For our Family Friday section, 
We’d love to be able to share a short video clip of your child, grandchild and or special young person in your life with our STA faith community and neighbors.
 
Please email us your fun and informal video, (two minutes or less in length), to [email protected]

Greetings and Peace to All!
See the message below from the Wiley family:  Charles, Erin, Naira and Sienna, with a special video greeting from Sienna.
This is how Sienna's school ends their morning assembly everyday, which they are continuing virtually. And this is our message to everyone else!
Love, The Wileys
 

"May there be peace before you, 
behind you, 
above you,
below you,
from your heart,
to your lips,
to everywhere!
Namaste
Have a peaceful day!"

I remember the last in-person meeting I had in the office.  Our project lead, one of the most happy-go-lucky, always crack a joke, keep things light people I know told us quite simply: nothing official has come from corporate yet, but my guidance to you is to stay home unless you absolutely have to come to the office. And the next day, his status on our board said “working from home”.  It was as simple and as complicated as that.

I came in the office one last time because, even though nothing official had come down yet, it was clear that schools would be closing for who knew HOW long and I wanted to take advantage of a last chance to see my friends and colleagues in person.  And I also knew that it was probably the last opportunity I would have to work completely uninterrupted, with my highest level of efficiency, because my office provides me with a space that is arranged with me and only me in mind. Perfect for getting things done! 

In contrast, home is a completely shared space, arranged for the four of us to coexist…sort of.  We have our own rooms and common areas, but we also have our own agendas and responsibilities, needs and preferences, and rhythms and schedules.  Life for the past few years has generally consisted of a non-stop commute between all of the places that make up our collective lives.  Although only 2 of us drive, it often seemed like all 4 of us were moving in different directions and by the time we all managed to be in the same place at the same time, exhaustion set in and the day was done.

The weekend of March 13-15 was going to be a doozy!  Our first high school Mother/Daughter event, the first Passion Play rehearsal, facilitating at a youth retreat, an excited 3-year-old birthday party, the works!  Then in the blink of an eye, the calendar was wiped clean by the closures and restrictions in the area and it left us with a panicky sense of “what do we do now?!”  But, when the little one’s birthday dawned on Monday morning and there were no alarms to silence and no mad dash to get out the door, everything changed.  A simple heartfelt moment to serenade her awake and experience her overwhelming joy at having the whole family together for her entire special day was epic!  And at that point, I understood.

This wasn’t a time to freak out about creating something new, taking on new responsibilities, or reinventing our entire existence.  This was an opportunity to rediscover and reset.  As one preacher I heard recently said, this is a time to regroup.  To regroup is, “to reorganize for renewed activity,” according to Merriam-Webster’s dictionary.  Meaning you don’t have to go back to the drawing board and start everything all over again.  You just have to look at what you already have and what you already do and move it around in a manner that keeps you moving forward, albeit in a different way.  So, I’d like to share briefly with you what REGROUPing has meant for us, during this time:

R: Remembering how to be family and how to be together more often than not.
E: Expectations…relaxing them for a bit while we adjust, rather than heaping on new ones.

G: Gratitude for our circumstances, knowing that countless others are not as fortunate right now.

R: Reflecting on the bigger picture beyond our small family unit, but contemplating and sharing thoughts about our place in the community, in the country, and in the world.

O: Being Open to changes and new ways of doing things, like virtual meetings, more phone calls than text messages, and working together to create a more cohesive environment in the home.

U: Understanding that each of us is moving through this in our own way and allowing for that.  If someone needs space, give it to them.  If someone needs to talk, be willing to listen.  If someone wants to do something together, put other things aside and make time for that.

P: Prayers and Affirmations! In addition to our nightly prayers, we have a set of affirmations that we proclaim together before the little one’s bedtime. We actually started this practice almost a year ago, so now we are being supported and held by those Truths that we have been speaking over ourselves individually and collectively, in preparation for a time such as this when we NEED that strong spiritual ground to stand on.  It’s not too late to develop and start proclaiming your own!
 
There are no right or wrong ways to live through this new experience.  What’s important is that you live each moment in the best possible way you can manage at that point in time…and remember that everyone else in your household is trying to do the exact same thing! So, put on that 1 Corinthians 13 kind of love.  A love that is patient, kind, humble, respectful, generous, tolerant, forgiving, joyful, protective, trusting, hopeful, and persistent.  If you decide for yourself that maybe there was a moment when you didn’t put that kind of love into action, remember that there will be many other moments to come.  And each new moment provides an opportunity to pause, REGROUP,…and try love again!
 
Namaste
Erin Wiley 

Make Way For Love
https://youtu.be/TgLuWJxKGpk

When you act real mean and you still
talk sweet, you are standing in the way of love.
When you don’t tell the truth and someone’s hurt because of you, you are standing in the way of love.
 
Make-way, make - way for love (3x)
Don’t stand in the way of love!
 
If you don’t like your brother ’cause he’s not like you, you are standing in the way of love.
When you fail in school, ‘cause you didn’t keep the rules, you are standing in the way of love.
 
Make -way, make -way for love (3x)
Don’t stand in the way of love!
 
The way of love is peaceful.
The way of love is full of life.
The way of love will always protect you, Keep your free from the circus of life!
 
If you feel confused ??????????
You are standing in the way of love.
If you don’t know Jesus, and all that he can do, you are standing in the way of love.
 
Make -way, make -way for love (3x)
Don’t stand in the way of love!