Month: March 2026

Traveling Gladly Beyond #3

In 2025, on a trip to Antarctica with my friend Faye, we polar plunged.

I’m calling this Series, “Gladly Beyond” from a line in an e.e. cummings poem

“somewhere I have never traveled, gladly beyond.”

“Gladly Beyond!” There is so much to this world. Let’s Leap!

This week, I did something very bold. Something that, for me, was truly “gladly beyond.”

If it comes to fruition, I’ll share the specifics. But right now, I’m celebrating not the outcome, but the courage it took to attempt something new.

For a while, I’ve been noticing a particular kind of work – work I’m actually quite good at – simply isn’t being done. I checked. I looked. I asked around. No one seemed to have noticed the need for this work or imagined the role.

Rather than stewing about why no one was doing it or complaining that someone should have seen how much this action could ease a situation – both tactics I’ve used in earlier times – I wrote a proposal. I identified the problem, offered solutions, and suggested that I be paid to pursue them. If nothing comes of it, I’ll be sorry, but I will also know I tried to make our environment better and to improve outcomes for all involved. I offered my help. Now it’s up to them.

This is a huge departure for me. I might once have volunteered to tackle this for free — a typical choice. But this time, I didn’t hesitate to imagine what could be different, and to propose myself as the one to do it. I didn’t assume someone else would be better. I wrote it up – and rewrote and rewrote – until I was several yards beyond what I would normally consider my capacity. It’s a real problem. I have a real solution. And those to whom I pitched it now have a real choice.

That is as far as I can take it. It’s in their laps. The monumental thing is that I dared to write it. I dared to submit it. I leapt. And when I later found an article supporting my proposal, I sent that along too.

This was an unbelievably large step into my talents and growth. I went gladly beyond my usual barriers and invented obstacles. At nearly 74, I decided – for the first time – that I had a great solution and that they deserved the opportunity to say yes and to support me in addressing it.

I have dared before. But I have also been timid about using my deepest abilities to change the world. I’ve relied on my skills – the things I learned and polished. This situation touches my core abilities. I said, “Here I am, and I can do a better job than you can imagine.”

There are many reasons I’m only now coming into my own. I wasn’t raised to step out. Nor was I raised to pursue the things I would excel at. Truthfully, some of the things I’m doing now no one else has imagined. Too often, I’ve gone along and done good work. This, however, would be my work.

I’ve been getting ready. I’ve written my daily poems for nearly 16 years. It took me until December of last year to catch my own eye in the mirror and say, “Hey — I’m a poet.” You might have thought I would have caught on when I dared (once again) to publish my book. But no. Somehow, this time, many things coalesced for me and helped me see that while I see the world relationally, my expression is metaphor and verse. And thanks to modern technology, I have a place to share my thoughts.

And now, I may have another venue. Or not. But in the meantime, I took the big leap. I liked it. I’ll do it again. I invite you to consider leaping too. You never know how amazing you are until you test your mettle.

I believe in us. Peace will not happen if we do not leap gladly beyond. There is plenty going on in this world reminding us of that. Your Peacemaking is needed – join me.

See you soon. Meanwhile, I’ll be off leaping into Peace.

Salaam, Shalom, Peace, and Blessed Be.

Spiritual Kintsugi #3

Spiritual Kintsugi asks us to imagine that what is broken in us, between us, and around us, can be repaired with Love — strong, steady, golden Love. But if we are going to mend anything in this world, we must learn how to provide for the work of repair. In my last Substack, I began to explore The Possibilities of Spiritual Kintsugi. Provision is the second P in our Spiritual Kintsugi Path.

We live in a world that keeps breaking. Families fracture. Communities fray. Fear is marketed as a product. Scarcity is preached as common sense. And yet, if we are going to heal anything, we must learn to gather the resources — spiritual and material — that make repair possible.

The Five Ps of Spiritual Kintsugi Peace (Kintsugi 1):

  • Possibilities — the first glimmer of gold, the moment we realize repair is possible (Kintsugi 2.).
  • Provision: the resources – spiritual and material – that make repair possible
  • Persistence: steadily holding pieces – old and new – together long enough to allow a bond to set and heal.
  • Purpose: the reminder that we repair because the vessel still has meaning.
  • Peace: the restored bowl, even more beautiful because it was broken.

This Substack focuses on Provision; the gold that makes the glue is not only strong and utilitarian, it also makes the Possibilities we’re building more beautiful.

What Provision Really Means

Provision is not just money. It is the commitment to make repair possible — in ourselves, in our communities, and in the world. It is the spiritual practice of saying: “I will help make sure there is enough: enough time, enough care, enough courage, enough resources. And perhaps most importantly: enough imagination to transform this problem into Possibility!

Provision is the opposite of scarcity thinking. Scarcity says, “There isn’t enough.” Provision rolls up its sleeves and says, “We can make enough together. How willing are you to help?”

What Doesn’t Work

We cannot build Peace on the foundations of a war economy, where profits are concentrated in the hands of the warmongers, and losses are widespread affecting people in all countries. Compounding the problem, reinvestment in affected communities has all but disappeared. Immediately after WWII, the American government responded to inequities, at least in white communities, with housing tracts, the GI Bill, VA loans. Substantial investments were made to rebuild the US economy. These were balanced with the Marshal Plan abroad. Today we see something entirely different. Our administration is content to deliver scarcity rather than abundance, as wealth and profit are concentrated in the hands of the few rather than equitably distributed among the many. They’ve learned that Fear is profitable, hopelessness is profitable, division is profitable. None of that will ever produce Peace. They don’t want Peace. But we do. So, it’s up to us to find new ways forward.

What Does Work

What has always worked — in wars, disasters, pandemics, and ordinary hard times — is sharing: people feeding one another, housing one another, helping to pay one another’s debts, and stepping in where systems fail.

We see it everywhere:

  • Mutual aid groups meet immediate needs with astonishing speed.
  • Medical debt relief frees families from despair for pennies on the dollar.
  • Undies for Everyone and similar groups provide very basic dignity to children in crisis.
  • Bail funds free people jailed and kept incarcerated simply because they are poor.
  • Philanthropists like MacKenzie Scott shift billions toward communities long denied resources, and the differences are palpable.

These are all forms of Provision — this is golden glue in action.

And here’s the truth: most of us don’t have billions, But all of us have something: a few dollars, a few hours. A skill. A connection. A willingness. All provision is not heroic. It is communal. It gains ground slowly until suddenly momentum happens. What started the ball rolling was a simple ask. Finding ways to source the golden glue is Spiritual Kintsugi.

For Those Who Don’t Know How to Help

Many people care deeply but don’t know how or where to begin providing support. They feel too isolated, too uncertain, too overwhelmed. Let me say this plainly: You don’t have to fix everything. You have only to help repair one crack at a time. In most cases, provision is not accomplished by grand gestures. It comes about through steady, ordinary generosity.

So, give where you can. Support what aligns with your heart. Join with friends to make a bigger impact. Choose one place to begin. Peace is built from people’s many small acts of golden glue. Our small acts.

And we can call on the money-wise. There are those who understand money — bankers, fund managers, accountants, financial planners. There are people who can read a spreadsheet the way others read a poem. Wonderful people, we need you.

If we don’t like what we see in the world — together, we have the skills to help build something different. The idea of a Peace economy is not naïve. It is necessary to the Earth’s and to Humanity’s well-being. It will take people who understand how resources move, how systems work, and how to sustain what matters. All our gifts are part of the golden glue.

The Hard Part: Maintaining What Is Necessary for Peace

Provision requires determination. Not only generosity, but also commitment. Peace movements don’t fund themselves. Mutual aid doesn’t sustain itself. Spiritual Kintsugi doesn’t happen without people willing to invest — time, money, imagination, courage.

But I think warmongers underestimate the coalitions that are building. These coalitions cross lines, joining communities who have never connected. Peacemakers have a lot more education than we had in earlier times. There are more people trained in economics, community organizing, philanthropy, and justice work. More people who know how to build structures that endure —held together as they are by golden glue.

My Friends, we can do this. This golden glue does require money. Together, we can amass that. Together, we have more courage to stand up — and more ideas about how to go about it. If we focus on small steps, we’ll soon be taking big ones — together. We will repair. We will rebuild. Most importantly, we will build something new and beautiful and connected in Peace.

An Invitation to Provide

Spiritual Kintsugi invites us to awaken to what is broken and imagine how Love — golden, steady, deliberate — might help us repair and reshape our world. What if we strengthened what is already working? What if we invested in what is already healing? What if we believed a more perfect union is possible — one built on humanity, decency, inclusion, and joy? What connections are you making? How will you move Peace forward?

Possibilities allow us to take the first steps toward Peace. Provision shares the bounty and makes space for all who are set on Peace. It makes space for them to join the community in Providing the needed support.

The golden glue enables these dreams of repair and rebuilding possible. Let’s become the gold and the glue and start filling in the cracks.

More to Come

In future Substack articles, I’ll explore Persistence, Purpose, and Peace — the remaining steps in becoming Kintsugi artists in a world longing to be made whole.

For now, look for the glimmers of gold.

Find the places where repair is already happening.

Provide what you can.

Join the movement and take your place in the work.

Salaam, Shalom, Peace, and Blessed Be.

With Love, Ann

*Kintsugi – the Japanese art of repairing pottery with golden glue – teaches that cracks are not flaws to hide, but places where beauty can emerge.

Salaam, Shalom, Peace, and Blessed Be!

Spiritual Kintsugi #2: First Glimmers of Gold

In my last Substack, I suggested that Spiritual Kintsugi might help us reimagine and heal what is broken in, between, and among us. Kintsugi — the Japanese art of repairing pottery with golden glue — teaches that cracks are not flaws to hide, rather they are places where beauty can emerge. When I began exploring Spiritual Kintsugi, I wondered whether we might heal our own brokenness with Love — strong, stunning, golden Love. And if that were true for individuals, might it also be true for families, communities, even nations?

I proposed five Ps that move us toward Peace:

  • Possibilities: the first glimmer of gold, the moment we realize repair is possible.
  • Provision: the resources – spiritual and material – that make repair possible.
  • Persistence: the steady work of holding the pieces together long enough for healing.
  • Purpose: the reminder that we repair because the vessel still has meaning.
  • Peace: the restored bowl, even more beautiful because it was broken.

Possibilities Comes First

If we don’t believe things can change, we’re not Peacemaking — we’re daydreaming. Possibility is the moment we stop sighing and start imagining

with intention. It’s the spark that says, What if? It’s the shift from despair to curiosity.

One of the first steps in Peacemaking is noticing what’s already working. We don’t always need to invent something new. Sometimes we can adapt something that worked elsewhere. Sometimes we can study what almost worked and ask why it didn’t. Possibility is practical. It asks: What small action could we take right now that might have a big impact?

Gather your people. Take that first action step. Celebrate your success. Then ask, What’s next? Peacemakers keep their hands open and share the gold.

The Takery: A Possibility That Grew

One of my favorite examples of the Possibilities of Peacemaking is the Takery — a multifaith effort to feed people in our small rust‑belt city of Sunbury, PA. A handful of Christians, Jews, Muslims, and Unitarian Universalists gathered to ask how we could help. We had little money, but we had skills, relationships, and one rabbi who is an extraordinary baker.

We began by offering free baked goods — sweetness and conversation. But we quickly realized people were hungry. So, we expanded. Now, years later, more than a hundred people come each month for canned goods, household items, sandwiches, a hot meal, and camaraderie. The people we serve now help us set up. Children pitch in. The staff eats the same meal as our guests. Leaders from many faith traditions meet joyfully — in all weather — to share abundance.

We looked at Possibilities. We recognized everyone’s gifts. And the gold began to heal the brokenness of hunger and loneliness.

The Shape of Justice: Another Possibility

At the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of the Susquehanna Valley, we noticed many girls and women in our region were struggling with period poverty — the inability to afford menstrual products for all the women in the family. So we created a small nonprofit to supply period products to rural aid programs. Three volunteers – none paid — raised funds, built partnerships, and distributed supplies across several counties. Women could work. Girls could attend school. As we said: “Sometimes the shape of justice is a tampon.”

Eventually we retired, and another organization took over. The work continues. That’s Possibility: seeing a need, doing what you can, and trusting others to carry it forward. In the case of Shape of Justice, the golden possibilities of Peacemaking enabled women to fully participate in everyday opportunities. Others now continue to bridge those gaps.

Possibility as Golden Glue

Possibility begins when you notice a crack in someone’s life and think — we can fix that. It’s not always grand or glamorous. It’s simply the sweet glimmer of gold that appears when you match a real problem with a realistic solution and you decide to apply your time and talent.

Every success strengthens the hearts of those involved. Success attracts others. Ideas multiply. Communities grow more generous. And suddenly — look at you — you’ve started a movement. Peacemaking is simply using your knowledge, skills, and laughter to make life kinder and easier. Celebrate every success. Let the gold shine. Actions don’t need to be earth-shattering or monumental. Simply making a difference for one person, one community, is an application of Spiritual Kintsugi that allows us to begin healing our world.

The Hard Part: Staying Hopeful

It’s challenging to stay focused on what is possible when we are surrounded by injustice, cruelty, and indifference. When leaders ignore the law. When lies drown out truth. When vulnerable people are exploited. When communities are targeted for daring to care.

Some of our bravest neighbors are fighting these battles every day, and we are grateful. Their actions may not be the work you’re called to do.  Still, there is so much needed at this time that if you can find one thing, just one thing today, where you can start applying the golden glue, that will make a difference. And I promise you that there is work in this Peacemaking that will delight and engage your soul.

An Invitation to Spiritual Kintsugi

Spiritual Kintsugi invites us to awaken to what is broken and imagine how Love — golden, steady, deliberate — might help us repair and re‑shape our world. What might happen if we applied that Love to healing, reimagining, restructuring? What if we looked for what is already working and strengthened it? What if we believed a more perfect union is possible — one built on humanity, decency, inclusion, and joy?

We don’t have to wait. In fact, we must not. Possibility is the first step toward Peace.

More to Come

In future Substacks, I will explore the remaining Ps – Provision, Persistence, Purpose, and Peace – as deliberate steps toward becoming Kintsugi artists in our world longing to be made whole and beautiful.

For now, let’s celebrate the Kintsugi Peace Possibilities. Each application of golden glue is made of many small patches; each small repair strengthens the whole. Possibility Kintsugi can heal relationships In my last Substack, I suggested that Spiritual Kintsugi might help us reimagine and heal what is broken in, between, and among us. Kintsugi — the Japanese art of repairing pottery with golden glue — teaches that cracks are not flaws to hide, rather they are places where beauty can emerge. When I began exploring Spiritual Kintsugi, I wondered whether we might heal our own brokenness with Love — strong, stunning, golden Love. And if that were true for individuals, might it also be true for families, communities, even nations?

I proposed five Ps that move us toward Peace:

  • Possibilities: the first glimmer of gold, the moment we realize repair is possible.
  • Provision: the resources – spiritual and material – that make repair possible.
  • Persistence: the steady work of holding the pieces together long enough for healing.
  • Purpose: the reminder that we repair because the vessel still has meaning.
  • Peace: the restored bowl, even more beautiful because it was broken.

Possibilities Comes First

If we don’t believe things can change, we’re not Peacemaking — we’re daydreaming. Possibility is the moment we stop sighing and start imagining

with intention. It’s the spark that says, What if? It’s the shift from despair to curiosity.

One of the first steps in Peacemaking is noticing what’s already working. We don’t always need to invent something new. Sometimes we can adapt something that worked elsewhere. Sometimes we can study what almost worked and ask why it didn’t. Possibility is practical. It asks: What small action could we take right now that might have a big impact?

Gather your people. Take that first action step. Celebrate your success. Then ask, What’s next? Peacemakers keep their hands open and share the gold.

The Takery: A Possibility That Grew

One of my favorite examples of the Possibilities of Peacemaking is the Takery — a multifaith effort to feed people in our small rust‑belt city of Sunbury, PA. A handful of Christians, Jews, Muslims, and Unitarian Universalists gathered to ask how we could help. We had little money, but we had skills, relationships, and one rabbi who is an extraordinary baker.

We began by offering free baked goods — sweetness and conversation. But we quickly realized people were hungry. So, we expanded. Now, years later, more than a hundred people come each month for canned goods, household items, sandwiches, a hot meal, and camaraderie. The people we serve now help us set up. Children pitch in. The staff eats the same meal as our guests. Leaders from many faith traditions meet joyfully — in all weather — to share abundance.

We looked at Possibilities. We recognized everyone’s gifts. And the gold began to heal the brokenness of hunger and loneliness.

The Shape of Justice: Another Possibility

At the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of the Susquehanna Valley, we noticed many girls and women in our region were struggling with period poverty — the inability to afford menstrual products for all the women in the family. So we created a small nonprofit to supply period products to rural aid programs. Three volunteers – none paid — raised funds, built partnerships, and distributed supplies across several counties. Women could work. Girls could attend school. As we said: “Sometimes the shape of justice is a tampon.”

Eventually we retired, and another organization took over. The work continues. That’s Possibility: seeing a need, doing what you can, and trusting others to carry it forward. In the case of Shape of Justice, the golden possibilities of Peacemaking enabled women to fully participate in everyday opportunities. Others now continue to bridge those gaps.

Possibility as Golden Glue

Possibility begins when you notice a crack in someone’s life and think — we can fix that. It’s not always grand or glamorous. It’s simply the sweet glimmer of gold that appears when you match a real problem with a realistic solution and you decide to apply your time and talent.

Every success strengthens the hearts of those involved. Success attracts others. Ideas multiply. Communities grow more generous. And suddenly — look at you — you’ve started a movement. Peacemaking is simply using your knowledge, skills, and laughter to make life kinder and easier. Celebrate every success. Let the gold shine. Actions don’t need to be earth-shattering or monumental. Simply making a difference for one person, one community, is an application of Spiritual Kintsugi that allows us to begin healing our world.

The Hard Part: Staying Hopeful

It’s challenging to stay focused on what is possible when we are surrounded by injustice, cruelty, and indifference. When leaders ignore the law. When lies drown out truth. When vulnerable people are exploited. When communities are targeted for daring to care.

Some of our bravest neighbors are fighting these battles every day, and we are grateful. Their actions may not be the work you’re called to do.  Still, there is so much needed at this time that if you can find one thing, just one thing today, where you can start applying the golden glue, that will make a difference. And I promise you that there is work in this Peacemaking that will delight and engage your soul.

An Invitation to Spiritual Kintsugi

Spiritual Kintsugi invites us to awaken to what is broken and imagine how Love — golden, steady, deliberate — might help us repair and re‑shape our world. What might happen if we applied that Love to healing, reimagining, restructuring? What if we looked for what is already working and strengthened it? What if we believed a more perfect union is possible — one built on humanity, decency, inclusion, and joy?

We don’t have to wait. In fact, we must not. Possibility is the first step toward Peace.

More to Come

In future Substacks, I will explore the remaining Ps – Provision, Persistence, Purpose, and Peace – as deliberate steps toward becoming Kintsugi artists in our world longing to be made whole and beautiful.

For now, let’s celebrate the Kintsugi Peace Possibilities. Each application of golden glue is made of many small patches; each small repair strengthens the whole. Possibility Kintsugi can heal relationships and help us imagine a more interconnected, sweeter, more responsible world. Seek those golden glimmering Possibilities. Find the emerging Peace. Rejoice and take your place!and help us imagine a more interconnected, sweeter, more responsible world. Seek those golden glimmering Possibilities. Find the emerging Peace. Rejoice and take your place!

Salaam, Shalom, Peace, and Blessed Be!