Dear Ones -

When you receive the preview for this week you will see that Holly and I are stealing a line from a poem of Hafiz as title for our talk. Our goal/hope is that the talk will contribute to all of us being able to live with less fear and more hope - as well as peace, love and joy.

I love the poetry of Hafiz and a new one found me this week:

“Fear is the cheapest room in the house.
I’d rather see you in better living conditions.”

There are several ways to move into “better living conditions.” Keep a gratitude journal. Write notes to people you are thinking about or whom you know would appreciate such a “personal touch.” Watch the movie “Life Itself” on Amazon. Take canned goods to the EAC (5401 Fannin). Don’t watch more than ten or fifteen minutes of “news” a day. My hunch is that you know some things that would bring you joy even in these upended times.

You could also spend some time thinking about:

Questions you would like for Holly to ask me,
Questions you would me to ask Holly,
Topics you would like to see the two of us address.

You can e-mail these directly from this website using the “contact” menu option. Or you can text directly to me - 713-594-9180 - or directly to Holly - 832-314-0680.

As you likely know, the county in which Houston is located, as well as Fort Bend country, is under a “stay at home” order. We are not supposed to leave our homes except for essential tasks and errands. We pre-recorded the services that will be streamed this Sunday from St. Paul’s. It was decided, given all things to consider, that it made both more sense and was easier for us to live stream Ordinary Life from our usual place at the usual time this week. Your contributions would be helpful.

Live-streaming from an empty space is surreal. We don’t/can’t do it by ourselves. William Budge and Olivia Watson form the team created by Tim Leatherwood that makes it happen. They are our Ordinary Life heroes. Last week John Watson took these photos of us while we were teaching. We wish we could see you personally and that day will come.

Be well and much love,

Bill Kerley