Welcome to Grace and Space, a weekly newsletter from the Deconstructing Mamas Podcast! GRACE for who you have been, are now and SPACE for who you are becoming and will be!
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18 weeks.
The time between our clocks “falling back” to “springing ahead.”
18 weeks.
DARKNESS comes earlier and there is almost a collective “OH NO” heard in the air.
The apprehension of depression looms large in the hearts of those who struggle already and general melancholy arises in those who don’t.
18 weeks.
The constant exhaustion of difficult news sends us wanting to pull the covers over our heads and make it stop. STOP. STOP. STOP.
As if the winter DARKNESS is not bad enough.
The unkindness of both friends and strangers about politics, religion, and the latest thing we are all arguing about.
Our own desire to give grace and space feels elusive at best.
18 weeks
The latest news about the awful things that happen on the daily.
Fear creeps into our minds and our stressed bodies are unable to hide it.
The “Holidays." The ever-present navigating of family and boundaries and celebration and toxic behavior often makes it difficult. We find ourselves lonely or misunderstood.
18 weeks
New Years. Times Square revelers and the dread that 2023 MIGHT bring us something scary and unknown instead of what we want: the healing of ourselves and our people.
MLK Day. The usual day of hope has an underpinning of tension as we understand that there is still SO much work to do. We wonder, "will we ever know how to fix this?"
18 weeks
Sun-up to sun-down winter days where we are cold and unmotivated and longing for light. Cozy feels like an overrated word.
Valentines Day. We ponder. Cute little candy hearts and cupids just don’t seem to cut it anymore. Where is love?
There’s real pain out there. Real pain.
DARKNESS for sure. And not just the literal kind.
18 weeks.
A womb of sorts.
A cocoon of sorts.
A tomb of sorts.
The unknown and all the possible things that could go wrong. DARKNESS.
18 weeks.
But what happens IN the DARKNESS?
The womb?
The cocoon?
The tomb?
Not after.
Not when it’s over.
Not when we see crocuses and robins and longer days.
But IN?
IN the DARKNESS?
There is CREATION in the womb.
Of a whole new life.
There is TRANSFORMATION in the cocoon.
Of a whole different being.
There is REDEMPTION in the tomb.
Of a whole only-God-can-do-this kind.
Gifts. Beautiful gifts.
Gifts that could not come any other way.
18 weeks.
There will be DARKNESS for sure.
But there will also be HOPE.
(This is a poetic essay/journal entry written by Esther as part of her journey into discovering the gifts of winter and the darkness and hope that come with this season.)
This Week on the Podcast:
“In a time when we love to keep ourselves separated from one another with our ideologies and beliefs, liminality asks how we exist in those in between spaces.” - Kaitlin Curtis (Living Resistance)
Kaitlin Curtice is our podcast guest this week. Kaitlin is an award-winning author, poet-storyteller, and public speaker. As an enrolled citizen of the Potawatomi nation, Kaitlin writes on the intersections of spirituality and identity and how that shifts throughout our lives.She also speaks on these topics to diverse audiences who are interested in truth-telling and healing.
As an inter-spiritual advocate, Kaitlin participates in conversations on topics such as colonialism in faith communities, and she has spoken at many conferences on the importance of inter-faith relationships.
On this episode, we find out what Kaitlin means by liminal space and why it is such an important part of our spiritual journey. This fascinating discussion leads us into ways we can engage in the unknown, wilderness of deconstructing and parenting.
We also chat about Kaitlin's new children's book, Winter's Gifts, the tale of a young Potawatomi girl named Dani whose family celebrates the darkest season of the year by treasuring the slowness that winter brings to our families.
If you struggle with winter and want to you allow yourself to experience the gifts of the season that might seem bleak and hopeless, this episode is exactly what you need to hear. We sure did.
You can find Kaitlin in these spaces:
Instagram: @kaitlincurtice
Facebook: Kaitlin B. Curtice
Website: kaitlincurtice.com
Latest News:
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At this level, for as little as $3, you can ask questions, experience a safe and welcoming community with others who are deconstructing and receive special surprises along the way from Lizz and Esther.
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Resource Alerts:
A vibrantly illustrated children’s book about an Indigenous girl who finds awe in the resting and waiting that winter teaches us and shares with her friends how Creator’s gift of gratitude can transform the way we see the world.
Your thankfulness is your gift to Earth.
Winter’s Gifts is the tale of a young Potawatomi girl named Dani whose family celebrates the darkest season of the year by treasuring the slowness that winter brings. Dani’s schoolmates think it’s silly to think that Earth gives us presents, but on a magical snowy day, her family and Creator give Dani the courage to teach her friends about the gifts of winter—resting, remembrance, and gratitude. Can Dani help them receive winter’s gifts?
Winter’s Gifts is a joyful and tender family story of honoring creation, the power of storytelling, and how a new perspective can transform us.
In an era in which "resistance" has become tokenized, popular Indigenous author Kaitlin Curtice reclaims it as a basic human calling. Resistance is for every human who longs to see their neighbors' holistic flourishing. We each have a role to play in the world right where we are, and our everyday acts of resistance hold us all together.
In Living Resistance, Curtice shows that we can learn to practice embodied ways of belonging and connection to ourselves and one another through everyday practices, such as getting more in touch with our bodies, resting, and remembering our ancestors. She explores four "realms of resistance"--the personal, the communal, the ancestral, and the integral--and shows how these realms overlap and why all are needed for our liberation. Readers will be empowered to seek wholeness in whatever spheres of influence they inhabit. PLUS, THIS WAS A "SPICE GIRLS" BOOK CLUB READ (the book club where Lizz and Esther met!
Can't wait until Tuesday and need just a little snippet from our podcast episode that's coming up on Tuesday, October 31.
One last thing. We want to remind you that we are so glad you are here. We wouldn't be the same without you. You will always find GRACE for where you've been and who you are now, and SPACE for who you are becoming and will be.
Carry on, our new-found friends. Welcome to the twisty-windy, full -of-adventure faith path that's laid out before us all. Love,
Lizz & Esther
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