Oct. 7, 2026

When my eyes fill with wonder and my heart with love or joy,
I do not betray my concerns for the world–I nourish my capacity to attend to them.

~Kristi Nelson

Friends,

Most days, opening my inbox or scanning notifications on my phone feels like an urgent invitation to submerge myself in worry–which tends not to be very productive for me or for anyone else. Perhaps you can identify?

What if it’s true that experiences of wonder and love and joy are crucial to our work and not distractions from it? Why not give it a try? Where is wonder and joy showing up for you right now?

I am looking up from my writing to watch tree branches waving in the breeze and knowing that the sunshine, after a much too long season of being overbearing, feels friendly today. Every now and then a smallish yellow butterfly (or moth?) flies through the leaves, which are slowly turning to a similar shade before dropping to the ground. If I watch long enough, I’d probably see a bird or a squirrel, but for now, I’m refreshed and ready to return to my keyboard, to you.

Maybe today you can take a few moments to step out of the pressing worries of our world, or your work, or whatever is yours to worry about, and see if your eyes or your heart can behold something that feeds your soul and stretches your capacity to respond to the world with love.

Yours in wonder and joy and ever-expanding capacity,
Rev. Denise
RevDenise@gnuuc.org