También, pedí que Brenda me enseñara cuatro objetos que son simbólicos en su vida, aquí es lo que me compartió.  

Su Pulsera Roja

Brenda es de una familia con tradiciones que no son occidentales. Su mamá siempre le ha regalado una pulsera para protegerla del mal de ojo. Ella lleva tanto la pulsera que tiene una línea de bronceado de la pulsera. Cada vez que se rompe, siempre recibe una nueva, y su madre le dice que ha cumplido su propósito y le da una nueva. Siempre que no tiene su pulsera, siente que le falta algo y sus amigos y familiares notan que ella no tiene el rojo también. Su pulsera roja suele tener un santo, que tiene una función religiosa de sus creencias católicas. Tener un santo en la pulsera la ayuda a centrarse en la oración, Dios y la conexión espiritual. El color rojo de su pulsera le recuerda de la sangre de su familia y sus lazos familiares.

Una Foto de Su Hermana

Esta es una foto de la hermana de Brenda que siempre tiene en su billetera. Es una foto que siempre lleva consigo porque ella y su hermana son muy cercanas. Siempre que pasa un día pesado y abre su billetera para comprar algo, la foto le recuerda que las cosas van a estar bien. Su hermana siempre la ha motivado para triunfar. Su hermana tiene necesidades especiales y ha pasado por muchas cosas en su corta vida. Entonces, cuando mira la foto, le recuerda que, si su hermana pudo pasar por cosas difíciles en la vida, ella también puede superarlo todo. Dado que su hermana es cinco años menor que ella, ha asumido un papel más paternal con su hermana. Y verla pasar por tantas luchas en la vida, la hace admirar a su hermana debido a su resistencia.

Su Collar

Cuando Brenda se graduó, su profesor le regaló esta cadena. Su profesor le dijo que siempre necesitaría estas dos cosas para su tipo de trabajo: la fe y el amor. El collar es un recordatorio para ella y su trabajo, que necesita tener fe en sí misma y amor por sí misma para compartir la fe y el amor con los demás en su trabajo. En su campo de trabajo, tener fe en sí misma es un recordatorio para no dudar de sí misma o enojarse con sus errores. Cuando trabajas en salud comunitaria, puede ser fácil para alguien dudar de sí mismo a pesar de que el trabajo realmente puede impactar a las personas. Brenda ha aprendido que es muy importante ganar confianza de las comunidades con las que trabaja ella porque esas comunidades confían en ella para su salud, y elle puede perder fácilmente la confianza de las personas si comete un error. En cualquier trabajo de salud pública que haga Brenda, lo hace con amor y fe en que su trabajo tiene un impacto positivo en la salud de comunidades. Para Brenda, dar amor a su trabajo significa que trata de ser una persona cariñosa y tratar a las personas de una manera que ella quiere ser tratada. De esta manera, ser cariñosa significa que les da respeto.

Su agenda de la escuela y trabajo

Brenda lleva esta agenda a todas partes porque le gusta planear todo. Si no escribe algo, no puede conceptualizarlo. Ella siente que nunca está fuera del trabajo, por lo que siempre la tiene consigo para apuntar las cosas. Cuando está trabajando, tampoco no deja su vida personal, por lo que anotará cosas personales en su agenda. Le ayuda a organizar y equilibrar su vida, de modo que si tiene demasiadas cosas planeadas para el trabajo, puede mover las cosas para un día posterior. Su agenda la ayuda a mantener un buen equilibrio entre el trabajo y la vida personal. También ella siente que es una persona ocupada, especialmente, el semestre pasado cuando tuvo que equilibrar ser estudiante, tener una profesión y tener una vida personal. Como Brenda tiene que viajar mucho por trabajo, su agenda le permite saber donde estará ese día. Cuando abre su agenda, le da un suspiro de alivio al ver lo que tiene que hacer durante el día porque si simplemente fuera de su memoria, piensa que sería un alma perdida. Ella también siente que está involucrada con muchas cosas en el trabajo y fuera del trabajo porque siempre comienza muchos nuevos proyectos o nuevos intereses, así que su agenda le permite administrar el tiempo y hacer lo mejor que pueda. También le permite priorizar sus días de trabajo, los proyectos en los que está trabajando y otras cosas que tiene que hacer fuera del trabajo.

The post Jóvenes en la Frontera: Brenda appeared first on 787 Collective.

I also asked Brenda to show me four symbolic objects in her life, and here is what she shared.

Red Bracelet

Brenda comes from a family with non-western traditions. Her mom has always given her a bracelet to protect her from mal de ojo. She wears the bracelet so much that she has a tan line from the bracelet. Whenever it rips she always gets new one, and her mom tells her it has served its purpose and gives her a new one. Whenever she is not wearing her bracelet, she feels like something is missing, and her friends and family notice that she doesn’t have her red on too. Her red bracelets will usually have an appendant of a saint, which has a religious function of her catholic beliefs. Having a saint on the bracelet helps her center herself in prayer, God and spiritual connection. The red color on her bracelet reminds her of her family blood and family ties. 

Photo of Sister

This is an older picture of Brenda’s sister that she always has in her wallet. It is a photo that she always carries with her because her and her sister are really close. Whenever she is having a hard day, and she opens up her wallet to buy something, the picture reminds her that things are going to be okay. Her sister has always motivated her to be successful. Her sister has special needs and has been through a lot in her short life. So, when she looks at the picture it reminds her that if her sister has been able to get through hard things in life, then she can get through everything too. Since her sister is five years younger than her, she has taken more of a parental role with her sister. And seeing her go through so many life struggles, has made her look up to her sister because of her resilience.

Necklace

When Brenda graduated her professor gave this chain to her as a gift. Her professor told her that she would always need these two things for her type of work – faith and love. The necklace is a reminder to her and her work that she needs to have faith in herself and love for herself to share faith and love with others in her work. In her field of work, having faith in herself is a reminder to not doubt herself or get mad at herself with mistakes. When you work in community health it can be easy for someone to doubt themselves even though the work can really impact people. Brenda has learned that it is very important to have trust with communities because they are relying on you for their health, and you can easily lose people’s trust if you make a mistake. In whatever public health work that Brenda does, she does it with love and faith that her work will impact their health. For Brenda, giving love to her work means that she tries to be a loving person and treat people as she would like to be treated. In this way, being loving means giving them respect. 

School/Work Agenda

Brenda carries this agenda everywhere because she likes to plan everything out. If she does not write something out then she can’t conceptualize it. She feels like she is never off from work, so she always has it with her to write things down. When she is working she is also not off from her personal life so she will write down personal things in her agenda. It helps her then organize and balance out her life so if she has too many work things planned and then she can move things to a later day. Her agenda helps her keep a good work-life balance. She also feels like she is a busy person, especially, last semester when she had to balance being a student, having a profession and having a personal life. Since Brenda has to travel a lot for work, her agenda lets her know where she will be that day. When she opens up her agenda it gives her a sigh of relief that she sees what she has to do for the day because if she just went from her memory, she thinks she would be a lost soul. She also feels that she is involved with a lot of things in work and out of work because she is starting new projects or new interests a lot, so her agenda allows her to time manage and do the best she possibly can. It also allows her to prioritize her days at work, the projects she is working on and other things she has going on outside of work. 

The post Young Adults in the Borderlands: Brenda appeared first on 787 Collective.

Even as we hit a giant marker nationally in the number of known COVID-related deaths, our local officials in Austin, where COVID has disproportionately impacted the Latino community, warn that for many of us the virus seems “not yet real.”  It’s hard to wrap my head around both realities, though in the world of this pandemic, I know both can be true.  What to think?  Here are some perspectives from around the web for your consideration:

CONSIDER
*This hopeful read was a somewhat encouraging look at statistics in Georgia a month after re-opening as we crawl along in these mysterious new waters.

*This interview with physician and public health researcher Asaf Bitton directly addresses specific scenarios and questions, and is helpful as we try to parse out which activities feel safe to engage in and how.

*If Dr. Bitton’s interview doesn’t offer enough clarity, this to-the-point list of summer activities and their associated risks, assessed by experts and compiled by NPR, is extremely helpful.

RELEASE

*On our Tuesday call, the theme and importance of self-compassion was prevalent.  One of the folks from the Collective spoke of the importance of language in self-compassion.  One example offered was noting that many of us are not “working from home,” but rather, we are “trying to work from home during a pandemic.”  This pretty much sums it up for me (emphasis on the trying). Along those lines, this hilariously headlined piece from the New York Times does a great job of naming the pressure to be “all things” during this stressful time in the lives of parents.  I found her point about achieving “flow” while working at home with kids (spoiler alert:  NOT POSSIBLE) particularly affirming.

*Along similar lines, this article from Vox questions whether the pandemic will bring about an end to our obsession with productivity,a possibility I find exciting, intriguing and full of hope.

*You know it’s a hard week in the news when one of the most upbeat articles you find is about an obituary writer.  I loved this very brief story about the deep joy this Chicago obituary writer finds in her job and the reasons why. It felt very life-affirming in a time when most of the questions around engaging and embracing our mortality present otherwise. 

EXPAND

*According to the Harvard Business Review, it’s always a good idea to be expanding our idea of who we are and might be by taking time each day to practice being our future self.  It’s a fascinating idea that makes a lot of sense, and if I can muster the emotional energy to spend time with that self daily (or at a minimum figure out who she is), I’m in.  

*As distancing measures evolve, we’ve had multiple conversations in our collective about how individuals and faith communities can evolve their practices to safeguard health and peace of mind in this time of transition.  This article from a Washington Post affiliate brings some good suggestions about how we can start these conversations honestly, directly and with as little judgment as possiblewithin our inner circles.  

*During my Adventures in Homeschooling, I realized in a Social Studies conversation that I could not list the Seven Wonders of the World.  Here is one quick list (it sounds like there is debate out there) as well as a link to virtual tours so we can all expand our horizons this summer from the solitude of our own home. 

SHOW UP

*As people of faith, it’s important to ready ourselves for action now and down the pipeline in terms of mobilizing support in and for our communities.  These two articles caught my eye and left me with a heavy heart as the road ahead becomes clear and the scope of need ever more apparent.  The crisis of school funding looms large, and related in many ways is the growing emergency of child hunger in our midst. 

*These statistics around the mental health of Americans right now were bleak, and a solid reminder that supporting our friends, family and neighbors during this time is essential and the first and most immediate act of kindness before us, actionable each and every day.

PRAY (and laugh too)

*On a lighter note, not sure if you caught this naughty cat climbing right into the robes of the Dean of Canterbury while praying live in the cathedral garden, but it’s worth checking out.  All things wise and wonderful, the Lord God made them all!

*This priest took the call to Easter joy seriously and found a fun and creative way to share Holy Water with his parishioners, much to their delight.

*And finally, tenderly, this sweet delivery driver made one family’s day by stopping in the midst of her work to lift up their baby in prayer.  Sometimes it really is the small things!

Here’s wishing you much goodness in the days ahead.  My one goal for tomorrow is to get back into my kitchen, mainly because my internet wanderings got me massively inspired by this baby chef.  If I can harness the joy of Baby Kobe while cooking, this pandemic will have taught me something.

MLC

The post From Around the Web appeared first on 787 Collective.

I hope this weekend was extended for many of you and an opportunity to rest your bodies and minds after an intense spring.  To mark the Memorial weekend, I’m structuring this email a bit differently.  Instead of including a contemplative practice and a creative idea, I’m including two articles I read over the past few weeks with reflections and ideas about how we grieve and memorialize loss in this extraordinary and particular time in our country’s history.  Here’s hoping we all have a moment to pause and reflect on those who gave their lives in service to our country in the past, as well as ways we can utilize our creativity to stand in solidarity with those facing the persistent sense of loss that is part of our current reality.  To that end, here is some food for thought:

Practice Remembering
*This New Yorker article did a beautiful job of sketching the difficult and painful reality of many families facing loss in the current COVID-related context, particularly the challenge of grieving and processing loss from a distance.  It’s a bit of an investment, so if you don’t have time to read the full article, this line in particular grabbed me for its honesty, simplicity, and hope:  “We are left to face this with what we have: our hearts, beating sadness and love, and our imaginations, this underused magical power.” 

*This article about two local chaplains (and Austin Seminary grads) got me thinking about ways to emulate their work to support friends and familycurrently grieving or struggling with loss during the pandemic.  I loved reading about their creative commitments to serve their clients from afar.

Memorization/Meditation:
In the spirit of Memorial Day, to keep our hearts and mind’s engaged:

This week’s verse:  “Do you see what this means—all these pioneers who blazed the way, all these veterans cheering us on? It means we’d better get on with it. Strip down, start running—and never quit!” (Hebrews 12:1 from Eugene Peterson’s The Message)
This week’s poem:   “Ailey, Baldwin, Floyd, Killens and Mayfield” by Maya Angelou

And if you still have time left, this article about what might be the first real celebration of Memorial Day was full of tenderness and tenacity and is absolutely worth the read. 

On that note, rest and rejuvenate and blessings on the week to come!

MLC

The post The Challenge of Grieving appeared first on 787 Collective.

As we’ve slid past the mid-point of May, it’s hard to believe that in a few weeks we’ll be close to three months on this journey.  Lots of feelings over here about that, and I would venture to guess that I’m not alone.  All the more reason to dig into another contemplative practice this week, and keep trying to find creative ways to nurture connection in the midst of uncertainty:

Contemplative Practice

Mindfulness Walking is a practice with roots in the Buddhist tradition, and this article from the National Catholic Reporter does a beautiful job of framing up intentional ways to consider the practice in firm, theological footing within the Christian tradition and Jesus’ call on our lives to walk together peacefully and eschew violence.  The author, himself a Catholic priest, describes what it was like to walk together silently in pairs, with no agenda other than peaceful, quiet time together.  I appreciate so much his point of how important and difficult it is to separate ourselves from a need for and attachment to outcomes, even on a walk:  walking TO somewhere or something, walking for exercise, walking the dog, walking to fulfill a requirement or check a box, walking faster to go further.  For some basic tips on mindfulness walking, here is a brief introduction with some specific ideas towards practice.

Something we can do together, apart:

Apropos walking, I am curious about utilizing a practice such as this for something a community could practice in solidarity.  Is there a time in the near future when a silent, socially distant walk in pairs might be possible?  Making this covenant with a friend or prayer partner would be odd but I also think meaningful.  But maybe hard to restrain our conversation after so much distance.  I spoke to a good friend today from the curb of her yard and could have talked for hours!  A more simple approach might be to commit to the discipline individually but collectively walk for someone or something.  In times such as these, acts of spiritual solidarity are not to be underestimated.  There is much brokenness in our world that is surfacing in ways both new and old.  Along those lines, I read and recommend this powerful article about the death of Ahmaud Arbery that is a call to both political and spiritual action at a time when our awareness around the necessity for change feels extraordinarily palpable.  Accountability and repentance are hard, but together we can do it, through Christ who instructs and strengthens us.

Memorization/Meditation:
Engaging our hearts and brains on the journey:

This week’s verse:  “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.” (Mark 5:9)
This week’s poem:   what the cathedral said to the black boy by Clint Smith

Peace and grace, 

MLC

The post Spiritual Solidarity appeared first on 787 Collective.

Another week is drawing to a close and it’s hard to tell what/if/how we know more.   Things are shifting it seems, but some days it feels hard to imagine just where and when this ship is going to land.  We shared around this topic on our Tuesday call, trying to engage in some visioning space around what “good” would look like when we reach the other side of this pandemic.  Somehow casting specific vision around the future and bringing that to articulation felt good, and reminded us all of how different our individual positionality can be, as well as the context of each of our communities.  Starting to think forward, even if it’s only articulating hopes and dreams at this point, feels like a necessary exercise while so much remains up in the air.  In the meantime, here are some thoughts, ideas and information along the way:

CONSIDER

*The specific struggles of distinct populations in the midst of this pandemic.  This week a few pieces along these lines caught my eye:  This one on the mental health crisis faced by American farmers trying to manage stock in the midst of a faultering food chain while maintaining their livelihood during the pandemic, as well as this article about the mental health of children specifically.   I also see more news surfacing about both the economic and health ramifications of the pandemic in and among Native American communities.  This article highlights the specific struggles facing the Navajo nation.

*Closer to home, KUT produced two pieces about how COVID is affecting construction workers in the community, as well as a piece on the disproportionate number of hospitalizations as a result of COVID among Latino populations, diving into the deeper and more complicated effect the virus has on communities of color in Austin, a trend mirrored nationally.  This all seems relevant to our faith communities as we engage in responses that attend to the evolving needs of our cities and find creative ways to practice solidarity with and support for those near and far.

DO

*Important to remember we always hold the power to share kindness often, hold those we can close, and practice generosity as best we can both near and far.  This article is a surprising and beautiful read about the enduring kindness of two distant communities drown close over the CENTURIES through shared kindness.

*Perhaps you or someone in your community might have the capacity to join the growing corps of contact tracing volunteers that Austin needs as we move into the next phases of engaging the pandemic.  You can learn more about what UT Health needs in and from volunteers (there is no direct contact with folks, but internet access is a must) by checking out their call for volunteers here.

ATTEND
*In the midst of so much to do and so much change and new information coming our way, it can be easy to ignore our own feelings as they arise.   In our household, besides combatting exhaustion and frustration with what is beginning to seem like a marathon haul, waves of anger and irritability also seem to be on the rise.  This TED talk on the upside of anger, and why it can ultimately be a healthy emotion, was helpful food for thought.

*In this time of distancing, it seems more important than ever to strengthen the basic art of conversation for ourselves and our communities, particularly after the last decade of technological rise which has been less than conducive for true conversation building.  This article from Bloomberg highlights three different perspectives on the importance of good conversation, and ways we can practice and enhance our art, even remotely.

IMAGINE

*Personally, I’m ready to do a little summer dreaming, even if those dreams may never come to fruition.  And National Geographic agrees.  Check out this article where they claim that planning a future trip may be more important than ever.

*Take a cue from these retirees and find a way to capitalize on something you love, particularly if it connects you to other people.  Read about their inspiring turn as DJs on pirate radio here.  And just for fun, here’s a direct link to their show, Radio Recliner. 

*Like many of us, if travel in the next few months just isn’t on the horizon, plumb your own soul for new terrain this summer by joining this online adventure we designed for folks navigating transition at any stage in life.  It will be a journey worth taking!

Regardless of where we end up, it’s always a pleasure traveling with you all.  Here is a beautiful poem for travelers of all sort to send you off into your weekend:  Blessing of the Boats by Lucille Clifton.

May your Sabbath be full of rest, and your sails always full-

MLC

The post Casting a Vision: Hopes and Dreams appeared first on 787 Collective.

CONSIDER:
*This relatively short read from VICE describes the science behind what many of us experience as general fatigue and challenge concentrating.  It’s a fast, fun, informative read
*Less fast and fun, but still important, is this piece from the “Well” department at The New York Times.  It’s one to consider and perhaps even file away, as it details some solid care and observational practices to employ in the event you or someone you love is dealing directly with COVID.  If you’re super anxious, it might not be worth the read, but if you prefer to have all the information, all the time (that’s me), you will appreciate it. 
*And extremely important, but not covered enough right now, are all the changes (sudden and otherwise) affecting our border and immigration policies in the midst of this culturally and politically unprecedented time. Read about the recent change to the Migrant Children Protection Plan here. 

LISTEN

*Recent thoughts and conversations about what it means to frame-up a  “successful” day during this pandemic got me thinking about this not-so-recent but excellent TED RADIO Hour podcast about how we define success, definitely worth a listen if and when you can.  It’s great food for thought during a time when we are forced to scale back and yet many facets of our lives are overlapping.  Alain de Boton makes a wonderful point in his segment, reminding us that we can’t be good at everything all the time, and this is painfully true for many parents working from home as previously space-bound environments overlap.  This format of the TED Radio Hour allows you to listen to an entire podcast or break it up in segments, so if you don’t have sustained time to listen, you can take in the topic over shorter intervals.  You may also want to consider checking out their most recent episode which explores “What We Value” in light of the pandemic. We’ve had lots of Tuesday conversations around how the economy will re-shape itself in the wake of COVID, and this episode looks like a fascinating exploration of the topic.  
*I attended a front yard concert a few weeks back and it did wonders for my spirit.  KUT highlights the evolving practice of socially-distanced front yard concerts in our music-loving hometown here. 

RE-CONSIDER

*It’s never too late to learn from history and I loved this odd but fascinating read that dives into a young nurse’s commentary on the 1918 flu epidemic.  They use the term “cognitive whiplash” to dissect the fascinating range of emotions that the nurse reveals in a letter to a close friend (the letter was part of an on-line exhibit last year from the National Archive about the impact of the 1918 flu).   It named something I often feel, a sense of trying to maintain normalcy while actually wrapping my head around how big and impactful this crisis is for our world.  And her life and pluck and courage are pretty fantastic. 
*On a similar note, this CNN article highlights compelling voices and stories from the Great Depression originally published in Hard Times:  An Oral History of the Great Depression by Studs Terkel.  Remembering Americans who persevered through hardship and the ways it changed them was both uplifting and inspiring.

WATCH

*The super moon, as long as we can.
*This four minute story from PBS about a New York dance troupe that totally reconfigures how they make work, but keeps making work to explore the spiritual and creative side of quarantine.  And they cite Proverbs!  
*And last but absolutely not least, this short video developed by a 26 yr old in New Zealand and his younger brother and sister.  It is a quarantine fairytale, and a good one to send ourselves off to sleep with any night.  The young adult composed the poetic tale, then produced this video to share it. 

I’ll leave you with this poem by Wendell Berry that a friend shared with me when I really needed it-

May you go with the peace of wild things,

MLC

The post Consider: The Peace of Wild Things appeared first on 787 Collective.

I wrote this poem as a love letter to the U.S. border town of Douglas, AZ in reference to its sister border city Agua Prieta, MX. Douglas and Agua Prieta for the most part act as one single place for me and many people. But, the increase in border militarization and organized crime has allowed fear and violence to create a gap in the relationship between these two sister cities. I hope the poem can serve a reminder to us that we are siblings who come from the divine, and that God’s love calls us to come together and fight for unity to be with our siblings instead of separation.

 Dear Brother Douglas,

I looked through the wall and saw your sister,
she seemed so different than what they whisper.

I felt a sense that all is peaceful,
even though she’s grown with lots of people.

She has her flaws: the violence and drugs,
and when it rains her streets always flood.

But, I’ve seen another part of your sister,
it’s the part that they never whisper.  

She’s become a great diverse community, 
but still a place where you feel unity.

She’s full of restaurants from carnitas to sushi,
with lots of places that remind you of movies.

Her churches are full of loving people,
who will love and bless you under the church steeple.

So fear not, she’s still your sister,
and I know deep inside you miss her.

She looks above a red steel wall,
and invites you to come over and play baseball.

A border united, two countries as one,
a brother and sister under the high desert sun.

James Martin

 

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