Water…it’s something that’s so essential, but with modern plumbing, it can be easy to take for granted. . . . . . that is, until it’s gone. For those of us in the office, this “gone” phenomenon occurred more than once in the last few months. We were first reminded of the importance of water last summer. Paige, our diligent Director of Operations, had a water pump break. Imagine this: she and her husband were hosting weekend guests and had just finished a multi-course dinner. The hot kitchen was full of dirty dishes, pots and pans. . . By the…

Modern plumbing is such a blessing. I’ve never shared this, but the first parsonage I lived in (my father is a retired minister) was in a small rural community in Maine. We had a pump at the sink and an outhouse for a toilet. My parents had 3 children (I’m the second) all under the age of 5. A lot of thought used to go into preparations for baths and bed time, especially in the cold, long Maine winters. Today, I turn on the faucets and clean, drinkable water is immediately available. But I’ve been thinking more lately about how…

I find that there can be comfort in [some] traditions. Here in the office, we have our traditions, and one of my favorites is a new one that we just started last year. Each mid-December, the entire office gets together and chooses a charity for our end-of-the-year Holiday Special. Each staff member comes to this meeting with their favorite charity along with background research to lobby the rest of the team to choose their charity. After everyone has presented their ideas, we vote by secret ballot, discuss some more, vote some more, and eventually narrow it down to one charity….

What do Matt Damon, Michael J. Fox, Andre Agassi, and Bette Midler have in common? They all have created charities. Matt Damon co-created Water.org, Michael J. Fox the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research, Andre Agassi has the Andre Agassi Foundation for Education, and Bette Midler the New York Restoration Project. It reminds me of when I was a very young child and I was taught to tithe, giving 10% of my allowance in the Sunday collection plate. (I was the preacher’s daughter). Beyond that the teaching encourages us to give offerings in addition to the 10% tithe. Something…