Some thoughts on Inauguration Day
When I woke up on the morning of November 6 last year, I was sharply reminded of the day eight years ago when I rolled over in bed, opened the news on my phone, and read that Donald Trump had been elected President. In 2016, I was hit with a shock of fear, paralyzed with questions of what a Trump presidency would look like for my family, for the youth I worked with at the time, and for myself. It took me a few days to find my resolve and clarity and to re-center with those around me. We moved forward together, creating a web of support for young people and the broader community by showing up again and again. I learned a great deal during those four years: about how to be present with others and with myself, how to claim my voice in the face of dehumanizing rhetoric, and how to find tenderness in the midst of it all.
My experience in November, 2024 was different. I wasn’t surprised when I saw the election results. After an initial moment of finding my breath, I found clarity and resolve I hadn’t yet cultivated eight years before. I feel prepared and am more certain now than ever of the importance of what we are doing at Every Table. The work we have done over the last three years has transformed the way I understand myself and my calling here. While not reducing the potential impact of this administration on myself and so many people I love, I know I was made for this moment. I look forward to the next few years as a time of deep transformation and healing of our communities and the world.
I have been saying for years that we are going through a time of transformation unparalleled in our recorded history, and I will continue to say it. The systems we have known and relied upon are crumbling before us, to give way for something new and profound to be born. The next few years will be chaotic, but they will also open our eyes to new ways of understanding and living in relationship with one another. We need one another more than ever right now. As we learn to lean into our vulnerabilities and into community, we will see the abundance that is already here and will carry us into the future.
We have before us an invitation to claim a fuller life: a way of being beyond the oppressive systems which are killing us all and destroying the planet. We are being called, collectively, to step into that future where every child born has what they need to live into who they came here to be. The only way answer that calling is is together.
In November, after completing a lovely tenure as Interim Pastor of Westminster Presbyterian Church in Richmond, I made the decision to focus solely on Every Table. It is a big leap for Charles and I to make this decision for both of us to be on staff full-time, but it is clear that the world needs what we are doing.
My energy as I focus fully on Every Table will be spread across a range of things. In addition to supporting our ongoing programs, I’ll be assisting in the completion of A Moment, our Mobile meditation hub. I’ll also be focusing on fundraising, searching for a space, and collaborating with Charles in building out our Mindfulness for Caregivers program. I’m excited for where we will go and all we will do, not only in this city, but in our greater communities all around the region and the nation.
I’ve also begun writing a book.It is a spiritual memoir that focuses on what I have learned about the world, myself, and the divine since I began having a series of mystical experiences in 2021. If you’d asked me in the early stages of my coming out if I’d known about my sexuality or gender identity from a young age, I would have said I had no idea. Yet, as I’ve begun working on this project, it’s become abundantly clear that I’ve known who I am all along, and that my gender has been key to connecting with my God, with my higher self, and my purpose here.
Trans stories need to be told, now more than ever. This book is an unapologetic celebration of the gifts that come from being trans and of the abundance of gifts trans people offer the world right now.
As a way of getting my story out there,I’ve started a Substack (for folks who may not know, Substack is a platform that allows writers and other text-heavy content creators to share things with a subscribed audience. Some of the content is free; some is behind a paywall). I’ll be sharing a variety of content, including sections of the book as they are written. Proceeds from paid content will go to support Every Table.
