About Me
I'm joining Service Space because ... I love sharing positive, uplifting, optimistic stories.
A good day to me is when ... I have been able to connect with someone at a heart level & be of service.
My hero in life is ...all the regular Joe's and Jane's who are trying to make a difference however, wherever, whenever they can.
My favorite book is ...To Kill a Mockingbird
One thing I'm grateful for is ... my family.
Nuggets From Sister Marilyn Lacey's Call
Aug 10, 2019, 3 smiles
Last Saturday, we had the privilege of hosting Awakin Call with Sister Marilyn Lacey.
Sister Marilyn Lacey is the founder and director of Mercy Beyond Borders, a non-profit that partners with displaced women and children overseas to alleviate their poverty. For 25 years, she has worked with refugees in the U.S., Africa, and Southeast Asia, and spent time in war-ravaged places, including the Lao-Thai border, Sudanese and Somali camps in Kenya, and with internally displaced persons in the Eastern Equatorial region of Sudan. She has dedicated her life to making the world a more welcoming place for persons forced to leave their homelands because of war or persecution. In 2001, Lacey was honored by the Dalai Lama as an "Unsung Hero of Compassion” for her life of service with refugees. “I didn’t set out to be a leader,” Sister Marilyn says. “I just saw what needed doing and I did it. ... Read Full Story
Nuggets From Lee Mun Wah's Call
Jun 01, 2019, 5 smiles
I had the pleasure had the pleasure and profound privilege of hosting Saturday's Awakin Call with Lee Mun Wah, beautifully moderated by Birju Pandya.
Lee Mun Wah is an internationally renowned Chinese American documentary filmmaker, author, poet, educator, community therapist and master diversity trainer. He has created several renowned films, including The Color of Fear and Walking Each Other Home, about racism; Last Chance for Eden, on sexism and racism; and If These Halls Could Talk, a dialogue among college students about race, racism and diversity in higher education. In 1995, Oprah Winfrey did a one-hour special on Lee Mun Wah’s life and work. The base of Lee Mun Wah’s body of work is his lived experience. He faced his father's own racism when his mother was shot five times and killed by a young black man. A promising young black man in one of his films brutally lost his ... Read Full Story
Nuggets From Ashima Goyal's Call
May 11, 2019, 3 comments, 9 smiles
Saturday, I had the joy and privilege of hosting the Awakin Call with Ashima Goyal with Christ Johnnidis moderating and Pavi Mehta livestreaming.
Ashima Goyal is an "ordinary" heroine who channels her talents and wide-ranging training to serve extra-ordinarily in small and large ways. A writer, an editor, a socio-emotional learning educator, an artist, a community-builder (and visionary behind Romania's first Karma Kitchen), a cook, food blogger, and a spirited volunteer, her service has spanned from online space-holding, to hands-on direct disaster aid in grassroots villages after serious floods. As an engineer, and later as a social policy graduate, Ashima had the idea to change the world. "Luckily," she says, "I came in contact with people who helped me see that all I can do is change myself." For the past 7 years, all her work has been towards transforming her environment by first transforming herself through small acts of service. ... Read Full Story
Nuggets From Reverend F.W. King's Call
Mar 14, 2019, 3 comments, 7 smiles
Last Saturday, we had the privilege of hosting Awakin Call with Reverend F.W. King of The Saint John Coltrane African Orthodox Church. The Saint John Coltrane African Orthodox Church has been a presence in the San Francisco Bay Area for decades. The church was founded in 1969 by Franzo King and his wife, Marina King four years after hearing John Coltrane perform at the San Francisco Jazz Workshop. King had been a fan of Coltrane until that night, which he and Marina describe as a “sound baptism.” He then became a disciple. Coltrane was performing, “A Love Supreme,” a seven-years in the making personal testament to God. In the late 1950’s Coltrane nearly overdosed on heroin, which forced his departure from the Miles Davis Quintet and inspired him to write this devotion to God. After hearing Coltrane that night, King left believing that Coltrane was more than a musician. He ... Read Full Story
Nuggets From Abbot Sojun Mel Weitsman's Call
Feb 07, 2019, 4 smiles
Last Saturday, we had the privilege of hosting Awakin Call with Abbot Sojun Mel Weitsman, expertly moderated by Stephanie Nash. Stephanie guided a delightful conversation that evoked the calm presence of this extraordinary teacher. In his modest way, Abbot Weitsman tells of how Suzuki Roshi walked up to him one day and said, “Just being alive is enough.” This became a touchstone for Abbot Weitsman who, after more than 50 years of practice, continues to draw on Suzuki Roshi as his role model at the San Francisco Zen Center, where he is a senior dharma teacher, and at the Berkeley Zen Center where he is Abbot. Abbot Weitsman says some people come to practice thinking the purpose is enlightenment. He explains that “reality is beyond your understanding, and so if you presume to have a God-like understanding, that’s arrogance…Enlightenment is a kind of arrogance.” Instead, to practice is to give ... Read Full Story
