The Wild Reed: Out and About

Saturday, July 29, 2023

Out and About – Spring 2023

Well, we're well into summer here in the northern hemisphere. All the more reason to take a look back on the spring of earlier this year via the latest installment of The Wild Reed’s “Out and About” series.

Of course, if you follow this blog, you would know that I experienced autumn during part of my spring this year. This was because for the month of March I was in my homeland of Australia.

For The Wild Reed’s “Australian Sojourn – March 2023” series, see:
• Central Station
• Goulburn
• Melbourne
• Guruk
• Mooloolaba
• Yamba
• Gunnedah
• Last Days in Australia

I must admit it was difficult to leave Australia’s beautiful and warm autumn weather and return to Minnesota’s gray and cold in-between time; that time when the snow and ice of winter have mostly gone but the greening of spring is yet to emerge.

Still, return from Australia to my life here in Minnesota I did. . . . And following is a review of the people, places, and experiences that were most meaningful to me in the weeks of spring following my April 4, 2023 return.

The most fulfilling aspect of my life in Minnesota is my work as a spiritual health provider (or chaplain) on the interdisciplinary Palliative Care team at Mercy Hospital in Coon Rapids, a northern suburb of Minneapolis.

Above: With all but one of my Palliative Care team members (Stephanie was away the day this photo was taken). From left: Kari, Jenna, Kate, me, Maddie, and Nikki.

I mentioned how fulfilling I find my work as an interfaith chaplain. Here’s some feedback I’ve recently received that speaks to this experience of meaning and fulfilment.

• You have a beautiful God-given gift! I want you to know how much my sisters and I appreciated your genuine words of support and prayer when you visited with us in our mom's hospital room. Thank you for allowing God to work through you in wonderful ways! You make a difference! (We know mom appreciated you as well!)

• Thank you again for all of your time and words of comfort. You really made a difference, and mom loved the time always. So, when you have a bad day and maybe question your influence, look here and know you DO make a positive difference.

Above: Lunch at Soberfish with my friend Lauren – Saturday, April 22, 2023.

Soberfish is a wonderful Thai restaurant and sushi bar in my south Minneapolis neighborhood of Seward. A few weeks after this photo was taken Lauren joined her spouse in Australia to begin a new life.

I’m wearing my Marianne 2024 t-shirt in support of author and activist Marianne Williamson’s second shot at the U.S. pesidency. She is challenging President Joe Biden for the Democratic party nomination.

For The Wild Reed’s spring 2023 coverage of Marianne’s campaign, see:
• Marianne 2024
• Marianne Williamson Launches 2024 Presidential Campaign
• Progressive Perspectives on Marianne Williamson’s Presidential Run
• More Progressive Perspectives on Marianne Williamson’s Presidential Run
• Ben Burgis: Quote of the Day – March 10, 2020
• Despite the Undemocratic Antics of the DNC, Marianne Williamson Plans on “Winning the Nomination”
• Marianne Williamson on The Next Revolution with Steve Hilton – 05/30/23
• Marianne Williamson in New Hampshire
• Voters, Not the DNC, Should Choose the Nominee

Unfamilar with Marianne Williamson’s 2024 presidential campaign?

Following is the 2-minute video that Marianne released when she launched her campaign on March 4, 2023.

Above: With my friend Pete – Thursday, April 13, 2023. We’re at Axebridge Wine Co. in the North Loop of Minneapolis.

Above: On Friday, May 12 my friends Kathleen and Rita hosted a lunch for a group of our mutual friends. From left: Mary Lynn, Tom, Rita, Kathleen, and Mike.

Above: Friends Kathleen and Rita – Friday, May 12, 2023.

Above and left: Spring blooms!

For more images of the beauty of spring in Minnesota, click here.

Above: Adnan – Sunday, June 4, 2023. We were at the Seward Co-op, located close to my home in south Minneapolis.

Above: On the weekend of June 17-18 I visited my friends Angie and Bryan at their camper in the Pelican Lake RV Resort.

Located just outside of the town of Glenwood in Pope County, Minnesota, Pelican Lake is about a two hour drive northwest from the Twin Cities.

Angie and I first met in 1995, which was my second year in the U.S. after my relocation to Minnesota from Australia. At the time, both of us were students at the College of St. Catherine (now the St. Catherine University) in the Twin Cities. Angie’s hometown is Montevideo, west of the Twin Cities, and back in the late 1990s and early 2000s I spent many happy summer weekends and Thanksgiving holidays in Montevideo with Angie and her family, who welcomed me as one of their own.

Above: Friends Amanda and Tim – Pelican Lake, Saturday, June 17, 2023.

Above: In Glenwood, MN – Saturday, June 17, 2023.

Above: Sunset at Pelican Lake, MN – Saturday, June 17, 2023.

Above: With Amanda and Tim – Sunday, June 18, 2023.

Left: With Angie and Byran – Sunday, June 18, 2023.

When your world moves too fast and you lose yourself in the chaos, introduce yourself to each color of the sunset.

Reaquaint yourself with the earth beneath your feet.

Thank the air that surrounds you with every breath you take.

Find yourself in the appreciation of life.

– Christy Ann Martine

Above and right: On the evening of May 23, my dear friend Joan and I saw Billy Porter at the State Theatre in downtown Minneapolis.

And, yes, it was a great show.

Above: My friend Deandre and his beloved animal companion Tyga – June 5, 2023.

Above: Tyga! – May 15, 2023

Above: Friends Pete and Jeffrey – April 13, 2023.

Above: Friends (from left) Noelle, John, Scott, Alicia, Liana, and little Amelia – Sunday, April 9, 2023.

Above and below: Amelia, demonstrating two of her many creative talents.

What a difference four months can make!

At left is my moon-gazing hare sculpture almost completely buried in the record-breaking snow of Minnesota’s winter of 2022-2023. Fast-forward to May 2023 (above) and this same ornamental hare is surrounded by fragrant and colorful spring blooms.

Above: On Sunday, May 23, friends and I attended a talk on the war involving Ukraine, Russia, and NATO by peace activist Medea Benjamin, co-author with Nicolas J. S. Davies of War in Ukraine: Making Sense of a Senseless Conflict. (Pictured from left: Sue Ann, Carol, Medea, and me.)

For more about Medea’s presentation and to read similar progressive perspectives on the war by Cornel West and Marianne Williamson, click here.

Above and below: Thanks to my friend Deandre, I was able to purchase a bicycle this spring for a very reasonable price. Deandre has a real knack for finding sweet deals online.

Since early June I’ve been regularly cycling on the bike paths along both sides of the Mississippi River near my home in south Minneapolis. It’s been a great way to both decompress after my work day and get in better shape!