the winds are changing, and the first leaves of autumn adorn the ground,
eager to start their seasonal dance.
they sail and scrap the sandy streets, make beds of mottled brown in stubborn fields of grass, and careen across the landscape,
whirled by whisps of wind that carry a deeper chill than my bones have felt in many months’ time.
“soon,” they whisper,
“this too shall pass.”
it is September 17th, 2023 — and I am sam stone, writing to you from home.
how are you, my friend?
from this week forward, I am resuming a weekly publishing cadence — and each week will include a short writing prompt through a direct invitation to share with me, which can be found here.
I’ve always dreamed of Stepping Stones being a dialogue, and this is the first time that it might truly be, without having to sign up or share with the whole community.
if you’d like to explore, discover, and deepen our relationship together — the offer is waiting :)
Life Cycles
as I watch another season of transition begin, my thoughts return to my family and childhood homes who, like me, continue aging.
for the first time in my awareness, these beacons of love and pillars of stability are in question. perhaps not immediately — i dearly hope not, for many years — yet i feel the beginning of a reckoning.
what does it mean to be home?
what does it mean to leave home behind?
and how does one go about creating new “home”, in a political, economic, and environmental situation like our own?
it seems to me that home is inseparable from place, yet it is also an emotional, internal state.
once cultivated to a certain point, people can carry home within them — and open it up for others to step in.
however, there is a limit to this ability, and it seems to me that cities tend to eat away at the capacity to extend such home-iness. the larger trends and forces in our society push us towards isolation, at the same time as environmental crises and violence around the world displace millions.
Common Need
if HOME is core, singular need shared by us all — how do we provide it?
how do we reshape our land, our buildings, and our communities to create space for home to flourish?
and how do we shape people to carry the spirit of home within them, to hold home in their hearts, and to open them to the world — to suffuse the very streets and fields and buildings and schools with the sense that yes, you —
you are welcome here, and you are fundamentally valuable.
here you are safe, and here we take care of each other.
i know very little, but it seems to me that home relates also to agency.
an invitation isn’t enough. one must feel comfortable, confident, able to contribute, to act in a way authentic to them, to relate to the space and people in a direct way.
in many ways, what I’m talking about then is allyship — learning how to be the most powerful ally you can, to all the people who need one.
home then is revealed to be a process — the process of showing up, consistently, and holding space that is safe for others to step into — and to be willing to step up, and step forward yourself, when the safety of others is called into question.
a deeper dive
next week will also be devoted to exploring the needs of home.
you can help!
share your thoughts, connections, or resources through the weekly discussion board here.
many thanks for joining today!
may your week be filled with peace and joy.
this post is brought to you by the love and generosity of Jane Reusche, Alick Verney, Randall Stratton, Don and Janie Stone, Kerry and Gregg Stone, and Sandy and Suzanne Renna.
with love,
Sam
I love this Sam!! It’s such a gift to have you Home!!