Thank you, ACPE!

As most of you know, poetry is one of the most important sources of life for my soul. As this is my final article for ACPE, I want to offer two pieces I love from Julia Fehrenbacher. The first echoes my reflections on my time with you:

I am making a home inside myself. A shelter

of kindness where everything

is forgiven, everything allowed—a quiet patch

of sunlight to stretch out without hurry,

where all that has been banished

and buried is welcomed, spoken, listened to—released.

A fiercely friendly place I can claim as my very own.

I am throwing arms open

to the whole of myself—especially the fearful,

fault-finding, falling apart, unfinished parts, knowing

every seed and weed, every drop

of rain, has made the soil richer.

I will light a candle, pour a hot cup of tea, gather

around the warmth of my own blazing fire. I will howl

if I want to, knowing this flame can burn through

any perceived problem, any prescribed perfectionism,

any lying limitation, every heavy thing.

I am making a home inside myself

where grace blooms in grand and glorious

abundance, a shelter of kindness that grows

all the truest things.

I whisper hallelujah to the friendly

sky. Watch now as I burst into blossom.

In so many ways, the process that is CPE has not only transformed my life but saved it. In my work, I have tried to serve in a manner that expresses that gratitude to each and every one of you throughout our shared celebrations, accomplishments, and hard days – perhaps especially on the hard days. “I whisper hallelujah to the friendly sky.”

As I transition to a new horizon, I leave offering this gift – it is for all of us, inviting us into a grounded space that will serve us well as we make our way into the unknown: