Dear ones,
It is the time of year when I worry about trees.
It started just before talk of the last storm started up – and my worry proved warranted! Even weeks later, limbs lie forlorn at the base of trees all across the city, taken out by the heavy springtime snow. Or worse, the ones hanging half attached where they once reached for the sky.
This week, I’ve tried turning the worry into prayer. I’ve been praying for the green buds beginning on my cherry blossom, the small shows on the peach tree, and the emerging leaves on the lilac. And by prayer, I actually mean I go out and whisper words of encouragement. Come on babies, you can do it!
Anyone who has lived in Colorado for any number of years knows these worries/prayers. Too many years, the snow comes just as the flowering starts, or heaving snow sours the new leaves just as they find their voices.
Trees in Colorado spring remind us every day of life’s possibility and fragility, how quickly starts can become endings, and the thin line between life and death.
This week, as news broke of another death of an unarmed Black man by a police officer, just a few blocks from the trial of the police officer who murdered George Floyd, sparking last summer’s racial uprisings and awakenings; a year into the pandemic where, despite the good news of the vaccines, infections are rising rapidly, and still too many people are grieving loved ones lost too soon.
Like the trees, we know what it is to live on the thin line that straddles life and death, praying that we’ll all hold out a little longer, push through, survive.
This Sunday, we will be kicking off a week of Earth Day-related opportunities with a service connecting us with the wisdom of trees (with inspiration from the 2018 novel The Overstory). In the swirl of life, as we straddle both possibility and fragility, it’s so good to be able to check in with ourselves and with each other, and remind ourselves of what really matters. I hope to see you this Sunday at 9 on zoom, or in the comments on Facebook at 11!
With love, and in partnership,
Gretchen
Join us this Sunday at 9:00 am using Zoom – link here.
Or at 11:00 am using the usual livestream on Facebook or the website.
This Sunday’s Earth Day Service is multigenerational – there will be elements for all ages! We’ll have:
- Kid-friendly songs led by our Children’s Music Leader Kara Shobe
- An all-ages meditation guided by our Family Ministry Team
- An online activity packet for kids to engage with during the parts of the service that are more geared toward adults.
Parents – Please remember that it’s okay if your kids don’t sit attentively for the whole service! If your child(ren) wants to come in and out, eat, or move about during the service, that’s okay! Church is about showing up as you are, and we embrace the beautiful chaos of family.
Katie believes the best things in life are the result of collaboration and diverse perspectives coming together to produce something greater than any individual could. She is passionate about systems, efficiency and collaboration for better community outcomes. She loves dreaming up the big picture and drafting the roadmap to make it happen. She has a background in operations, fundraising, communications and program development, as well as over a decade of nonprofit management experience in Northern Colorado.
Her greatest joy in life comes from her family. Her husband, Steven, a principal at Wellington Middle School, and daughters Emmaline and Esmae are the lights of her life. Together they love mountains, music and all kinds of food. She is passionate about women supporting other women in all stages of life and especially through the critical moments that make or break us. She believes that one of the most important things in life is to be kind.
Being outdoors makes her soul come alive. It always roots her in gratitude and is one of the reasons she loves living in Fort Collins.
