I am part of a leadership group that has met monthly since January. Each month we are introduced to different tools to consider as we consider our values and continue to contribute to our communities; challenging ourselves to make sure we are able to call on our values as we continue as servant leaders. Without it, we risk burn out by distancing ourselves from what is important as we are called to assume more leadership within our fields.
At one of our recent cohort meetings we had the pleasure of Ruth McKenzie joining us. She's an incredible musician, vocalist and recently ordained minister. She shared that her path has lead her to understand the Path of the Voice as the expression of one's essence. At the same time she brought forward a concept that we have to be "conscious of the thread we are holding onto" as WE weave OUR life's path.
This statement brought forth many reflections. First, it reminded me of one of my mom's favorite lessons that "everything happens for a reason." Ruth's belief about the thread made me realize that I am the one "holding the thread" and therefore responsible for identifying the lesson, or the reason, my mom pushed me to identify. This challenged me to consider what the thread is that ties life's experiences and lessons together from one to the next. How does something I experienced at a young age inform who and what I do today? The core values that I have been asked to consider are at the essence of my life, be it family, friends, community or work.
I think about the thread as combination of the gifts of my family, setting the stage of my values and the Spirit, providing the internal compass for the values I have formed. Together these form the thread and I hold onto the needle, constantly being asked to guide the it in a way that allows my essence to have voice.
Thanks Ruth, Thanks Abby!
-EAP, November 2013
