a little summer update
What is there to say, these days? What is there to add to the already chaos of words bombarding us with all kinds of news, not anything I need to add to or tell you, because you already know. What a strange, unifying experience- we are all so estranged from each other, and yet, from now on, we have this in common: that our life with our small worries was disrupted in the most unforeseen way, and we are walking into a new life- all of us.
It has been an extremely difficult transition, for me, for pretty much everyone in the entire world. It has been a time of quiet, and a time of so much noise, all at once. We are walking it together, imperfectly. We have such an opportunity in front of us in these days to love, actively, to consider our neighbor as greater than ourselves, to step into the shoes of those we don't understand or never cared to listen to, to be radically generous with time, money, and spirit, and to care with simple actions. It isn't easy. It is uncomfortable, physically and emotionally. But it is necessary. And it is good. And we can do it if we do it together. (More on this in the future.)
The main reason I wanted to write today is to update you on a little change you will be seeing around Bird Songs and Saints. Starting today (!) I will be posting more regularly, and sharing original poems from my notebook with you, my dear readers. The reason for this is twofold: 1. Writing poems has been such a comfort and space to process during this season of unrest, terror, and hate. It is pretty much the only thing I can manage to write these days. 2. The tectonic plates of my heart have been shifting, and I want to lean into that! This space has been a safe place for me to share my heart, and I want it to be a place of accountability in my creative work as well. That's all I will say for now... :) (More on this in the future too).
Okay, logistically speaking, to wrap things up. After you finish reading this, click the button that says "Poetry" on the menu above to see my first poem, the brave leader of this new venture. Hooray! After you finish reading that, hop on over to the Introductions page, to see what I'm up to now. I updated the page a bit, because it occurred to me that I have been in Boise for a year (what on earth) and my life is much more solidified here now than it was a year ago. God is so incredibly faithful! I am so thankful for this journey God has me on, and again, so thankful you all are in it. Please someone let me know if you try these things and are met with failure. I would also recommend reading the poems on a computer because the phone view screws up the line breaks, for some reason. Send help. Technology is my nemesis, and, though I am learning, I am losing the battle. (Truly I already had to change it because it didn't work the first time! Side note: If you are good with websites, I would be VERY willing to meet with you to teach me how to make this site better!)
That's all for now! Just know things are shifting near and far, in your heart and in mine, and all over. We will make it through, together, and stronger for it. I believe that. I truly do.
Keep the hoping machine running.
-alyssa
p.s. I love you (hehe), and I would love to talk to anyone, if you need someone to talk to. Or, if you want to drop a comment below, those are always welcome. :)