Community Blog

RECORDING: Lemonade of Virtual Space Holding

We've all heard the phrase, "When life gives us lemons, we make lemonade." Recently 40 community organizers came together to reflect on the challenges and opportunities emerging from the unique situation of so many of our spaces being shifted into the virtual sphere. The "lemonade" can take many forms, from a deepening consciousness to greater skill at holding space for ourselves and others in a challenging time. [The page includes both audio and video recordings of the gathering.]

12-Year-Old Sews Hundreds of Masks and Feeds Strangers

In between schoolwork and exams, 12-year-old Laksha in Atlanta, Ga., found herself sewing masks for family and friends to help her community during the pandemic. Soon she wondered if she could also...

This Will Be a Good Marriage: Officiating a Zoom Wedding

"I've done over 100 weddings in my career as a minister. Some stand out more than others," writes Rev. Bonnie Rose, "marrying my beloved nephews to their chosen spouses; Greg and Jen's wedding...

The Savior of Stray Dogs

Filmmaker Farah Khan's 12-year-old daughter Anya found herself increasingly upset when news started trickling in about pet owners in Mumbai, India, abandoning their animals on the streets when the...

A True Calling: Serving the Hungry in India

In India, the hardest-hit populations from Covid-19 aren't just those who came in contact with the virus. So many laborers who need a daily income are now without any possibility for work and often...

How ServiceSpace Responded -- And the Questions It Raises

Returning to ServiceSpace after being in solitude for the month of March is an interesting phenomenon. It led the ServiceSpace founder to curiously listen and ask -- how did we collectively...

How KarunaVirus.org Launched -- at the Speed of Love!

We launched KarunaVirus.org at some point in mid-March. What's particularly noteworthy is the pace of its emergence. In just a couple weeks, 31 active volunteers from around the world the site had...

POEM: 'The Long Walk'

In a densely packed neighborhood of Delhi, hundreds of homeless people queued up for food hand-outs. No face masks, hand sanitizers, sinks, or physical distancing. "I need the food. If I stand...

Compassion Enables Hyper Collaboration During a Pandemic

"I realized a couple of days ago that it is precisely in this kind of situation that social action rooted in compassion is uniquely fit to contribute," writes David Bullon in ServiceSpace. "We are...

Dancing During Difficult Times

Difficult times call for creative expressions of love. Here – a virtual dance class with students from southern and northern California, Chicago, Salt Lake City, Seattle and Washington, D.C. –...

Humble Spiritual Activism in a Time of Quarantine

"But, I was still sitting with another question: 'How to strike a satisfactory balance between inner cultivation and outer action, or action in the world during this particular time?'," writes...

In Turkey, Homecoming in Corona Times

"Corona has arrived while I am writing my book Coming Back Home," writes Aslinur Akdeniz in ServiceSpace. "Such a timely arrival! As I am from home, it did not occur to me that it would change my...

Rev. Heng Sure: Giving in the Conditioned World

Buddhist monk Heng Sure shared his insight in a videoconference on "How Does A Heart of Service Respond?" He described three forms of giving: wealth, insight and courage. "Everything that is made...

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