What Makes Your Heart Sing?!

Late November roses... Miles Winery, Seneca Lake, New York

"What makes your heart sing?"  I had to answer that question in 2011.  At stake was a grant from the Lilly Endowment for Clergy Renewal.  I thought about it a lot and the only answer that came to mind was this: “Beauty.”  Everyone appreciates pretty things, right?  But for a long time I’ve known I need healthy doses of daily beauty to survive.  In 1993, I moved my family from suburban New York State to the coast of Maine so I could look at the ocean instead of strip malls on the way to work.  It wasn’t a wise career move, and it didn’t last long.  Since then, I have been finding other ways to fill my life and mind with beautiful things.

Beauty can be found pretty much anywhere, I think: a garden in an otherwise bleak city block; the colors and texture of a well-put-together meal; the faces of people of all varieties and ages.  I am living in the suburbs again, in a row of look-alike houses, yet even there I find beauty in the mid-century orange brick and the artwork I collect and arrange indoors.  My partner is a beautiful man, and I have two young adult children who delight me with their creative abilities.  I am surrounded by beauty, and it makes my heart sing.

My sabbatical theme is the same as the title of this blog: “With Eyes Wide Open; Finding and Creating Beauty in the Lands of the Bible.”  For three months I will travel with drawing supplies, camera, and Ipad, and will attempt to capture beauty in every form possible.  Cooking classes will supplement the artwork and writing.  The folks back home at St. Stephens-Bethlehem United Church of Christ will find their own beauty in Western New York and will share an art show with me on my return.  Together we will feast on foods I learn to make in Middle Eastern and Mediterranean countries.  A locally-published book will contain the drawings, photos, and journal entries produced in the Holy Lands.

The United Church of Christ encourages sabbaticals for clergy, and they are routinely included in work covenants.  The church I serve is the result of two congregations that merged in 2010. Because I had already served over four years in one of the prior churches, it was decided I would be eligible for a three-month sabbatical in 2013.  A hard-working and generous planning team applied for the coveted Lilly Grant.  We received word in September 2011 that the church would receive almost $50,000 to fund my sabbatical travels and cover staff expenses in my absence.  Thus began eighteen months of waiting. 

After counting down for so many months, it’s hard to believe the journey starts in just eleven weeks.  Planning has been like an extra full-time job for the past six months or so.  Most evenings when I’m not at church, I sit at the computer and research things like the best way to get from one desert location to another or where to stay in various cities at minimal cost.  The list of things to bring along keeps getting longer, and the amount of luggage I’m advised to bring keeps getter smaller.  There’s still much to figure out, but even the planning is an exciting adventure.

My partner, Leroy, a public school teacher, is fortunate to be able to take a leave of absence so we can experience three months of international travel together.  We’re good traveling companions, but we’ve never been together twenty-four hours a day for three months!  I look forward to sharing this experience with him.

The next blog entry will be a summary of travel plans.  I’ll probably write a few more before leaving on April 1, but mostly this blog will be a way for friends, family, colleagues, and church folks at SSBUCC to follow our journey after that date.  :-)