Tom Adams
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Nature and the faiths of the world all take delight in springtime. Today I’d like to share some reflections on how faith deepens and widens my ability to see and participate in the rituals of spring and thereby deepen my desire to love.
Spring is prime time for people of three major faith traditions – Muslims, Jews, and Christians. This week’s post explores my recent experience of Easter as a Christian in the larger context of these three faith traditions.
March is Women’s History Month. This week’s post reflects on what that might mean to each of us. Designating a time to focus on the role of women got its start with the first International Women’s Day on March 8, 1911. In the United States, the School Board in Sonoma County CA expanded attention to women’s history from one day to a week of events in 1978. In 1980, President Jimmy Carter declared the week of March 8 National Women’s History Week in the United States. In 1987, Congress made this celebration permanent and expanded it to the full month of March.
This week we celebrate the life of Lois Wilson on her birthday, March 4. Lois is a 20th-century leader and co-creator of the Twelve Step movement. Without her, the path to recovery for people with alcoholism and other addictions would be very different and perhaps wouldn’t exist at all. Given this, one might wonder why so few people know much about Lois.
As Black History Month comes to an end, and hopefully we plan to continue learning and acting for racial justice, this week’s post reflects on the many possible ways to take action for racial justice. Reading and knowledge are suggested, yet not enough.
This month I am exploring ways to pay attention to Black History. Everyone’s history is everyone’s history if we are all one and equal. Given the difficulty we have had learning accurate Black History, being intentional for a month (or a lifetime) about learning is essential to deepening understanding and advancing equity.
Last week’s post made the case that paying attention to Black History Month is more important than ever. And it is important for everyone, regardless of race, ethnicity, or politics. This week I will explore some of the many types of learning opportunities, and what I am learning from a couple of examples.
February and Black History Month have arrived. Given the polarized condition of race relations in America, paying attention to the gifts and opportunities that this annual celebration feels more important than ever to me. The next four posts will focus on some aspects of learning and understanding Black History, and an exploration of what we individually and collectively might learn and do to advance “liberty and justice for all.”
Last week’s post celebrated the wedding anniversary of Bill and Lois Wilson, co-founders of Alcoholics Anonymous (Bill) and Al-Anon Family Groups (Lois). We looked at their life and legacy from the point of view of our national aspirations of “liberty and justice for all”. We explored how many people today are free from the hell of alcohol, drugs, and other addictions because of the Twelve Step movement the Wilsons and others pioneered.
Last week we celebrated the birthday of Martin Luther King Jr. My post invited us to reflect on progress and reversals in America’s ongoing struggle to reach our stated aspiration of “liberty and justice for all.” This week I will celebrate the marriage of Bill and Lois Wilson which took place on January 24, 1918, and honor their contribution to “liberty and justice for all.”
Tom Adams writes and speaks on topics vital to the intersection of our personal lives with our community and global lives. He has for decades been engaged in and written about nonprofit leadership and transitions, spirituality and spiritual growth, how we each contribute to a more just and equitable world and recovery from addictions and the Twelve Step recovery movement.