I wrote the letter version of this post before our workshop on Thursday the 16th. But as it turns out, I am able to add it as a blog post with some time on Saturday! So! It turns out that everyone I had hoped would come true, came true! Everything I saw in my “crystal ball” was a true seeing. I know my community, you know me! There were nearly forty of us on the call, and several others have written to say that they’ve watched the recording of the workshop or would like to. If you would like to get a taste of my teaching style, how I am in person, and perhaps consider registering for the course mentioned below, that would be wonderful. Otherwise, just enjoy my basking in your GLORY! Thank you, community of The Way of the River, for teaching me more and more all the time!

Beloved –

Write, delete, write, delete, write, delete, write, delete…I feel like a “Saturday night sermonator,” as my congregational minister friends say.

There are so many things on my mind this week. So many. I am tired of pandemic. I have been lonely for hugs from my friends. I am worried about my friends in protests. I am concerned about elections all over the country. My mind is not restful tonight, as full of things as it is…

But really, if I breathe a little, you eclipse them all! As of this writing, more than twice the number of people I expected to register for the free workshop, Make a Hard Choice that Feels Right, have signed up. More than TWICE! And it was you, you, you who did it! And as of your reading this email, the workshop happened, and I know, because I know you, that it was a great success.

I was given an honest-to-goodness crystal ball this year for a birthday gift (seriously, it’s labradorite—what could be more perfect?—and I love it!), but I don’t need it to know what has happened by the time you read this.

I know, because I know you, that I was delighted to put faces to names. So many different people making up such a wonderful meadow filled with more kinds of flowers than I can count. A glorious riot of names and faces, like the flowers that bloom where butterflies and bees love to come and create fruitfulness in the world.

I know, because I know you, that (despite having felt nervous enough to throw up on my shoes ahead of time) once I saw you, I was suffused with the love that I had for this community.

And I know that we had a good talk. I mean, inasmuch as anyone can know these things a few days in advance. I have faith, though, that we had a good time, and that I have you to thank.

Whom do I mean by, “you”?

I mean everyone who receives this little letter every week. You, who are critical. You, who don’t read and don’t even know I’ve been typing. You, who wait with eagerness to open this note every week. You, who are part of the Facebook community—and there are folks there who aren’t here, so you know, there’s another “them” becoming “us.”

All of you. All of us.

It’ll be six years this fall since I started sending out The Way of the River Reflections. And that’s six years since I just started asking my friends, hey, would you be interested in hearing some of what I have to say? I had been writing a blog for a good long time by then—writing about ritual and mental illness and fat and politics and courage and grace… And so I thought maybe the people who read my blog would be willing to read some love letters.

And so here we are, having had a lovely time together, a couplafew dozen of us, the other night, talking about one method to use for aiming at an outcome that feels good and right and solid. I’m so glad to have been able to share the time we did.

And I confess, I’m curious; now that we’ve had that time together, who among us might enjoy spending some more time together? Who might like to sign up for Making Hard Choices: The Art of Discernment? Who might like to dig into some interesting material at their own pace, choosing what you like, joining together on live calls when you can, spending some time in the Facebook group if you do the Facebook thing? I’d really love to see you – and if you find you need more information than that page gives you, go to our Testimonials page, or to the About Catharine page, and find out more about what you might be getting yourself into if you join us in August.

So one last thing, comrades of The Way of the River, there are many new folks about! So if you are one who frequents our Facebook Community Group, please do welcome new folks, and be on the lookout for people coming in. And those of you who are now here receiving my love letter for the first time, do feel welcome to the Facebook Group linked above. We have some lovely weekly traditions, and folks reach out to their comrades for help and love and care and in delight and in joy. We’d love to have you there, so please do go ahead and sign up at your leisure.

Blessings and so much gratitude –

~Catharine~

PS – Before the page was ever live, the Making Hard Choices: The Art of Discernment had seven people who asked to sign up. I reckon by now that spaces may actually be dwindling—in fact, as of Saturday, we had 18 people registered. I had been hoping for 20, but will not turn anyone away up to 24 folks. Not to make my head too big to fit through the door, but it really was lovely to see you all on Thursday—nearly forty of you—and I hope more of you will come together August 3.