Dear friends,
What does it mean to go forward in a world that seems to be standing still?
We all have markers in our lives: milestones that tell us where we have been, how much we’ve come through. That tell us about who we are.
This year marks a milestone in the life of Interweave. Interweave has turned 40!
I first arrived at Interweave almost two decades ago. It was 2001, the twin towers had fallen, and the landscape of our lives had been forever changed. At Interweave we leaned on one another and found solace. We tried to make sense of a world that didn’t make sense anymore. Here we are, almost 20 years later, and Interweave is still a place to come to make sense of things.
Yes, it’s during these turning points that we’re called upon to stop and reflect on the changes happening around us, as well as those happening inside us.
In recent years we have been grappling with the erosion of the integrity of our institutions, political tribalism and growing racial and religious discrimination. Then COVID-19 arrived at our doorstep, shaking us to our very core. The landscape of our lives was once again forever changed!
Uncertainty permeated everything, threatened our way of life, our health, our business, our families – everything we may have taken for granted was now at risk. How could a small nonprofit like Interweave survive? What happened then was nothing short of a miracle. We lived!
As the world shut down, the spaces in which we once met seemingly disappeared. Interweave and Interweavers instinctively created virtual spaces to share what we were going through. These spaces were real, they were vibrant, they were sustaining.
We also decided all classes would be offered at no cost as our gift to the community during the shutdown.
We were – and still are – on an exodus as we struggle together to move from the world we knew into unchartered territory.
I am privileged to be in those “rooms” as Interweavers share their stories and work to strengthen their practices and live into these difficult times in a way that is meaningful.
We have discovered that Interweave is not a relic of the past but a dynamic, living thing, something the world is still hungry for:a spiritual community. As spiritual sojourners who understand that life is a fragile gift, we are awake to that sacred mystery, even when the journey asks so much of us.
While there was no benefit to mark our 40th year milestone – like other birthdays and anniversaries that happen during the pandemic – we find ways to honor where we are.
We sojourners go forward…
T.S. Elliot tells us that: “At the still point of the turning world…Neither from nor towards; at the still point, there the dance is…”
Yes, we are still on an exodus, we are still in midst of mounting crisis and critical change. But the spiritual sojourner understands it is in (and through) the still point that we gain the strength to go on. I am so grateful that Interweave is here to support that journey.
Won’t you please join me in celebrating our 40th milestone with a gift today. Your gift honors this still point in the life of Interweave and the dance we continue to share.
Happy birthday Interweavers! This anniversary, this birth-day is one we can all take pride in.
Now more than ever we need to weave spirituality, wellness, and the common good into the fabric of our lives for our good and for the good of society.
Let this be a year of thanksgiving for our founder Bob Morris, Suzanne Morris, and the founding members for the foundation upon which we stand. Let it be a year of thanks for all the trustees, donors, staff, faculty, and partners who made it possible for our work to grow. Let it be a time of thanks to you -for the living community we are!
At this turning point, the world needs places like Interweave that nurture the compassion and wisdom that will be needed if we are to rise to what this moment will ask of us.
In this moment – here is the dance!
Gratefully yours,
Janet Aulet Maulbeck
Interweave, Executive Director
PS – I look forward to “seeing” you online this Fall in those vibrant life-giving rooms!
Thank you for making it all possible!