In front of my apartment is an unmaintained median. Rain + unmaintained space = AJ is going to grow something. I took advantage of the situation and planted beans in the median. It was mischievous, it had little risk, and it opened up a possibility for many collateral benefits.
There’s a curious phrase in the first chapter of Acts: “a sabbath day’s journey.” It refers to the short walk between Jerusalem and the Mount of Olives — just under a mile. What I love about this detail is that it shows how Sabbath is not only about what we don’t do, but about how we move through the world with intention.
Christmas is a time of celebrating a great mystery and wonderful sacrament of God choosing incarnation. Jesus was embodied. So are we.
This year I’m wondering if gratitude is more about my eyes. Is gratitude about seeing the things around us in a more generous lens?
As we approach Thanksgiving, I am mindful that the “first thanksgiving” meal in 1621 was a hunted harvest feast. Reports are that colonists hunted wild turkey for the celebration, and Wampanoag hunters brought five deer. Hunting was essential to survival.
While Joyfield Farm isn’t unique, we are countercultural. Are you part of this counterculture, too? It’s simple. Be willing to need someone.
As I approach my first Day of the Dead (Dia de los Muertos) with no living grandparents, I think about how I will not share a meal with them again until I join them. This leaves me reflecting on what ways of honoring and remembering my ancestors can fit into my Mennonite practice.
