Dear Friends ~

It’s been a while since I last found my way to this space. As a new year approaches, I want to let you know that hineyni, I’m here, alive and breathing hope for the just world I believe is coming to and through us, even as I write these words. What have I been doing to bring this new world to life? What have you been doing? 

I write this now from a small island in the St. Lawrence River. Pumpkin Island is the vacation spot our family has been privileged to retreat to every summer for the past twenty-six years, thanks to the good fortune—and good judgment—of my in-laws. We don’t expect the island to remain in the family much longer, so we treat each summer visit as it could be our last. This is our third of three weeks up here this season—one in the beginning, the middle, and now at the end of summer. For me, every day here is a thank you for the blessing of this family and this rocky island with its lush mosses and lichens that splatter the pink-hued granite with even more color—ice green, turmeric yellow. And for the trees here, such admiration! The roots of hemlocks, white pines and oak trees find their way expertly around the rocks. I bow before the light that dances on the waters surrounding us all.

It is poignant to be here, not only because this summer could be our last, but because the place itself, the archipelago that is the Thousand Islands, has been noticeably changed by the Climate Crisis. Well into August, the St. Lawrence, fed by abnormally high waters in the Great Lakes, submerged the docks and decks of many homes and commercial establishments—marinas and restaurants that sustain the economic lifeblood of the local communities here. It took until mid-August for the river to recede from the mooring places. In 2017, there was a similar, though shorter-lived, high water event. At the time folks around here spoke of it as a “once in a hundred years” event. We can now chalk that up to wishful thinking.

This is how the front dock looked, still under water in late July, 2019.

Still I come here to bless and be blessed by this place, while we still can and to bring back blessing to the City of Love. On the day I write this, many friends and comrades rally at City Hall in solidarity with the Global Climate Strike. If I were in Philly, I would certainly be among them. These days, wherever I am, I am devoted in prayer and action to electing a transformational president of these United States, one whom I trust to face head on the global emergency that is Climate Change. It is my fervent hope that Bernie Sanders becomes that president. I believe Bernie is the candidate who, along with the multi-racial, working class movement behind him, has the necessary fortitude to confront the oligarchy destroying so much life on this gorgeous planet. Earlier this summer, Wendy and I helped each other make brief videos to support the Sanders campaign. We then sent them around to spark conversation with family and friends. Here is  #MyBernieStory. Give a listen and let me know what you think.

For me this political work is profoundly spiritual. Following and supporting the Bernie campaign takes me to the heart of compassion and the foundation of justice that, when we claim it, is our natural inheritance. How can we claim it then? One way is to insist, collectively, on politicians who truly represent us, leaders who stand for the well-being of the people who elect them. For me, Sanders has set the standard for what a politician can and should be. 

We must insist on such integrity on the local as well as the national level. Here in Philadelphia, we have the potential this November to elect two community organizers of the highest caliber to City Council. They are Kendra Brooks and Nicholas O’Rourke, and they are running on the Working Families Party to unseat the two Republicans who occupy the obligatory minority seats. If they win—and they have a good shot at it—they would replace two firmly entrenched members of the status quo, significantly shifting political power towards the people of our fair city.

I write this to let you know what I am doing these days with what Mary Oliver calls my “one precious life.”  If you live in Philadelphia, please check out Nicolas and Kendra’s campaigns and offer support in the ways that fit you. If you live in Northwest Philadelphia, you may talk directly to me, since I’m helping to coordinate volunteer efforts in the neighborhood. If you would like to talk with me about the Presidential Election, please reach out. I would love to share thoughts with you.

On the poetry front, I am putting the finishing touches on the new volume of Through the Gates, which I rolled out in daily audio messages last spring. The print version will be ready for the spring of 2020. This Fall will bring seven weeks of a new Writing Circle in my kitchen. We’ll be scribbling and listening to one another here on Friday afternoons throughout October and November. There is space for one or two more, so check the details on the right side of this page and contact me now if you would like to be part of it. You can read more about my Writing Circles here.

Much love, much hope, much strength~

Susan