The Personality of Institutions

Reading the 30 December message, I noticed the references to the institutions of the Faith. I mean, how could you not? They are one of the main protagonists of the Plan. But as I was re-reading those passages, I was thinking about something my wife said. What if, she wondered, we were to see these institutions as their own entities? After all, Baha'u'llah refers to Mount Carmel as an actual being, as well as various cities in some of His Tablets. What if we imagine an actual spiritual reality to them? To be clear, this is just my own personal thought experiment, and nothing official.

Now, this may sound pseudo-mystical, wondering if they have their own individual identity, but please bear with me. When we step back and consider it, there may be a sound basis for it.

In the business world, we are already familiar with the concept that corporations are considered legal entities, or people. This is already an established legal reality in many jurisdictions. And the House of Justice further alludes to this concept when they refer to the community as "distinguished from the individual and the institutions" and having "its own character and identity". In other words, we already recognize the "individuality" of these entities.

Thinking about it in terms of the business model, it means, for example, that the institution of Coca Cola, Inc would be its own entity, have its own reality. It would be like a mega-person whose primary goal is to take its carbonated sweetened excretions and feed it to the peoples of the world. In exchange it would feed off their continued supply of money and other necessary resources for its growth. The shareholders would, in this analogy, be like parasites, drawing off some of its resources for their own benefit. When I consider the corporation of Coca Cola, Inc in this light, its varied actions make more sense. We often ask how these big corporations could act with so little regard for the environment, for example. To me, this helps explain it.

So, what about the institution of the Local Spiritual Assembly? What happens when we consider the concept that the Assembly is more than just a collection of nine individuals? To be clear, I am not concerned about the "reality" of this assertion, but more concerned about the implications of considering it. (Why do I feel it important to continually reiterate that?)

For starters, it gives me a slightly different understanding of the phrase from the Universal House of Justice when they talk about how understanding "the proper application of the principles governing the operation of the Assembly will (allow) this institution to grow and develop toward its full potential." 

This reminds me of a young child learning to ride a bicycle. They will try and likely totter and fall over. This is not a failure on their part, but a necessary aspect of the learning. By allowing them to fall over, and encouraging them to try again, they will learn to ride far more quickly than if you never allow them to fall over in the first place. To me, this is like a nascent institution making a decision that may not be the wisest of acts. It is only through the full obedience of the friends, and effective reflection, that any learning will occur. As said in a letter written on behalf of the Guardian, "This is not something which can be learned without trial and test..." As with riding a bicycle, patience is needed.

Another point occurs to me. When meeting with an Assembly, I have always felt the joy of being with the nine members of that institution, but this idea would imply that there would be a tenth being there, the Assembly itself. All of a sudden, when I read the phrase "(a)t this meeting they should feel as if they were entering the Presence of God", it makes me think of how I can sense the "Presence of God" in the soul of another person. When we are told "'Abdu'l-Baha is constantly engaged in ideal communication with any Spiritual Assembly", it becomes a far more real thing, like a literal conversation between two dear friends. Even more so, when I read the passage from Baha'u'llah in which He refers to the members of the Universal House of Justice as "the Trustees of the House of Justice", it reads as if they are the ones who are caring for this entity, ensuring its health and well-being to the best of their ability.

All of a sudden, this concept feels more than just merely anthropomorphizing an institution. As my wife says, "This principle makes me feel as if I am championing this institution." It means that we can arise to its defense, take care of it, nurture it, ensure that it reaches its healthy maturity.

To bring in another analogy, we could picture the Assembly as a car. We can easily imagine the members of the institution as the tires of the car, with their connection to the ground. The car would go nowhere without the active involvement of its members. But while we may see the Assembly itself as the car, perhaps with this insight it would be more like the driver. The driver may have a destination in mind, but if the tires go their own way, it will never get there.

Now, to shift the focus again, let's imagine ourselves serving on this august institution, the Local Spiritual Assembly. We have all read the numerous passages about service, and the importance of detachment in consultation. This principle, of thinking of the Assembly as its own being, has a profound implication on the consultative process.

In the past, when I have had the bounty of serving on an Assembly, an item would come before us for consultation. Me being me, I have asked myself how I would respond to such and such a given issue. I would offer my ideas, without concern whether or not they were accepted. I would listen to the input of others and strive to help improve any ideas coming forth. But in the end, when I consider my own internal state of mind, the question I was asking myself was really "How would I respond?"

The real question, though, is how would the institution want to respond? I know that I can be quite terse, at times even too direct or abrupt. I recognize that this can put some people off. But I know, deep in my heart, that the institution of the Spiritual Assembly would not want to respond that way. Of course, I know that my soul doesn't want to respond that way either, but I have a lot of work to do in that area.

How would the Assembly want to respond?

That is such a beautiful question. It makes me far more eager to try to hear the voice of that institution, to try and find that response it wishes to offer, that suggestion it wants to make. It makes me long to hear the guidance it wants to offer. And I think it takes not only offering our suggestions to sense that voice of the Assembly, but also quieting our own egos to allow ourselves to hear it more clearly.

One last point for now, though. Going back to the example of Coca Cola, Inc, it raises further questions. If we consider these various institutions as their own entities, then we should consider all institutions as entities. However, the Universal House of Justice makes it clear that there is a difference between individuals and institutions. So perhaps these corporate institutions should not be given all the rights of individuals. And maybe this is one of the points of struggle in these strange times. We know that one of the greatest tests today is to try and find an equitable balance between the rights of the individuals, the institutions, and the community. Perhaps we also need to better understand the prerogatives and limits of each.

30 December 2021

 Well, it's that time of the... Plan?

Here we are, on the cusp of a new series of Plans, and the Universal House of Justice is, once again, giving us the guidance for where we are heading. It is so refreshing and encouraging. Now, if you have been reading my blog for a number of years, you know that I love to explore the new messages as soon as me out. I really enjoy diving deep into them and seeing what nuances we can find.

This time, however, I am doing something a little different. Instead of just diving right in, all on my own, I'm asking for your help, dear Reader. What I want to do is compile a series of questions, based on paragraph numbers, that will help us learn how to apply the lessons and guidance in this message to our daily life within our own community setting. In this post, I will not be posting answers we have found, but rather just questions that we can ask within our own communities.

And so, if you have questions that have arisen from this message that you think will help others, please leave it in the comments or message me, and I'll add them in. For now, what I have put below is just a cursory beginning.

Thanks.

______________________________________

Part 1 - Introduction: Paragraphs 1 - 4

    Paragraph 1

        1. How do you see the relationship between learning, growing, and the capacity to serve humanity in your community?

    Paragraph 2

        1. What have we learned about what it means to be an "outward looking" community?

        2. What have we been learning about how to apply the teaching to our "social reality"?

        3. How do we help people feel welcome to "labour alongside" us in our work?

        4. How are we adjusting our style of discourse to more effectively "influence the direction" of change in our community?

    Paragraph 3

        1. What is the "single aim" of this current series of Plans? And what was the singular aim of the previous series? How are they related?

        2. We know that we need to further strengthen the "dynamic relationship" between the individual believer, the local community, and the institutions of the Faith. How can we more effectively do this?

        3. How can we further enhance "the qualities of cooperation and mutual assistance"?

        4. What does it mean that this principle "endows the body of the Cause with moral vigour and spiritual health"?

    Paragraph 4

        1. Why do you think the Universal House of Justice calls to our attention the qualities of "trustworthiness, cooperation, and forbearance" at this time?

        2. What can we do to help stabilize the social order in our community? And what does this look like?

        3. What does it mean to "champion rationality and science as essential for human progress"? And how does this inform our conversations with our friends?

        4. As we engage in sharing our beliefs, what does it look like to be "respectful of the freedom of conscience of every soul"?

        5. What do you feel we "still need to learn" in this process?

Part 2 - The Movement of Clusters: Paragraphs 5 - 10

    Paragraph 5

        1. What are some of the "measurable outcomes" of the work we are doing?

        2. How does the recognition of the spiritual nature of this undertaking effect the "measurable outcomes" of the work?

        3. Does your community, or neighbourhood, have an established intensive program of growth? If not, what elements can you help put into place to more effectively establish it?

    Paragraph 6

        1. What defines a "cluster"?

    Paragraph 7

        1. What are the first three milestones along the path of development for a cluster?

        2. Where is your cluster, or neighbourhood, on this path?

        3. What can be done to effectively help your cluster move to the next milestone?

    Paragraph 8

        1. Has your cluster passed the third milestone?

        2. If yes, how can you help assist other clusters near you to advance?

        3. If no, which cluster near you has? What assistance would be useful to help your cluster advance?

    Paragraph 9

        1. Which spiritual themes are of the most concern in your cluster?

        2. Are you comfortable raising these themes in conversations with your friends and acquaintances in your community? If not, what effective steps can be taken to help raise the comfort level?

        3. What does it mean to you that an individual's declaration of faith is but "a singular moment in a person's spiritual development"?

        4. Are you comfortable encouraging "those who stand at the threshold" to join the Baha'i community? If not, what is it that makes you feel uncomfortable? What would make you feel more comfortable in extending that invitation?

        5. Describe the mindset you feel is needed to allow "families, groups of friends, and even clusters of households" to feel comfortable embracing the Faith, as distinct from individuals declaring on their own. It is, of course, important to recognize that both are necessary, and both will occur in the future.

    Paragraph 10 

        1. What effective ways have you found to teach the Faith in your community?

        2. What methods or words and phrases have you found that are not effective? It is worth remembering that we can learn from negative examples, too.

        3. How is your community recording and sharing what is most effective in your community?

Four Kinds of Love

 I know I haven't been writing much here lately, dear Reader, and I do apologize.

I've been working on a full-length commentary on the Kitab-i-Iqan, and that has taken up most of my time. It's sure taken up most of my energy. It's been sent off to the publisher, so a prayer that it is good enough for them would be appreciated.

In the meantime, another project I've had the pleasure to work on is reading aloud the text for a recording on 'Abdu'l-Baha's "The Four Kinds of Love", which has just been released. It can be found here: https://bahaimusicstore.com/nancy-lee-harper-four-kinds-of-love

I hope you enjoy it. Perhaps someday soon I will write my thoughts about it. In the meantime, I would love to hear what you think.

The Road to Hell...

They say the road to hell is paved with good intentions.

For years this adage bothered me. I had understood it to mean that if you begin something, you need to finish it. In other words, if you intend to do something, but do not follow through, that will pave the road to your own hell. It seemed like a massive guilt trip for procrastinators.

But the more I think about it, I believe there is another and more profound truth within it. I think it is a caution. After all, you don't pave a road unless you intend to use it.

What do I mean? I'm glad you asked, dear Reader. I don't know what I would do without you.

In recent days, or weeks (I kind of lose track of time these days), the question of intention, or motivation, has come up many times. Over and over again I hear or read of people presuming an intention behind another's actions. The truth, though, is that we can't really know anyone else's intentions. Most of us don't even know our own motivations, so how can we believe we understand anyone else's?

"Why did so-and-so do such-and-such?" I don't know. I can guess, but in the end, I'm not a mind-reader. I can presume, and further actions on their part may make the case more likely, but I really cannot be certain. Perhaps this is one of the reasons why Baha'u'llah reminded us that we should "Let deeds, not words, be (our) adorning."

Personally, if I have to guess, I like to believe good intentions on the part of others. I have a hard time believing anybody would get up in the morning, look in the mirror and say, "I think I'll do something horrible today." No. I truly believe that people have good intentions. But this is not necessarily a good thing.

What brought this to mind is the on-going discussion about Residential Schools here in Canada. This was a time when First Nations' children were taken from their homes and put into so-called schools to try and make them more European.

First, let me state that I believe this was a horrible thing to do. It caused untold suffering. The suffering that has been shared is only a tiny part of the suffering that actually occurred. I truly believe this was a horrible practice, and am glad to see the government beginning to make reparations. It has a long way to go, but at least a beginning has been made.

That said, do I believe the motivation behind the original suggestion was good? Actually, I do. Now, please, bear with me for a moment. Hear me out. Forget, for a moment, the horrors that resulted from the abuse of this action, but let's look at the ideas that motivated it in the first place. The people of the day sadly believed that there was a hierarchy of civilizations, as well as a hierarchy of peoples. They truly believed that some people were inherently superior to others, and that some cultures were naturally better. Now, again please don't get me wrong. I think these beliefs are not only incorrect, but downright awful. I am in no way defending them, but just stating what was a mistaken belief at the time.

Given this tragic error, there were people out there who truly thought that it was in the best interest of the children to try and raise them to be more European. They honestly thought it was good for the children to be removed from the "evil" influence of their culture and given one that was "closer to the divine". As one person horrifically said, they wanted to "kill the Indian in the child".

One of the many problems was that they did not take into account the importance of diversity. They also didn't acknowledge the beauty and majesty of another culture. They never dreamed that another culture, especially one that they mistakenly thought of as primitive, could have anything of value to offer the global body of humanity. These lapses are indefensible, and rightly severely criticized.

Even though their motivation may have been good, the improvement in the life of the child, they were horribly mistaken in how to achieve that noble end. (It's amazing how often I am using the word horrible, but it says something about the nature of this topic.)

Even if the abuses, physical, emotional, sexual, cultural, and spiritual, did not occur as they did, this still would have been a great tragedy to all the people involved, the children as well as the families affected. All this other stuff just further compounded it and made it even worse.

Their intention may have been good, and the fact that they put so much time and energy into implementing it shows that they believed it was a good thing, but because of their mistaken beliefs, they walked far along that road to hell. And this resulted in the suffering of many generations of people.

You will notice, of course, that I'm not talking about the greed that was probably involved on the part of some who financially benefited from some of these things, for I believe that is a side issue. I am only focusing on what I perceive to be the good intentions of the majority of those involved. Because, really, it is these good intentions that get noticed and allow these movements to gain public support. No movement ever gained ground by someone saying, "Hey, I'm going to get rich out of it" or "I'm going to become so powerful and influential". No. They gain ground by saying, "We'll improve the economy and you will benefit from more jobs" or "The children will be grateful once they know better". The people get so caught up in what they think is a good thing that they often overlook the inherent problems.

So, to me, this phrase about the "road to hell" being "paved with good intentions" is a caution. It tells me to carefully examine my goals, and look at them from all angles. It warns me to consider the issue from a larger perspective than my just my own self-interest.

Whether we are talking about the movement of immigrants into the country, or the mandatory vaccination for those able to get inoculated, or even a global response to the changing climate, it is really easy to get people riled up in one direction or another. Unfortunately, in many cases political and social support goes to those who only look at a narrow cross section of humanity, without due consideration to the larger picture.

Do I believe the Residential Schools initially had a good goal? Well, educating children is a noble deed, but not without the respect that is due all people and cultures, nor at the expense of diversity.

Do I believe there was suffering from this action? Absolutely.

But more importantly, what have I learned from looking at this issue? That I better be certain that any goal I set my sights on is leading us towards a divine civilization, and not inadvertently leading us towards a hell. For it is through our deeds, not our words, that we shall be judged.

Prayer for the Fast, part 5

Ten years ago I wrote a a few articles on this prayer and only recently re-read them. And you know what I learned? It doesn't matter how often you read a particular prayer, it unfolds itself in new ways every time. I also learned that I cannot recall writing these articles at all. They read, to me, as if someone else is speaking in my voice. And so, dear Reader, I wondered what I would say today if I were to write these articles again.

Of course, as soon as I asked myself this, I opened my prayer book, said a short prayer in my heart, and then began to read.

Now, I feel I must interrupt the flow of this particular stream of thought to admit something to you before I begin. After all, I know I can trust you. We're friends, and you would never laugh at me, except when appropriate, right?

So, when I go to say a prayer, I always say a short personal prayer in my heart before turning to the Writings. Why? I don't know. It just feels right to prepare myself before approaching something so sacred, like we are told to do with the Feast. Today, I did that, as usual, and then began to re-read this wonderful prayer for the Fast. I started to feel the rhythm of the prayer, the flow of the spirit as it washed over my own soul, noted a passage that stuck out at me and gently flagged it. This, by the way, is something that my hand just does naturally without any specific conscious thought on my part. It's just a tiny dot of the pencil that touches the prayer book and later, when I'm done with the reading / praying part of the prayer, I go back and look at those dots.

Today, however, I was about halfway through the reading part of it when I realized I was reading the wrong prayer. I was reading the one that begins "Glory be to Thee, O Lord my God!" Oops. Oh well. It's still a good prayer, right? Oh, and that's a personal joke with me. Whenever a friend asks which prayer they should read, I almost always say, "Choose a good one." It's like when some friends and I were talking about the Hidden Words, and one of them was trying to remember a particular one that the other loved to chant. He couldn't recall which one they were referring to and asked, "How does it begin?" I said, "O Son of..." And there was a long pause before they both fell over laughing. Anyways, maybe I'll look at that other prayer later on during this Fast. Perhaps it was a hint from up top.

Back to today.

It is one hour after sunrise, 6 March 2021. And "I beseech Thee, O my God".

This morning there are a number of dots on the page, more than usual. Certainly more than I can write about in a single article here. Rather than try to write about the thoughts that traipse through my mind on each of them, I'll just do one at a time, in order, and maybe tackle the others tomorrow.

Of course, I should also point out that each and every word in the sacred Writings is holy and filled with layers upon layers of meaning. To focus on one is not to say that the others are any less meaningful, not at all. Instead, it is to see them as gems that catch my eye at a particular moment in my life. Focusing on an extract, a single piece of the Writings, is nothing new. After all, there are single lines taken from the verses and placed on the walls of the temple in Wilmette. We look at a single verse at a time in the first sections of the Ruhi books. Baha'u'llah, Himself, extracted a number of single lines in His great work, Epistle to the Son of the Wolf. So I feel there is nothing wrong with focusing on a single line, phrase, or word, within the context of the entire piece.

Today, the first phrase that caught my attention, that moved me enough to rock forward and place that dot on the page, was "the shadow of Thy mercy".

Why is mercy a shadow in this context? If God is the Light of the world, and Baha'u'llah is the Most Glorious, why would being in a shadow be a mercy? Wouldn't this block His light from reaching us? Isn't that what a shadow does, block the light?

Perhaps, and I don't really know for this is only my own opinion and nothing official, God's light is so intense that the shadow really is a mercy, allowing us to see the light without burning up underneath it. As I write this, I am thinking of how I wear sunglasses while driving on a bright day. It protects me, and allows me to see more clearly. Maybe this is what the shadow of His mercy does.

Many times Baha'u'llah said to the friends that if He were to reveal His true glory, they would all swoon away. By standing behind a veil, so to speak, they could begin to catch a glimpse of Him.

There is also the story that He told to one of the Pilgrims about the training of a parrot. When the trainer wishes to teach the parrot to speak, they hide behind a mirror. This way, the parrot sees another parrot but hears the voice of the speaker. The bird thinks that the voice is that of another bird, and thus they begin to speak, in imitation. This, Baha'u'llah is reported to have said, is how the Manifestation teaches humanity. If the parrot were to see the human speaking, they would be frightened away, but by seeing something familiar, they learn.

Now, in the context of the prayer, it seems to me that we are standing outside the gate of the city God, waiting to be allowed to enter. When I imagine myself in that context, standing outside a city of old, waiting for the guards to let me in, I see myself standing out in the sun. Heat stroke would be a distinct possibility at certain times of the year. The shadowing cloud protecting me from the hot rays of the sun would be a distinct mercy, for which I would ardently pray. Of course, if it were raining, then a canopy would be most welcome, which is, you will note, the very next phrase.

At this point, I would love to keep writing, exploring more of this wonderful prayer, but my cat is insisting I spend time with him. And my wife and I need to go to the farms to get more fresh veggies for juicing during this Fast.

Thank you for joining me this morning, and I truly look forward to hearing what phrases catch your attention in this prayer. Hopefully I'll be able to explore a bit more tomorrow.

The Streaming Waters of Holy Utterance

Yesterday, I received a wonderful e-mail from a friend who is studying the Kitab-i-Iqan. They asked what the following sentence, found in paragraph 65, meant to me: "Verily, I say, so fierce is the blaze of the Bush of love, burning in the Sinai of the heart, that the streaming waters of holy utterance can never quench its flame."

What a great question.

I must have read this sentence at least a dozen times, and it never occurred to me just how... mystic? mystifying? puzzling?... it can be. I feel as if I had just skimmed past it, taking it in stride as a simple poetic metaphor, but never actually questioning what it could be a metaphor for.

In an attempt to come to some understanding of it, I found that I needed to look at this quote in the context of the book itself. It occurs at the end of the section in which Baha’u’llah examines the phrase, “the powers of the earth shall be shaken”. After all, Part 1 is mostly an exploration and explanation of the quote from Jesus found in paragraph 24. As you know, He goes through this quote phrase by phrase, explaining it to the uncle of the Bab to help him get a better foundation of why he is a Muslim, which he can then apply to his relationship to the faith of the Bab.

Here, Baha’u’llah is at the end of this particular phrase’s explanation, and has just alluded to the Bab for the very first time, when He said, “How severe the persecutions inflicted upon Him...” at the end of paragraph 63.

Paragraph 64 seems to be a celebration of this mere allusion to the Bab. In it He refers to “the sweet savours of God” wafting “from the day-spring of Revelation”, and talks about all the wonderous and marvelous things It does. For a full page He goes on about the glorious nature of this bounty.

Then, in paragraph 65, He offers another interlude. “The universe if pregnant”, He says. When will it give birth? When will we be able to attain the presence of the One Whom God shall make Manifest, as promised by Bab? This, to me, is the implied question in paragraph 65. I mean, I may be wrong, for this commentary is nothing official, but just my own personal opinion, but still. That seems to be the implie question.

As of the writing of this Book, Baha’u’llah has not yet revealed Himself, so He can legitimately ask “In the soil of whose heart” will all these things be born? “From the garden on whose soul” will we see all these great bounties? These are question that must have been asked by all the Babis alive at that time. “Who is He Who is promised?”

Then Baha’u’lllah seems to answer that very question. “Verily, I say, so fierce is the blaze of the Bush of love, burning in the Sinai of the heart, that the streaming waters of utterance can never quench its flame.” He continues on in a similar vein with the next few sentences, with His references to "this Leviathan" an "this Phoenix", with emphasis on the "this"es, but let’s unpack this one sentence, as my friend requested.

To begin, He is alluding, very obviously, to the Burning Bush in which God spoke to Moses, and He is further elevating the station of the heart, His heart, to that of the Sacred Mount. And remember, He has just referred to this story a few paragraphs earlier, in paragraph 57, in which He described this Burning Bush as “the King of glory from the ‘Tree that belongeth neither to the East nor to the West’.” Within that flame, “He heard the soul-stirring Voice of the Spirit speaking from out the kindled Fire, bidding Him to shed... the light of divine guidance.” In the story, He, Moese, is being asked to give to the peoples the Word of God.

Now, earlier in the Book, in paragraph 27, Baha'u'llah refers to “the overpowering majesty of the Word of God” and how it can “prevent them from attaining unto the ocean of His names and attributes”, and even “deprive them of recognizing the Lamp of God”. Of course, in that reference, He is talking about how the majesty of the Word of God as revealed by Moses or Jesus or Muhammad is so powerful that its light can blind people to accepting the light from the next Revelation.

In fact, as my wife pointed out, these "life-giving waters", the holy Word of previous Revelations, can be seen as the ocean in which He was swimming in His father's dream. Baha'u'llah, in that dream, moved as He willed, and was unharmed by any turmoil around Him.

It seems to me that He is saying, in paragraph 65, that these “streaming waters” of the Words of God cannot stop Him from giving His message. So strong is the light that He is shedding that nothing can prevent it from shining forth to all peoples. And even the next few passages give further emphasis to this point, but no need to go on here.

So, given the context, in which this sentence is found, it seems as if He is talking about His own heart, and the light blazing within it, the light of the Love of God. And nothing, no tests, no trials, not even the overpowering Word of God, can ever cause that light to fade.

And to continue this, He goes on and seems to talk about how we can also emulate this strong, unconquerable love. "Therefore, O brother! kindle with the oil of wisdom the lamp of the spirit within the innermost chamber of thy heart, and guard it with the globe of understanding, that the breath of the infidel may extinguish not its flame nor dim its brightness." For here, He is now telling the reader to kindle this same flame within their own heart. How? With wisdom. And we are to guard this precious flame with understanding. Isn't this why He is explaining so much of the prophecy of Jesus here? So that we can better understand the profound wisdom of the past? After all, this is why He has "illuminated the heavens of utterance with the splendours of the Sun of divine wisdom and understanding". It is so that our "heart may find peace", and that we may "be of those who, on the wings of certitude, have soared unto the heaven of the love of their Lord, the All-Merciful."

Not only is He describing His own love, but also helping us understand what our love should be like.

YouTube channel

Dearly loved Friends,

Some of you have been following me for quite some time, and may have noticed that I've been slowing down my writing. This has been due to my need to make a living. But even then, I've still tried to keep up as much as I can.

Recently, however, with the global pandemic, my summer market season has been shut down, and I find myself with a lot more time on my hands. Rather than writing, though, I've taken up to recording myself, first with a podcast on castbox, but more recently on YouTube.

To follow me on YouTube, please go to: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCiwMzPGh9PVJYqriHWnUdOg/

And as usual, please feel free to comment. I would love to hear your thoughts and insights.

Oh, and also please do hit the "like" button there. This makes it easier for others to find the channel.

Thank you so much for your continued support over the years,

With love and prayers,

Mead