etc. Drawings are welcome on the wall but please caption them for clarity. I was going to invite photos too, but getting that large piece of paper to stick to the wall in this humidity was like slaying a beast, so we probably shouldn’t add more weight to it.
Blessings on your reflections and all the treasures in your heart,
Rev. Patricia Rose