2022 With You — In Review

This year I spent some time with you and much more time thinking about you.

B, the kids and I went on holiday for the first time in what feels like a COVID century.

We gathered together at in Chicago at Restore 2022 and you were my favourite part. It was one of the most safe and sacred times I have experienced in a long time. You were beautiful and true, and best of all, you were you.

I travelled to the UK to pick up love on four feet (Hardy) with my older sister and younger daughter. We each came so much closer to the other in the travelling far.

While there I spent two incredible days with courageous whistleblowers Max Baker-Hytch and Amy Orr-Ewing. We walked the courtyard of Magdalene College and communed about what was, what is, and what will be. We supped splendidly with Tom Price. Oxford beckoned me as one just beyond my reach but not beyond my dreams. Never before had I felt so acutely what was possible as well as what was passed.

The following day I traversed sacred territory with Nancy Gifford and Amy. (Nancy, Max and Amy all resigned or made redundant by RZIM). Unbeknownst to me, my sorrow had stowed away in my suitcase. It rose rapidly as we walked the land slowly. We communed quielty.

We stayed in a place very close to one of the bravest women I had never met. What a privilege it was to finally meet the unforgettable Lucy!

I said Goodbye Tweetheart, two months ago. It was so very hard to go. I miss nothing of twitter but you. We have been friends to each other and you are utterly unforgettable. Truly, I carry you in my soul. I cannot seem to be present as I wish to in that platform and as present as I wish to in person. I am conflicted by my own limitations even as I grapple to accept them. Please be aware that there does appear to be at least one fraudulent account in my name. Kindly REPORT and BLOCK as, gratefully, I am the only me.

I participated in The Right Side UP podcast with the unmatched James Sholl & Danielle Strickland. Danielle is a strong spiritual leader, an effective communicator, and a ceaseless justice advocate. James is a precious pastor from Wellspring Church in Toronto, Canada. Together we talked about DARVO and the backlash that survivors face in the social media space. They are also posturing themselves and others to listen to, to learn from, and give credence to survivors of clergy sexual abuse at Hagar’s Voice. Incredible work. Incredible people.

Frequently, I am privileged to sit with the bravest people on earth. This past December I spoke with an astoundingly courageous group of women who are part of Restored Voices Collective — an online group for clergy sexual abuse victims that seeks to support, educate, and empower survivors. It was a raw, honest, and a rare time of collective transparency. They were beautiful to me in their strength, in their struggle, and in their suffering.

That my friends, was 2022 in review, with you. We laughed, we cried, we gained, we lost but most of all — we grew.

2023 has arrived with its bright shiny new slate. Nothing is written yet. Let us write the following large on the horizon. I’ll bear witness beside the slate of your life and wait, even as your hand may shake.

These words I speak to you.
These words I speak over you.
These realities I pursue with you.

Happy New Year, dear friends.
May the years end find us more of all things true and beautiful.

Love,
Lori Anne