INSPIRATIONS
June 15, 2020
Before the walk...Five years ago this week, the young man whose name does not deserve to be mentioned, entered Mother Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, SC. His actions - as well as the forgiveness of the victims' families - were the impetus for this group and these monthly gatherings. Five years later, we find ourselves in the midst of ongoing violence and injustice against people of color , and black people, in particular. As We Walk Together this morning, let's talk about the ways in which our own lives have been impacted by what happened five years ago at Mother Emanuel and what happened two weeks ago in Minneapolis and what is happening here in Brookhill now. Let's be honest enough to admit that perhaps very little has changed in our personal, daily lives. What does that say about us and our commitment to walking together with those who suffer?
First stop...here was are, at our first stop on this journey. Look around you. Look at the community we are standing in. What do we see? Who do we see? Friends, are we more than gawkers here? Are we creating relationships that make a difference in the lives of those we see? Is friendship something that can be delivered on a tray, or do we need to go deeper, stay longer, and commit ourselves to truer, stronger connections?
Second stop...Before we begin to turn for home, to return to our places of safety and refuge, take a moment or two to assess where we are, where you are on this journey. Perhaps you've begun to read books, listen to podcasts, and more intentionally consider the stories of people whose lives haven't mattered a whole lot in your life before now. As we continue this walk, let's talk about what it might mean to stay in the discomfort of these days, the discomfort that you may be feeling these days. Is it possible to stay on this path without giving in to defensiveness or tiredness - and turning away? Is it possible to stay on this journey without asking anyone else - especially any people of color - to carry your emotional weight as you grow and learn and are challenged by what you are learning?
Back at our starting point...On this short walk this morning, we have looked around us. We have looked within us. We have looked back, and we have been invited to look ahead. What has changed in you? What has shifted? What would you like to change? What would you like to shift? What are you willing to do, to say, and most of all, what are you willing to risk in your own life to make a difference in your life and in the lives of those around you? (by Gail)
March 15, 2020
What happens when one person sees a situation that needs change? For the founding member of The Nest Academy that person was MC Hildreth. In 2009 she was heading an after school tutoring program for K-12th grade refugees to help them advance educationally and offer support. What she saw and found was overwhelming cases of illiteracy among these children. She knew they would fall through the cracks of the public school system if something weren't done. MC had the sense that they were OUR children no matter what their background was or how they came to Charlotte, North Carolina. She founded The Nest Academy with only five students to "educate, enrich, and empower". Questions to discuss during our walk - What can we do as a community to support our educational system? Do you think that charter schools and private schools can work alongside a public school system? Do you know someone like MC Hildreth and can share their story? "Our obligation is to give meaning to life and in doing so, to overcome the passive indifferent life." Ellie Wiesel (by Susie)
February 15, 2020
Someone said that we may not experience it as "global warming", but rather as "global weirdness". Unseasonable warmth in December. Tornadoes in February. Winter without snow, not even in the mountains. It's all so very weird. As we walk together this morning on the Greenway, we will hear and learn about how this area where we live is facing its own weirdness - including invasive species of plants and fish. We will hear and learn about how we - as human beings - are the most invasive species causing weirdness and woundedness to this planet where we live. We use toxic pesticides and household cleaners. We waste water and food. We let our automobile engines run for long periods of time in parking lots and pick-up lines. And we barely give any of it a second thought. As we walk together, let's share some of the ways in which we can change our behaviors and our habits so that we can live more gently and kindly on this beautiful planet - and perhaps turn the tide on global weirdness and global warming. (by Gail)
January 15, 2020
Urban Ministry's mission is "Bringing Charlotte together to end Homelessness." Our homeless community needs affordable housing. What a contrast we will witness today on our walk. Charlotte's new housing market is booming. Just the neighborhood around Urban Ministry Center is being transformed. Last February, over 13,000 apartments were under construction, but in the City of Charlotte, there are over 2,100 homeless men, women and children. This month the Point in Time Count takes place to get an accurate count of Charlotte's homeless population. On our walk today, how can we as a city help our neighbors? How do we embrace the growth, but make room for ALL of our neighbors? (by Susie)
December 15, 2019
"It is never safe to look into the future with eyes of fear."
Safe Alliance is a nonprofit United Way member agency with more than 100 years of service to individuals and families. Safe Alliance offers programs like greater Charlotte Hope line, domestic violence shelter, victim assistance court program and sexual trauma resources center. Did you know CMPD responds to more than 38,000 domestic violence-related calls every year? That 1 in 3 women will be impacted by sexual assault or domestic violence during their lifetime? As we walk today, please talk about how we as a community can support victims of violence. (by Susie)
November 15, 2019
Welcome to Brookhill - a neighborhood that is being wiped off the Charlotte map. This is a neighborhood with a long history, both joyous and sorrowful, a neighborhood with its own connectedness and its own brokenness. Soon it will be completely gone, replaced by homes and shops that the current residents will not be able to afford. Who will tell Brookhill's stories? Who will maintain its history? Who will honor its legacy? Why does this happen so often in communities where the poorest and the least powerful people live? And where will the residents of Brookhill go? There is a fantastic exhibit at the Harvey Gantt Center uptown between now and next April - of photos and stories of the people who have lived here and loved here and who will mourn the loss of this community. As we walk together this morning and listen to Tom Hanchett tell stories about this part of our city, let's talk about what it would feel like for the community or the neighborhood where you were born and where you grew up to be destroyed. What would you be willing to do to preserve its legacy? What can be done to preserve the Charlotte communities where our most vulnerable citizens live? (by Gail)
October 15, 2019
ref-u-gee (noun) - a person forced to leave their country in order to escape war, persecution or natural disaster
im-mi-grant (noun) - a person who comes to live permanently in a foreign country
neigh-bor (noun) - a person living near or next door
Today we are walking through the Merry Oaks neighborhood. Merry Oaks is ethnically diverse and will celebrate next Saturday their Fall Family Festival. We will be serving on October 30th at Refugee Support Services located in this neighborhood. How is Merry Oaks similar or dissimilar to their neighborhood you grew up in? How can we as Charlotte neighbors embrace our new neighbors coming from other countries? (by Susie)
September 15, 2019
The Salvation Army Center of Hope - what an auspicious name. What does it mean to be a center of hope? For women and children who find themselves without a home to call their own, this is a place to rest and support as they navigate the journey to affordable and safe housing. This place provides hope in the center of some of the most challenging times of their lives. Even though many of us haven't experienced the trauma of homelessness, we need rest, support, and safety as much as anyone who passes through these doors. But still - what and where are the centers of hope in our lives? Where do we go to find peace, safety, rest, and hope for the future as we navigate the journey to safe places for our weary souls? As we walk together this morning, let's share times in our lives when hope has been at the center. And let's talk about ways to share safe and hopeful spaces with people we know and people we know of whose lives are in need of an infusion of hope. (by Gail)
August 15, 2019
Our theme for this walk was "families and their importance to our world". Grier Heights' identity as a family community runs all the way back to the 1890s, when former slave Sam Billings bought 100 acres of land in the area - the first recorded time an African-American bought land in Charlotte. Now the Grier Heights location, close to the city and affordable, threaten it's long-standing history. Many of the landlords who own more than 80% of the neighborhood are looking to sell as the value of the Grier Heights neighborhood has increased. Once these properties are sold and torn down, new homes being built are out of the price bracket of most Grier Heights residents where the average income is below $18,000. Today we will walk in this community and see some of these changes. What can we do to help this family community and their importance to our world of Charlotte continue to exist? (by Susie)
July 15, 2019
Journey Place is a place that is dedicated to helping young men embark on the adult journey of their lives. These are young men who, by the time they are 18 years old, have lived through difficult times, have faced nearly impossible odds, and have come here in search of ways to hold onto hope. They are aging out of the foster care system. They don't have families to return to. They don't have the support systems and social capital that many of us take for granted. If we had a chance to talk to these young adults, what would we say to encourage them, to offer them hope? As we walk together this morning, let's talk about what we wish we could say to encourage the young men here at Journey Place. And more than that, what are we planning to do to make a difference in the lives of the thousands of young people in this city for whom the journey of life feels like a climb up Mount Everest - without a guide? (by Gail)
May 15, 2019
Some people say that although you may receive 99 compliments, the only comment you remember and focus o is the critical one. As we walk together this morning, let's work on forgetting the critical remarks by focusing on the positive ones. Let's share some of the most memorable compliments we have heard: the phrases that have built us up and the words of encouragement that have empowered us to be our best selves. In care you're worried about pride - you're not bragging; you're telling the truth about what others have seen in you and said to you. Also, please share something you plan to do or say to someone today - especially the women in your lives - that will encourage them to be the best they can be. (by Gail)
April 15, 2019
“In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks.” That quote is from John Muir and early advocate for the preservation of wilderness in the USA. Catawba Lands Conservancy had Mary McDaniel, a local school teacher who had an idea. She wanted to protect Mountain Island Lake, the drinking water source for hundreds of thousands of area residents, from being overdeveloped. And so was the beginning of Catawba Lands Conservancy. Both John Muir and Mary McDaniel were early advocates for preservation and we have benefited from their visions. On our walk today, let’s discuss, what is one of your favorite places to be outside? And how can we be advocates for the vision of preserving our environment? (by Susie)
March 15, 2019
We Walk Together splits its time between walking around getting to know this city of ours and serving the needs of people who live there. Sharing our time, our energy, our passion, and our compassion with others is something that we value highly. But what exactly does the word "compassion" mean to you? What does it mean to share compassion and, more than that, how do we expand our compassion to include more people? In a lot of ways, it is easy to show up someplace to serve a meal or organize a series of shelves, but is there more we can do to expand our compassion focus in meaningful and personal ways? As we walk together this morning, let's talk about what compassion is and how we can live it more fully and share it more generously in the months and years to come. (by Gail)
February 15, 2019
North Carolina author Tom Robbins is quoted as saying "our similarities bring us to a common ground: our differences allow us to be fascinated by each other". this quote could be applied to Time Out Youth, whose mission is to empower lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning youth from ages 11-20. We are all the same in so many ways, what makes us different sometimes can be hard if there is no one to share it with. Time Out Youth is a safe place where youth can come and be supported in person or online. At the end of the month, we will serve dinner at Time Out Youth. We all want to be loved for who we are. As we walk today, let us talk about ways to be fascinated about all of our differences. (by Susie)
January 15, 2019
Happy New Year! Last month, we ended the year at the Charlotte Rescue Mission - and we wondered about our need to be rescued from ourselves, our fears, our selfishness, and so many other self-inflicted difficulties. This month, we are at the Men's Shelter of Charlotte, the newly renovated Men's Shelter. The good news is that the shelter has been renovated. The bad news is that we still need a men's shelter - that there are still so many who are unable to find safe and affordable homes for themselves. Later this month, Charlotte will conduct its annual Point-in-Time homeless count, which is also both good news and bad news. The good news is that there is much work being to done to combat homelessness here in Charlotte; the bad news is that there are still far too many people who are literally left out in the cold. As we walk together this morning, let's dream big. Let's dream about equality and equity and true opportunity for all. Let's dream about a time when rescue missions and shelters and homeless counts are no longer necessary. What are we willing to do to make those dreams come true? Would we allow any of those big dreams to become a reality in our neighborhoods and communities? (by Gail)
November 15, 2018
Hope Haven. We were here almost two years ago, in January of 2017, just a few days before our current president was inaugurated. Some of us were feeling a sense of despair and sadness at that prospect. Some of us continue to feel that way. Regardless of how you feel about the current state of politics in this country, all of us are dealing with the despair and sadness related to the aftermath of Hurricanes Florence and Michael. We are disturbed by the stories of the victims of the wildfires in California. We grieve the many lives senselessly lost every day and every week due to gun violence. As we consider the state of the world, the nation, the city, and our own homes, we must admit that we desperately need a have for hope. We need a place where hope, safety and peace abound. the truth is that no one "out there" is going to keep hope and peace alice, except for us. So let us determine that we will be the hope havens, the peacemakers, and the change that we want to see. As we walk together this morning, let's share stories of where we have seen or experienced signs of hope recently. Let there be hope, friends, and let is begin with us. (by Gail)
October 15, 2018
The poem said "Within their hearts, they heard a need. And kew they could help bead by bead. So with lots of faith and one little bead, they went straight to work filling every need". This group, We Walk Together, began with Mary and Catherine seeing a need and came up with a way to meet the need for community and connection - walk by walk. There are a lot of needs around us here in Charlotte, financial needs, social needs and educational needs. Many good and service are needed for recovery from the hurricanes that have devastated the southeast in the last month - just to name a few. Coming up with a plan to meet any one of these needs feels overwhelming. As we walk together this morning, let's talk about ways that we can make a difference in our needy world, "bead by bead". (by Gail)
July 15, 2018
Here we are again. Walking together. We have walked many miles together. We have seen many parts of Charlotte together. We have served in many places together. When we come back to the Urban Ministry Center on the the 30th of this month, we are slated to work in their garden. What is growing in the garden of your heart and mind these days? Fear and despair at what is happening in our country and in the world? Or anticipation and hope for the future? As we walk together this morning, let's talk about what is giving us life these days adn what is inspiring us to hold onto hope. Let's encourage one another to see the beauty around us as we walk, the beauty in each other and the beauty of life itself. (by Gail)
February 15, 2018
I don't know about your hands, but my hands have not always been gracious. My hands have written mean things to and about people. My hands have gestured terrible things to people - mostly from behind my steering wheel. During my childhood, my hands were involved in fights. My hands have injured more people than I care to name or closely consider. I am both challenged and encouraged by the name of the place where we gather - Gracious Hands. I am challenged to reconsider the use of my hands, and I am encouraged to seek intentional ways to use these hands for good, for the work of grace. As we walk together this morning, let's talk about how we have used our hands in the past and how we hope to use them going forward. Will we cause our hands to be gracious hands? (by Gail)
September 24, 2015
Today we are going to ponder the words of Dr Cornel West - “You can’t lead the people if you don’t love the people. You can’t save the people if you don’t serve the people. I want to know: How deep is your love for the people? What kind of courage have you demonstrated in the stances that you’ve taken? What are you willing to sacrifice for? These are the fundamental questions. I don’t care what color you are...
“When we dare to love and serve, we will be willing to speak, act, dialogue, write, fuse, share, laugh and love with others whom we can inspire and who can inspire us. There’s never any guarantee of victory in history. There never has been, there never will be. Nevertheless, if we can commit to loving, serving, understanding each other - recognizing that we are far more alike than we are different - we have a chance. I pray that each one of you will dare to wrestle with these questions - about the quality of your love and the depth of your service to humanity.”
(Hope on a Tightrope: Words and Wisdom by Cornel West, pages 151 and 158)
September 22, 2015
Fall is upon us. Changing seasons. Falling leaves. Changing light. Falling temperatures. It’s a lot like our lives. We change. We fall. Our dreams change. Our hopes are dashed. Our expectations - of others and ourselves - often go unmet. But we can be people of gratitude and hope anyway. We can be beacons of grace and peace and joy even when everything around us points towards sorrow and despair. Look at us - we are here. We woke up this morning in relatively good health and moderate sanity. We got up and got dressed. We drove here safely. We can talk. We can see. We can hear. We can think. We can ask questions. We can answer questions. We can make a difference in the world and in each other’s lives. We can walk each other through all that life gives us and all that life takes away from us. As we walk together this morning, let’s reflect on how quickly this year has passed and plan ways to make the remainder of the year the best part of the year - not just for ourselves, but for others as well.
September 17, 2015
As we stand here this morning at Ebenezer Baptist Church, about to embark on another walk in our beautiful city, let’s consider this question: What does the name Ebenezer mean? It means “stone of help.” Three chapters in the Old Testament book of 1 Samuel mention this name in reference to a place where the people of Israel fought and lost a war, but later fought the same enemy and won. After the victory, the prophet Samuel set up a stone of remembrance, a memorial stone, and added, “Thus far the Lord has helped us.” Whether or not you believe in God or in the help of the Lord, you have been helped in your life. Parents, grandparents, neighbors, siblings, friends, teachers, and even total strangers have helped us all along the way of our life journey. This morning as we walk, can we think about and talk about some of the people and situations and circumstances in which we have been helped? What stones of help and remembrance can we set up as reminders of the battles won and the journeys completed in our own lives? As we walk and talk, can we also ponder and name ways that we can be of service and help to others? I wrote about this a year ago on my blog - http://silvermine.blogspot.com/ 2014/08/thankful-thursday-raising-my-ebenezer.html (shameless plug)
August 27, 2015
This morning, as we stand in the parking lot of Little Rock AME Zion Church, I ponder the effect of little rocks. A little rock in your shoe can ruin a morning walk. A little rock bouncing on a highway can ruin your windshield and your day. A little rock that isn’t sorted out of a bag of dried beans can crack a tooth. Little rocks piled on top of each other can create a fortress. May each of us be little rocks that make the forward movement of racists and other bigots extremely uncomfortable. May each of us be little rocks that cause injustice to crack and fall apart and have to come to a sudden stop at the side of the road. May we be little rocks that together create a fortress for the many people around us who are in need of a safe place to rest. May we be peaceful and stubborn little rocks that cannot be sorted out of the hard conversations we enter and the challenging situations we encounter. May we each and may we all become Little Rock Churches, Little Rock Sanctuaries, and Little Rock Safe Spaces everywhere we find ourselves and everywhere we walk together.
August 20, 2015
Be thankful that you don’t already have everything you desire. If you did, what would there be to look forward to?
Be thankful when you don’t know something, for it gives you the opportunity to learn. Be thankful for the difficult times. During those times, you grow.
Be thankful for your limitations, because they give you opportunities for improvement. Be thankful for your mistakes. They will teach you valuable lessons.
Be thankful when you’re tired and weary, because it means you’ve made a difference.
It’s easy to be thankful for the good things. A life of rich fulfillment comes to those who are also thankful for the setbacks. Find a way to be thankful for your troubles, and they can become blessings.
Anonymous quote found online.
August 18, 2015
Marie Reed wrote - Be fully present to what each day brings. Everyone you meet will be your teacher. Everything that happens will be an opportunity for spiritual growth. We can remember what has already happened and see the lessons and growth in retrospect. When today is a memory, it will be tomorrow and we will get to do it all over again. Only by being here now can we experience all there is. Each morning I wake up, I give thanks for whatever that day may bring.
*************
What are we learning these days? What are we thankful for these days? How have we grown lately?
Before the walk...Five years ago this week, the young man whose name does not deserve to be mentioned, entered Mother Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, SC. His actions - as well as the forgiveness of the victims' families - were the impetus for this group and these monthly gatherings. Five years later, we find ourselves in the midst of ongoing violence and injustice against people of color , and black people, in particular. As We Walk Together this morning, let's talk about the ways in which our own lives have been impacted by what happened five years ago at Mother Emanuel and what happened two weeks ago in Minneapolis and what is happening here in Brookhill now. Let's be honest enough to admit that perhaps very little has changed in our personal, daily lives. What does that say about us and our commitment to walking together with those who suffer?
First stop...here was are, at our first stop on this journey. Look around you. Look at the community we are standing in. What do we see? Who do we see? Friends, are we more than gawkers here? Are we creating relationships that make a difference in the lives of those we see? Is friendship something that can be delivered on a tray, or do we need to go deeper, stay longer, and commit ourselves to truer, stronger connections?
Second stop...Before we begin to turn for home, to return to our places of safety and refuge, take a moment or two to assess where we are, where you are on this journey. Perhaps you've begun to read books, listen to podcasts, and more intentionally consider the stories of people whose lives haven't mattered a whole lot in your life before now. As we continue this walk, let's talk about what it might mean to stay in the discomfort of these days, the discomfort that you may be feeling these days. Is it possible to stay on this path without giving in to defensiveness or tiredness - and turning away? Is it possible to stay on this journey without asking anyone else - especially any people of color - to carry your emotional weight as you grow and learn and are challenged by what you are learning?
Back at our starting point...On this short walk this morning, we have looked around us. We have looked within us. We have looked back, and we have been invited to look ahead. What has changed in you? What has shifted? What would you like to change? What would you like to shift? What are you willing to do, to say, and most of all, what are you willing to risk in your own life to make a difference in your life and in the lives of those around you? (by Gail)
March 15, 2020
What happens when one person sees a situation that needs change? For the founding member of The Nest Academy that person was MC Hildreth. In 2009 she was heading an after school tutoring program for K-12th grade refugees to help them advance educationally and offer support. What she saw and found was overwhelming cases of illiteracy among these children. She knew they would fall through the cracks of the public school system if something weren't done. MC had the sense that they were OUR children no matter what their background was or how they came to Charlotte, North Carolina. She founded The Nest Academy with only five students to "educate, enrich, and empower". Questions to discuss during our walk - What can we do as a community to support our educational system? Do you think that charter schools and private schools can work alongside a public school system? Do you know someone like MC Hildreth and can share their story? "Our obligation is to give meaning to life and in doing so, to overcome the passive indifferent life." Ellie Wiesel (by Susie)
February 15, 2020
Someone said that we may not experience it as "global warming", but rather as "global weirdness". Unseasonable warmth in December. Tornadoes in February. Winter without snow, not even in the mountains. It's all so very weird. As we walk together this morning on the Greenway, we will hear and learn about how this area where we live is facing its own weirdness - including invasive species of plants and fish. We will hear and learn about how we - as human beings - are the most invasive species causing weirdness and woundedness to this planet where we live. We use toxic pesticides and household cleaners. We waste water and food. We let our automobile engines run for long periods of time in parking lots and pick-up lines. And we barely give any of it a second thought. As we walk together, let's share some of the ways in which we can change our behaviors and our habits so that we can live more gently and kindly on this beautiful planet - and perhaps turn the tide on global weirdness and global warming. (by Gail)
January 15, 2020
Urban Ministry's mission is "Bringing Charlotte together to end Homelessness." Our homeless community needs affordable housing. What a contrast we will witness today on our walk. Charlotte's new housing market is booming. Just the neighborhood around Urban Ministry Center is being transformed. Last February, over 13,000 apartments were under construction, but in the City of Charlotte, there are over 2,100 homeless men, women and children. This month the Point in Time Count takes place to get an accurate count of Charlotte's homeless population. On our walk today, how can we as a city help our neighbors? How do we embrace the growth, but make room for ALL of our neighbors? (by Susie)
December 15, 2019
"It is never safe to look into the future with eyes of fear."
Safe Alliance is a nonprofit United Way member agency with more than 100 years of service to individuals and families. Safe Alliance offers programs like greater Charlotte Hope line, domestic violence shelter, victim assistance court program and sexual trauma resources center. Did you know CMPD responds to more than 38,000 domestic violence-related calls every year? That 1 in 3 women will be impacted by sexual assault or domestic violence during their lifetime? As we walk today, please talk about how we as a community can support victims of violence. (by Susie)
November 15, 2019
Welcome to Brookhill - a neighborhood that is being wiped off the Charlotte map. This is a neighborhood with a long history, both joyous and sorrowful, a neighborhood with its own connectedness and its own brokenness. Soon it will be completely gone, replaced by homes and shops that the current residents will not be able to afford. Who will tell Brookhill's stories? Who will maintain its history? Who will honor its legacy? Why does this happen so often in communities where the poorest and the least powerful people live? And where will the residents of Brookhill go? There is a fantastic exhibit at the Harvey Gantt Center uptown between now and next April - of photos and stories of the people who have lived here and loved here and who will mourn the loss of this community. As we walk together this morning and listen to Tom Hanchett tell stories about this part of our city, let's talk about what it would feel like for the community or the neighborhood where you were born and where you grew up to be destroyed. What would you be willing to do to preserve its legacy? What can be done to preserve the Charlotte communities where our most vulnerable citizens live? (by Gail)
October 15, 2019
ref-u-gee (noun) - a person forced to leave their country in order to escape war, persecution or natural disaster
im-mi-grant (noun) - a person who comes to live permanently in a foreign country
neigh-bor (noun) - a person living near or next door
Today we are walking through the Merry Oaks neighborhood. Merry Oaks is ethnically diverse and will celebrate next Saturday their Fall Family Festival. We will be serving on October 30th at Refugee Support Services located in this neighborhood. How is Merry Oaks similar or dissimilar to their neighborhood you grew up in? How can we as Charlotte neighbors embrace our new neighbors coming from other countries? (by Susie)
September 15, 2019
The Salvation Army Center of Hope - what an auspicious name. What does it mean to be a center of hope? For women and children who find themselves without a home to call their own, this is a place to rest and support as they navigate the journey to affordable and safe housing. This place provides hope in the center of some of the most challenging times of their lives. Even though many of us haven't experienced the trauma of homelessness, we need rest, support, and safety as much as anyone who passes through these doors. But still - what and where are the centers of hope in our lives? Where do we go to find peace, safety, rest, and hope for the future as we navigate the journey to safe places for our weary souls? As we walk together this morning, let's share times in our lives when hope has been at the center. And let's talk about ways to share safe and hopeful spaces with people we know and people we know of whose lives are in need of an infusion of hope. (by Gail)
August 15, 2019
Our theme for this walk was "families and their importance to our world". Grier Heights' identity as a family community runs all the way back to the 1890s, when former slave Sam Billings bought 100 acres of land in the area - the first recorded time an African-American bought land in Charlotte. Now the Grier Heights location, close to the city and affordable, threaten it's long-standing history. Many of the landlords who own more than 80% of the neighborhood are looking to sell as the value of the Grier Heights neighborhood has increased. Once these properties are sold and torn down, new homes being built are out of the price bracket of most Grier Heights residents where the average income is below $18,000. Today we will walk in this community and see some of these changes. What can we do to help this family community and their importance to our world of Charlotte continue to exist? (by Susie)
July 15, 2019
Journey Place is a place that is dedicated to helping young men embark on the adult journey of their lives. These are young men who, by the time they are 18 years old, have lived through difficult times, have faced nearly impossible odds, and have come here in search of ways to hold onto hope. They are aging out of the foster care system. They don't have families to return to. They don't have the support systems and social capital that many of us take for granted. If we had a chance to talk to these young adults, what would we say to encourage them, to offer them hope? As we walk together this morning, let's talk about what we wish we could say to encourage the young men here at Journey Place. And more than that, what are we planning to do to make a difference in the lives of the thousands of young people in this city for whom the journey of life feels like a climb up Mount Everest - without a guide? (by Gail)
May 15, 2019
Some people say that although you may receive 99 compliments, the only comment you remember and focus o is the critical one. As we walk together this morning, let's work on forgetting the critical remarks by focusing on the positive ones. Let's share some of the most memorable compliments we have heard: the phrases that have built us up and the words of encouragement that have empowered us to be our best selves. In care you're worried about pride - you're not bragging; you're telling the truth about what others have seen in you and said to you. Also, please share something you plan to do or say to someone today - especially the women in your lives - that will encourage them to be the best they can be. (by Gail)
April 15, 2019
“In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks.” That quote is from John Muir and early advocate for the preservation of wilderness in the USA. Catawba Lands Conservancy had Mary McDaniel, a local school teacher who had an idea. She wanted to protect Mountain Island Lake, the drinking water source for hundreds of thousands of area residents, from being overdeveloped. And so was the beginning of Catawba Lands Conservancy. Both John Muir and Mary McDaniel were early advocates for preservation and we have benefited from their visions. On our walk today, let’s discuss, what is one of your favorite places to be outside? And how can we be advocates for the vision of preserving our environment? (by Susie)
March 15, 2019
We Walk Together splits its time between walking around getting to know this city of ours and serving the needs of people who live there. Sharing our time, our energy, our passion, and our compassion with others is something that we value highly. But what exactly does the word "compassion" mean to you? What does it mean to share compassion and, more than that, how do we expand our compassion to include more people? In a lot of ways, it is easy to show up someplace to serve a meal or organize a series of shelves, but is there more we can do to expand our compassion focus in meaningful and personal ways? As we walk together this morning, let's talk about what compassion is and how we can live it more fully and share it more generously in the months and years to come. (by Gail)
February 15, 2019
North Carolina author Tom Robbins is quoted as saying "our similarities bring us to a common ground: our differences allow us to be fascinated by each other". this quote could be applied to Time Out Youth, whose mission is to empower lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning youth from ages 11-20. We are all the same in so many ways, what makes us different sometimes can be hard if there is no one to share it with. Time Out Youth is a safe place where youth can come and be supported in person or online. At the end of the month, we will serve dinner at Time Out Youth. We all want to be loved for who we are. As we walk today, let us talk about ways to be fascinated about all of our differences. (by Susie)
January 15, 2019
Happy New Year! Last month, we ended the year at the Charlotte Rescue Mission - and we wondered about our need to be rescued from ourselves, our fears, our selfishness, and so many other self-inflicted difficulties. This month, we are at the Men's Shelter of Charlotte, the newly renovated Men's Shelter. The good news is that the shelter has been renovated. The bad news is that we still need a men's shelter - that there are still so many who are unable to find safe and affordable homes for themselves. Later this month, Charlotte will conduct its annual Point-in-Time homeless count, which is also both good news and bad news. The good news is that there is much work being to done to combat homelessness here in Charlotte; the bad news is that there are still far too many people who are literally left out in the cold. As we walk together this morning, let's dream big. Let's dream about equality and equity and true opportunity for all. Let's dream about a time when rescue missions and shelters and homeless counts are no longer necessary. What are we willing to do to make those dreams come true? Would we allow any of those big dreams to become a reality in our neighborhoods and communities? (by Gail)
November 15, 2018
Hope Haven. We were here almost two years ago, in January of 2017, just a few days before our current president was inaugurated. Some of us were feeling a sense of despair and sadness at that prospect. Some of us continue to feel that way. Regardless of how you feel about the current state of politics in this country, all of us are dealing with the despair and sadness related to the aftermath of Hurricanes Florence and Michael. We are disturbed by the stories of the victims of the wildfires in California. We grieve the many lives senselessly lost every day and every week due to gun violence. As we consider the state of the world, the nation, the city, and our own homes, we must admit that we desperately need a have for hope. We need a place where hope, safety and peace abound. the truth is that no one "out there" is going to keep hope and peace alice, except for us. So let us determine that we will be the hope havens, the peacemakers, and the change that we want to see. As we walk together this morning, let's share stories of where we have seen or experienced signs of hope recently. Let there be hope, friends, and let is begin with us. (by Gail)
October 15, 2018
The poem said "Within their hearts, they heard a need. And kew they could help bead by bead. So with lots of faith and one little bead, they went straight to work filling every need". This group, We Walk Together, began with Mary and Catherine seeing a need and came up with a way to meet the need for community and connection - walk by walk. There are a lot of needs around us here in Charlotte, financial needs, social needs and educational needs. Many good and service are needed for recovery from the hurricanes that have devastated the southeast in the last month - just to name a few. Coming up with a plan to meet any one of these needs feels overwhelming. As we walk together this morning, let's talk about ways that we can make a difference in our needy world, "bead by bead". (by Gail)
July 15, 2018
Here we are again. Walking together. We have walked many miles together. We have seen many parts of Charlotte together. We have served in many places together. When we come back to the Urban Ministry Center on the the 30th of this month, we are slated to work in their garden. What is growing in the garden of your heart and mind these days? Fear and despair at what is happening in our country and in the world? Or anticipation and hope for the future? As we walk together this morning, let's talk about what is giving us life these days adn what is inspiring us to hold onto hope. Let's encourage one another to see the beauty around us as we walk, the beauty in each other and the beauty of life itself. (by Gail)
February 15, 2018
I don't know about your hands, but my hands have not always been gracious. My hands have written mean things to and about people. My hands have gestured terrible things to people - mostly from behind my steering wheel. During my childhood, my hands were involved in fights. My hands have injured more people than I care to name or closely consider. I am both challenged and encouraged by the name of the place where we gather - Gracious Hands. I am challenged to reconsider the use of my hands, and I am encouraged to seek intentional ways to use these hands for good, for the work of grace. As we walk together this morning, let's talk about how we have used our hands in the past and how we hope to use them going forward. Will we cause our hands to be gracious hands? (by Gail)
September 24, 2015
Today we are going to ponder the words of Dr Cornel West - “You can’t lead the people if you don’t love the people. You can’t save the people if you don’t serve the people. I want to know: How deep is your love for the people? What kind of courage have you demonstrated in the stances that you’ve taken? What are you willing to sacrifice for? These are the fundamental questions. I don’t care what color you are...
“When we dare to love and serve, we will be willing to speak, act, dialogue, write, fuse, share, laugh and love with others whom we can inspire and who can inspire us. There’s never any guarantee of victory in history. There never has been, there never will be. Nevertheless, if we can commit to loving, serving, understanding each other - recognizing that we are far more alike than we are different - we have a chance. I pray that each one of you will dare to wrestle with these questions - about the quality of your love and the depth of your service to humanity.”
(Hope on a Tightrope: Words and Wisdom by Cornel West, pages 151 and 158)
September 22, 2015
Fall is upon us. Changing seasons. Falling leaves. Changing light. Falling temperatures. It’s a lot like our lives. We change. We fall. Our dreams change. Our hopes are dashed. Our expectations - of others and ourselves - often go unmet. But we can be people of gratitude and hope anyway. We can be beacons of grace and peace and joy even when everything around us points towards sorrow and despair. Look at us - we are here. We woke up this morning in relatively good health and moderate sanity. We got up and got dressed. We drove here safely. We can talk. We can see. We can hear. We can think. We can ask questions. We can answer questions. We can make a difference in the world and in each other’s lives. We can walk each other through all that life gives us and all that life takes away from us. As we walk together this morning, let’s reflect on how quickly this year has passed and plan ways to make the remainder of the year the best part of the year - not just for ourselves, but for others as well.
September 17, 2015
As we stand here this morning at Ebenezer Baptist Church, about to embark on another walk in our beautiful city, let’s consider this question: What does the name Ebenezer mean? It means “stone of help.” Three chapters in the Old Testament book of 1 Samuel mention this name in reference to a place where the people of Israel fought and lost a war, but later fought the same enemy and won. After the victory, the prophet Samuel set up a stone of remembrance, a memorial stone, and added, “Thus far the Lord has helped us.” Whether or not you believe in God or in the help of the Lord, you have been helped in your life. Parents, grandparents, neighbors, siblings, friends, teachers, and even total strangers have helped us all along the way of our life journey. This morning as we walk, can we think about and talk about some of the people and situations and circumstances in which we have been helped? What stones of help and remembrance can we set up as reminders of the battles won and the journeys completed in our own lives? As we walk and talk, can we also ponder and name ways that we can be of service and help to others? I wrote about this a year ago on my blog - http://silvermine.blogspot.com/ 2014/08/thankful-thursday-raising-my-ebenezer.html (shameless plug)
August 27, 2015
This morning, as we stand in the parking lot of Little Rock AME Zion Church, I ponder the effect of little rocks. A little rock in your shoe can ruin a morning walk. A little rock bouncing on a highway can ruin your windshield and your day. A little rock that isn’t sorted out of a bag of dried beans can crack a tooth. Little rocks piled on top of each other can create a fortress. May each of us be little rocks that make the forward movement of racists and other bigots extremely uncomfortable. May each of us be little rocks that cause injustice to crack and fall apart and have to come to a sudden stop at the side of the road. May we be little rocks that together create a fortress for the many people around us who are in need of a safe place to rest. May we be peaceful and stubborn little rocks that cannot be sorted out of the hard conversations we enter and the challenging situations we encounter. May we each and may we all become Little Rock Churches, Little Rock Sanctuaries, and Little Rock Safe Spaces everywhere we find ourselves and everywhere we walk together.
August 20, 2015
Be thankful that you don’t already have everything you desire. If you did, what would there be to look forward to?
Be thankful when you don’t know something, for it gives you the opportunity to learn. Be thankful for the difficult times. During those times, you grow.
Be thankful for your limitations, because they give you opportunities for improvement. Be thankful for your mistakes. They will teach you valuable lessons.
Be thankful when you’re tired and weary, because it means you’ve made a difference.
It’s easy to be thankful for the good things. A life of rich fulfillment comes to those who are also thankful for the setbacks. Find a way to be thankful for your troubles, and they can become blessings.
Anonymous quote found online.
August 18, 2015
Marie Reed wrote - Be fully present to what each day brings. Everyone you meet will be your teacher. Everything that happens will be an opportunity for spiritual growth. We can remember what has already happened and see the lessons and growth in retrospect. When today is a memory, it will be tomorrow and we will get to do it all over again. Only by being here now can we experience all there is. Each morning I wake up, I give thanks for whatever that day may bring.
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What are we learning these days? What are we thankful for these days? How have we grown lately?