Flashback Friday - Episode 73, Reading Parker Palmer

It was sometime around 2007 or 2008 that the residents at Easton Mountain agreed to read A Hidden Wholeness by Parker J. Palmer,

We had been meeting weekly for a check-in circle and a program created by a different resident each week.  Someone suggested this book, and we spent several sessions discussing different chapters.

The book describes "Circles of Trust" in which members help each other through difficult life situations by asking open-ended questions.  No attempt is made to counsel of "fix" anyone.  We contemplated trying this, but never did have a formal Circle of Trust.  However, the concepts of the book did influence the way we dealt with one another.  It contributed to the ethos of Easton Mountain.

In 2011 Palmer published Healing the Heart of Democracy, and we watched a lecture by him streamed live over the internet. One reviewer said of this book: "Palmer looks with realism and hope at how to deal with our political tensions for the sake of the common good—without the shouting, blaming, or defaming so common in our civic organizations and faith communities today."

Recently Palmer has commented on the current political climate, and many of us have foundcomfort and clarity in his wisdom.