James Derkits

Listen to a story: "Every year on Thanksgiving afternoon...in a county several counties away...the legendary Turkey Uncle makes his annual ride-around on his magical four-wheeler to try to encourage everyone inside the house to come outside, away from their napping spots, to enjoy the beautiful outdoors. The family laughs to see such a sight, then half of them come outside, and half of them find a football game to watch." Well, that's how my Thanksgiving Story would begin if I wrote a Thanksgiving Story. It's not made up. From there it would turn back the clock a couple of days and describe family gathering from different parts of the state, catching up over meals, a campfire, and boardgames at the dinner table. I really do have a beloved family member who occasionally likes to put a turkey decoy on his head to make everyone laugh. And I'm not sure that the four wheeler has any special powers, but I remember that moment as feeling magical. What I love about t...

A few months ago, Eli was playing with a friend running in-and-out of a little pool. They played a few games that involved toy helicopters, and splashing parents. Those were fun, but my favorite moment was when Eli said, "Let's just joy out!" I'm not sure exactly what he meant, but they kept playing and were as happy as could be. We parents looked at each other, smiled, and said, "Yeah, let's joy out." What a good mantra. What a good lesson. Joy out.

The Season of Advent is just around the corner, and as usual, I am ready to begin the blue season of expectation. I'm ready to begin this new Adventure. For me it is a season of introspection and anticipation of what the new year will bring. It's also a season, for me, to consider my spiritual practices. I usually find some churchy thing to follow each year; a pamphlet or podcast series from a seminary. This year I'll be watching the short, daily videos from SSJE Brothers. They show up in my email daily, and the Brothers offer rich wisdom. I know from too much experience that when I neglect my spiritual practices, my energy and focus drop, and I tend to get grumpy. I don't have the reserve to do the things I need to do in my day to day life. I have also learned in recent years, the importance of allowing my spiritual practices to evolve as they need to evolve. I started keeping a journal in high school, and began writing in it more often after college. Somewh...