Greetings with Gratitude

Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life.

It turns what we have into enough, and more.

It turns denial into acceptance,

chaos to order,

confusion to clarity.

It can turn a meal into a feast,

a house into a home,

a stranger into a friend.

Gratitude makes sense of our past,

brings peace for today,

and creates a vision for tomorrow.

Melody Beattie

Mary Pandiani
Executive Director
Selah Center

As we enter into a new year, we look back with gratitude for the year that has passed, one that has been difficult for our world on many levels while at the same time providing new experiences for us collectively and personally.

In gratitude, we greet you in this present moment of wherever you might be today. The gift of the moment opens us to the invitations that God has for us individually and as a community. 

And we offer hope for what the future holds as we lean into the vision we have for 2022. To give you a taste of that gratitude and greeting, note the news below: 

• With your generosity – in presence, time and financial giving – for this last year, we are now abundantly poised to lean into the new invitations that God is asking of us. Over the last three-four years, we’ve been in a state of transition. Our founder, John Kiemele moved from his position as Executive Director to a companion along with his wife, Marissa, in our dispersed community. Then when Covid hit, we pivoted with what we had planned for the year to providing opportunities online.
• In the midst of those changes, you have responded to our calls for ongoing support, especially to a monthly or spread-out-over-the-year donation. This stability provides us with the capacity to dream about what may be next. Our 2021 Advent-Christmas book, curated by Deb and Larry Buerk with Mark Cutshall, is a gift that keeps on giving with the over 120 copies we sold.
• We have new companions joining us on February 3rd (see below for more details) who have decided that they want to be part of our community in an ongoing basis.

As you say goodbye to 2021 and move into 2022, remember that you are not alone on this contemplative journey as one being in community with Selah and the One who holds us together.

by Mary Pandiani
Executive Director
Selah Center

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