I recently turned 42, an arbitrary number in the grand scheme of things, but it got me thinking… I have been so focused on getting the next thing done, making it past the next mile marker, or achieving the next goal, that I have missed the journey. That stops now! I have three amazing kids, a wife who is always there to support me, a home and a career that is literally a calling, and from now on I want to take the time to appreciate them, and to focus on those things that fill me with joy or satisfaction in the moment. In short the important things. I believe a human life is made up of countless smaller parts, seemingly unrelated pieces of a whole much larger than the sum of its parts, and only when we begin to pay attention to the person we are as we navigate those things, do we begin to see the bigger picture that is our life…

So here is the plan. With the launch of this website I am beginning a 5 year project in which I hope to pay close attention to myself, and not just my goals, but my body, my mind, even my spiritual side. I want to wrestle with what I want, or think I want, and what I really am, as well as how I hope to grow… who knows, maybe I just think I know what I want!

Oh yeah, that reminds me, I am by calling, an ordained minister in the United Church of Christ. My faith is a major part of my life, yet I am so often at odds with what the world, or at least much of our nation at large seems to believe that Christianity is really about. As a part of this project I am hoping to discover how the word “ministry” works when it’s applied to me…

And finally I want to take the time and make the space for the people at work around me lending a hand. People face so many hurdles in life, and sometimes we need a hand up, I know I have! Because of that, I want to set aside a portion of this website, and this project for raising up and supporting the amazing helpers all around us!

So there it is, the purpose of this website and the goal of what I hope to describe here. I don’t know what it will look like, just like I don’t know what I will look like when its all done, but in both respects I imagine that change and attention will be the themes, gradual change, and consistent attention.

Here’s to what comes next!

S.

6/2/24