Goodness Weekly 3.10.25
“Peace is this moment without judgment. That is all. This moment in the Heart-space where everything is welcome.”
-Dorothy Hunt
What’s Good
As we continue to nurture Charis Park as a thriving community space, we’re taking some time to ensure the long-term health of our community lawn. Over the next few weeks, we’ll be giving the grass a little extra care so it can grow strong and resilient for years to come. While the lawn will be temporarily closed, the rest of the park remains open for you to enjoy. We appreciate your patience and can’t wait to welcome you back to a lush, green gathering space soon.
Art Installation of dead trees from Sunset Ridge Church repurposed in Charis Park by Urban Tree Co.
A Meditation on Trees
Taylor Bates, Deputy Director, Sunset Ridge Collective
Last Wednesday, Sunset Ridge Church hosted an Ash Wednesday service in our historic chapel, a time in the Christian liturgical calendar to reflect on our mortality, our humanity, and our need for renewal. I was invited to lead a meditation as part of the service, and as I considered a theme, my thoughts moved from ashes to soil, from ground to trees. I found myself reflecting on a photo I took years ago of a tree in New Mexico—a tree standing in a place where my mother-in-law had spread the ashes of her parents.
This meditation grew from that moment of connection—the way trees hold history, the way they endure, the way they remind us that we are both rooted and reaching.
Wherever you find yourself on your own spiritual path, I invite you to engage with this meditation in a way that feels meaningful to you. If "God" doesn’t feel like the right word, you might substitute "Creator," "Love," or "Sacred Presence." May these words help you feel grounded, connected, and held.
Take a deep breath in… and slowly exhale. Again, breathe in deeply… and release.
With each inhale, imagine drawing in life—like a tree stretching toward the sky, its leaves drinking in sunlight. With each exhale, let go of what you no longer need, like autumn leaves drifting to the ground, making way for what is to come.
As you breathe, know that this breath does not belong to you alone. The air you inhale has been exhaled by the trees, by all living things. You are part of something greater—connected, sustained, held.
Feel the weight of your body where it rests. Feel the solid ground beneath your feet, the earth that holds you. Just as trees stand tall because of the unseen strength of their roots, you, too, are held—grounded in something greater, something deeper.
Trees do not resist the seasons; they do not cling to summer’s warmth or fear winter’s stillness. They remain, steady and open, allowing time to shape them. You, too, are shaped—not by perfection, but by the sacred rhythm of growing, shedding, resting, and becoming. You are not outside of life’s unfolding—you are part of it, rooted and held in love.
But roots do not exist alone. Beneath the surface, trees reach for one another. They intertwine. They share what they have. When one is weak, others send nourishment. When one is cut off, others remain connected.
You, too, are not alone. Though you may feel isolated at times, you are part of an unseen network of love and care. Others hold you in their prayers, in their presence, in their quiet acts of kindness. You are rooted in this community of faith, in the love of God, in the vast web of creation itself.
Within every tree, rings tell a story. Some are wide, marking years of abundance. Some are narrow, testaments to seasons of drought. Some bear scars where fire or storm has passed through—yet still, the tree stands.
You, too, carry rings within you—the years that shaped you, the struggles that stretched you, the grace that sustained you. You are not only what has happened to you; you are how you have grown through it. And through it all, God has been present, not as a distant force but as the very ground that holds you, the rain that nourishes you, the sun that calls you forward.
In every season, you are being formed—not finished, but ever-becoming. Not alone, but deeply connected. Not lost, but rooted in the love that sustains all things.
Feel your feet planted firmly on the earth. You are here, in this moment, alive with the breath of God.
Like a tree, you are both rooted and reaching—held in the depths, called toward the light. The seasons may change you, but they will not undo you. You are sustained by a love that flows not just from above but through the very roots of your life, through the people who walk beside you, through the unseen connections that hold us all together.
Rest now in the Ground of God, where you are fully present, fully known, and fully loved.
This Week
Saturday, March 15th
9 AM - 1 PM, Sunset Ridge Farmers Market, Charis Park
10 AM - 11 AM, Fermentation Workshop
Coming Up…
Every Saturday, Sunset Ridge Farmers Market, Charis Park
March 25th - April 2nd, Betty’s Co. Mobile Health Clinic on Campus
March 28th, Terrell Heights Neighborhood Association Family Movie Night, Charis Park
March 28th, Watercolor Wellness Workshop, Room 207, Sunset Ridge Collective
Event Rentals - Interested in hosting your event at Charis Park or in our facilities? We are currently booking for 2025–please email rentals@sunset-ridge.org
Community Partners: For updated schedules and events please follow One Another Coffee, Sunset Ridge Farmers Market, NYX Wellness, Scott’s Pizza, Mission Compost, Sprouts School, Good Acres, Community First Food Pantry, and Betty’s Co.
