Goodness Weekly 9.15.25
“Do your little bit of good where you are; it's those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world.”
― Desmond Tutu
WHAT’S GOOD
One Another Coffee hosted our second Thrift Pop-Up benefiting Nuevos Vecinos over the weekend, and it was another amazing success! Thank you to everyone who donated clothes, volunteered, and came out to shop. Because of you we were able to help raise $700 to support Nuevos Vecinos’ mission.
Didn’t make it on Saturday (or can’t wait to shop and support again)? We’ll be hosting these pop-ups quarterly and our next one will be on Saturday, December 13th—so mark your calendars!
Focus on the Good
Amy Lynn Johnson, Communications Manager, Sunset Ridge Collective
This time last year, I was just back from a trip to San Francisco with my oldest daughter to celebrate her sixteenth birthday. It was the first time we’d traveled, just the two of us, and I wanted to make it special. As a single mom, it took some juggling—booking a predawn flight so she’d only miss a day and a half of school, calling in help from my mom and friends to watch my younger daughter, and scraping together savings for flights and our hotel. But we made it happen, and we came home with an abundance of shared memories (and photos to go with them).
We packed our three and a half days to the brim: a fortune cookie factory in Chinatown, winding stairs up Colt Tower, Yayoi Kusama’s infinity room at SF MOMA, bookstore browsing, coffee shop sipping, outdoor symphonies on sidewalks, barking seals at Pier 39, sandcastle contests up the coast, whale watching next to a lighthouse, hiking through Muir Woods, silly photos by the Golden Gate Bridge, and our own shared playlist to enjoy during it all. Each day ended with sore feet and wide smiles.
But on the second day, the adventure turned stressful. We’d been navigating the city by trolley and bus, relying on my phone to find our way. By mid-afternoon, the battery was slipping worrisomely low, and Eleanor’s older phone wasn’t much better. We ducked into coffee shops looking for outlets and rationed turns with our one charger. Later, somewhere in the sprawling Golden Gate Park, we realized my only jacket (and a new one at that) had been left behind on a bus. The fog was rolling in, the temperature dropping, and my phone was now gasping for life.
Inside, I felt a flicker of panic: how would we get back to our hotel safely across town with night creeping in, and without directions or a coat. But I could see Eleanor looking at me, waiting to see how I’d respond. So I took a deep breath and chose calm. It could be contested how calm I looked on the outside at this point, but I made an honest effort nonetheless. I scribbled down bus transfers, filled our water bottles, and walked arm in arm to a nearby thrift store. There, Eleanor spotted a live outlet strip in the electronics section, and we snuck in a little recharge while I found a thin wool coat for $20. Warm and relieved, we headed to a Chinese restaurant for dinner, plugging in our phones as we ate. My fortune cookie that night warned ominously: Be cautious while walking in darkness alone. I laughed, grateful I wasn’t alone at all.
It could have been a night of sharp words and frustration. Instead, it became one of our favorite memories—proof that shared problem-solving and choosing to stay lighthearted can turn potential disaster into adventure.
At home, I keep a framed print in my dining room that reads: Focus on the Good. It’s a simple reminder, but one I come back to again and again. Seeking out the good in life can feel like an impossible feat when so much in the world can irritate, overwhelm, or break our hearts.
As a single mom of four, I’ve faced some challenging times, times that felt really hard to see much if any good around me. But over the years I’ve found that seeing the good in life becomes easier when you make the intention to look for it.
For me, focusing on the good looks like small, steady practices. Taking a quiet moment each morning to reflect on the day ahead. Feeding my creativity with turning recycled materials into art. Reading the Sunday paper with a cup of coffee. Wandering through the Botanical Garden and stopping in wonder at blooms bigger than my face. Getting lost in art shows that expand my sense of possibility. Finding ways to still see the world through the eyes of my own inner child.
These simple things don’t erase the stress or the struggles, but they give me the space to breathe more deeply and show up more fully for the people around me.
Which brings me here. Hi there, I’m Amy, and I’m just over a month into my new role as Communications Manager here at Sunset Ridge. I don’t think I’ve ever been so surprised by the community and welcoming culture of a workplace. Of the abundance of goodness to be found here. It feels like the best kind of invitation: to join in the work of noticing, creating, and celebrating the good in the world around us.
I’m grateful to be a part of that. And I’m so looking forward to connecting with y’all, and beginning this new rhythm of focusing on the good together here each week. Feel free to say hello if you see me out at the farmers market or in church. Or shoot me an email and share a slice of the good happening in your life right now. I’d love to celebrate that with you.
It’s good to be here,
Amy
This Week
Saturday, September 20th, 11:30 AM - 1:30 PM Calm in Color: Learning Watercolor Glazing, The Art Room
Coming Up…
Wednesdays, 11 AM - 1:30 PM, Open Studio Painting
Wednesdays, Mission Compost Pick Up
Thursdays-Sundays, Scott’s Pizza
Saturdays, Sunset Ridge Farmers Market, Charis Park
Sundays, Worship at 9 AM and 11 AM
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, and Community First Food Pantry.
Inhale: When life feels stressful
Exhale: find one good thing that brings joy
