Hello from Christin again!

Yes switched back to Substack because Buttondown was a fail, unfortunately

Dear Ones,

Hello hello, it’s been a while! :) I hope you have all been well. Unfortunately I had a bunch of technical issues with the Buttondown email platform, so I have migrated the newsletter back to Substack.

Since I last wrote you, I am now looking forward to serving as a spiritual provider volunteer at a local incarcerated facility (aka jail.) In practical terms, this means teaching meditation to a small group of incarcerated persons if they wish to attend. Given the current state of the USA, I’ve been contemplating how to serve the community better with my chaplaincy training, and potentially, further training in the insight meditation tradition next year. It is my hope that I can provide care and some relief to those in such stressful situations.

This Sunday I’m going to shadow a seasoned spiritual provider volunteer, and I’m thankful for him allowing me to join in last minute. In truth, when I was seeking this type of opportunity, I was told by friends that sometimes incarcerated facility clearances can take up to half a year. The good news was that I received clearance in 2 weeks, but it also means that I’ve been scrambling to get ready emotionally and practically.

If you have any advice or stories about your experiences with supporting incarcerated individuals or know someone who does, please connect them my way! Dear Simone Silverstein comes to mind as she has written about her experiences as a penpal for an incarcerated individual.

Those of you who know me know that this is but one update from my life, so I look forward to sharing more with you soon. It feels good to write again. This letter was composed with quiet accompaniment from Lavinia Yosub and Fei-Ling Tseng (at least the actual writing part, we of course had fun catching up before we started. :))

Warm Wishes,

Christin