A Belated Introduction

and a peek at plans for June and early July

A fair number of new subscribers have come along recently, for which I am grateful. This seems like a good time to say a bit more about who I am and why I’m doing this Substack blog.

Courtesy of Colby-Sawyer College, Faculty Friday series

My one-line bio says, “…professed and ordained member of the Lindisfarne Community, a hospital chaplain, and a former instructor in World Religions.” All true, but there’s more, of course. Here’s some of the ‘more.’

Pastor, but not in a church: I trained at an Episcopal seminary and was a priest in that denomination for a while, but left to cut my own path in the world. I’ve been a hospice chaplain (briefly), college instructor and librarian (for a lot longer), and I now pastor my “congregation” in a small community hospital. It’s all God’s work, really.

Teacher, but not in a classroom: My undergrad degree was in Music Education, and I taught elementary music for a year (they gave my salary back to the math department). I’ve also taught Reiki, and private guitar lessons, and finally World Religions, Writing 101, and First-Year Experience at a small local college for 20 years. Oh, and Bible studies and Youth Groups at various churches. Just seems to be something I do here and there.

Writer, but not for income: I’ve published a couple of books, and I write regularly on Substack, but this is not how I earn a living. I write because I think I have some things to say that are worth saying, and because I enjoy the craft of writing. (On the other hand, if you want to see my devotional on the Psalms, here’s the link: https://www.xlibris.com/en/bookstore/bookdetails/866345-psalms-for-morning-and-evening)

Hermit, but not alone: As a member of the Lindisfarne Community I have dedicated my home as a hermitage of the community; hence the name of this blog, Notes from the (Wild Goose) Hermitage. I’m here with my husband, and for a lot of years we had our cat, Buddy, as well. It’s where I become grounded in God’s love, and prepared to meet the world. For more on hermitage life, check out this post from 2024.

Grandmother, but not a mother: After a couple of false starts, I finally married a wonderful man with two children, then in their twenties. Our family has since grown to include three amazing grandchildren who seem to think I’m a pretty good grandma. I hope so, anyway. All I know is I’d move heaven and earth for my stepchildren and grandchildren any day!

Blogger in various formats: I’ve been doing short-form reflections for about 10 years, moving across platforms as some fell out of service and others proved to be less user-friendly that I’d hoped. The entire archive has been imported to Substack, including theological reflections, thoughts on Taylor Swift and Star Wars, and the series on themes of liberation and inclusivity in the Gospel of Luke.

This year I have several commitments in the month of June, so will release a couple of new posts (like this one and one on No Kings for June 14) plus sharing a couple from the archives. The series on Luke will pick back up July 11.

Thanks for reading this far, and for following Notes from the Hermitage.

Feel free to troll the archives to read more about life at the hermitage, the life and times of Buddy the cat, and my personal magpie spiritual life. Leave a comment or introduce yourself as well.