Abstract
In this intentional anthology of academic, professional, and personal reflections written during 2020–2021, the reader is brought into the depths of a caring collaboration that affirms the richness of possibility for growth and change within a post-colonial ethos of pastoral and spiritual care. Picking up this text, currently, immediately causes us to confront the reality that there has been a cultural push to speed up and move past this very tumultuous time in our recent, collective history. At first, we might even be tempted to put it down, or to think of it as retrospectively rooted in a history we are at times eager to put behind us. But this is not a dated text, nor are its insights limited to the particularities of the time during which it was written; there are great insights to be gained while re-immersing into the thoughts and experiences reflected by each chapter’s author(s), written with authenticity during a time of constant uncertainty and upheaval. Reading one’s way through the book from beginning to end is akin to building a mosaic: each piece may seem unique and intriguing on its own, but the full design intention only emerges/is liberated when the pieces are all in place and one steps back to consider the whole. This is an important note for readers because it is easy to be particularly drawn to (or perhaps even momentarily disinterested in) one approach or insight over another but in the end each voice and experience is an essential component of the whole.
The editors have rightly chosen to preserve the voice, positionality, and style of each contributor to this mosaic, faithful to the nature of liberative care and togetherness. To appreciate this fully, the reader also should be prepared to lean differently into various sections of the book. The opening section is saturated with philosophical and literary depth, both deconstructing and rebuilding a paradigm of some of the most essential components of spiritual and pastoral care and caregiving: forgiveness, woundedness, healing, and repair. This intellectual foundation provides generative groundwork for application, most notably so in Hellena Moon & Loretta Ross’ chapter, “Repair through Practices of Care: ‘Calling in’ as Justice Work” which offers a thorough and proactive centering of why and how we call each other into relationship to foster lasting change. As the chapters continue to unfold, the unique identities, positionalities, and experiences of each voice in this multi-authored collaboration allows for nuance, perspective, and idea-sharing to cut across potential boundaries and isolation associated with this time in our collective history. The final chapters move from prose to poetry in which the embodiedness of experience gives further life and imaginative liberation to the ideas and concepts shared in earlier chapters, creating a shared conversation and study among contributors.
Collectively, this edited text nourishes and inspires body, mind, and spirit for the reader who cares deeply about both individual experiences and catalyzing deep systemic change in a world where racism, power, and oppression have impacted and imperiled so many people and institutions. It is written with positionality and honesty, as well as kindness and care intentionally demonstrated among the authors and editors which, in turn, flows through to change us, the readers, into rethinking how we have been shaped by our own experiences as well as the experiences of others during the multiple pandemics that have continued to rock our world. How will we add our voices and experiences to this dialogue on practices of care? This text inspires us to that question and gives us nourishment and tools to continue our individual and collective journeys in conversation and caring community.