7 April 2020
Castle Valley, UT
his morning, I asked Brooke what we could do to make this day feel productive. He said (not that interested), “I don’t know, but I’m sure you’ll figure it out.” So I walked into the kitchen and sat down on the floor cross-legged and began to clean out a particular cupboard. It held Brooke’s grandmother, Helen Spencer Williams’s silver tea set that his mother, Rosemary had given to us. It was almost black with tarnish.
I thought about my own grandmothers and how they would always “polish the silver” before a dinner party or holiday gathering or a Sunday family dinner after church and I suddenly longed for those gatherings. And before I realized it, I instinctively began polishing Helen’s tea set, each piece in hand revealing such beauty of form and purpose. I thought about her hands a century ago, doing this same ritual that took time.
I remembered family stories about her generosity of spirit, how she was kind and honored the dignity of each person. She was said to be curious. I felt close to her though we never met.
And then, I took the shining tea set outside and put it on our table. I thought about how wonderful that day will be when we can invite neighbors over for tea. I found myself hoping everyone in the valley was okay and healthy and my thoughts traveled to friends and family far and near as my anxious mind returned to me.
I sat down at the table and listened to the quiet and was grateful for the wind.
Terry Tempest Williams
For people who give a lot, it’s hard to receive. Harvard Graduate School of Education student Niharika Sanyal shares practices of acceptance and gratitude to support renewal within the health care community.
Terry Tempest Williams is a writer, naturalist, activist, educator—and patient. In this fifth “Dispatch from the Desert,” Terry reflects on the interconnectedness of planetary health, the nature around us, and the disease we’re facing.
Terry Tempest Williams is a writer, naturalist, activist, educator—and patient. In this fourth “Dispatch from the Desert,” Terry shares the work of theologians Stephanie Paulsell and Howard Thurman and describes another kind of contagion: human dignity.
