A Special Reflection from Holly

a picture of Cohort Zayin. Holly is in the front row, fifth from the left.

Hello 40 Orchards community, 

In November, we had the joy of joining many community members for a truly special celebration. Moments like these remind us of the beauty and importance of connection. While we’d love to gather more often, we understand the challenges—busy schedules, work demands, obligations, and even exhaustion—that make it difficult. Looking ahead to 2025, we anticipate that life may grow even more complicated. 

That’s why a message from Holly (Cohort Zayin) deeply resonated with us. She reminded us of the transformative power of gathering face-to-face, embracing vulnerability, and fostering community. Her words reaffirmed why we  want to keep 40 Orchards alive and thriving: 

"I was part of Cohort Zayin and I did the “Daughters of the Torah” study before that. This all started  because a friend invited me out of the blue, and for some reason, even though I’m desperately shy, I said  “yes" … and it has become one of the most wonderful parts of my life. 

I think feeling half alive is more common now than ever. After Covid isolation, and technology and social  media that both draws us in and keeps us apart, and a frantic kind of constant busy-ness, and a  dehumanizing way of seeing each other that seeps from politics and religion into every part of our culture  … it’s really hard to find the wonder. It’s hard to feel seen. It’s hard to even pay attention when  everything is sad and you feel silenced and alone. It’s hard to proclaim a god of all good things,  sometimes. 

I warned Steph and Lisa that I won’t have the presence of mind right now to include scripture  references, But I do want to point to one story. It’s a dip into the New Testament, the story of the road  to Emmaus after Jesus’ death. Two men are walking down the road with a resurrected Jesus but don’t  recognize him. At the end of their day they sit down to break bread together and suddenly, miraculously,  they recognize that Jesus is in their presence. 

What strikes me about a story like that is when we gather together, face-to-face, and share food and  stories and our most vulnerable selves with each other … how often we notice that the God of creation  and potential and community and connection is present. God has been present during the entire walk, but  we are more likely to recognize that presence when we’re face-to-face. 

In every kind of 40 Orchards gathering, whether it’s a one-time scripture circle or a 10-month cohort, the  invitation is the same: to sit in a circle, to face each other and talk about our doubts and fears, our real life grief and suffering and joy, and then dive together into stories that can give us hope. 40 Orchards  gives us the tools to read these expansive, rich words in a way we haven’t read them before, in a way  that helps us see ourselves in the stories, that gives us agency and choices. It helps the stories breathe,  and invites us to see how relevant they are in our lives now. It helps us see how relevant we are. I hope it  gives us the courage to stand tall when the world, when power structures, when even the church wants us  to be small.

I have never been a part of a community where everyone is so full of love and admiration for each other.  Where shared grief becomes lighter, and shared joy is over the moon. Where doubts are welcomed, and  ideas fly freely, and no answer is the final one because every answer sparks a new question. 40 Orchards  can infuse even someone like me with a God who is alive and breathing and waiting excitedly to see what  we do next, how we’ll tell and retell these old, new stories.” 

The Board of 40 Orchards—and many like Holly— believe in the work of 40 Orchards and in the leadership of Steph and Lisa. We want to ask you to consider a year-end gift. Donations make up over 30% of our budget and help us keep costs from becoming prohibitive. When you choose to support 40 Orchards by participating in circles,  sharing the podcast, inviting people to join you, or with a year-end gift, you are helping us with our mission to cultivate wholeness, hope, and freedom, for ourselves and for others. 

Thank you for all of your support this past year, we’re grateful to be in this together, 

The 40 Orchards Board: Anna, Cathy, Jason, Mary, and Todd 

P.S. Want to hear the above words (and a few more) from Holly's unique voice? Click the link below to hear her speak at our November event as a special release of Searching the Sacred.