The Book of Light

Photo and art by Ms. Kimberly A Reflection for International Women’s Day Peace is often imagined as something negotiated in grand halls, signed onto papers, or declared by leaders. But peace rarely begins there. More often, it begins in the quiet spaces of daily life — in kitchens, gardens, classrooms, and conversations between neighbours. It begins in the choices we make to listen, to care, to remain open when it would be easier to turn away. Across the world, women have lon

Citrus Butterfly, photo by Kimberly Thomas There is something purposeful about the common lime butterfly, the one known scientifically as Papilio demoleus. It does not float aimlessly like a scrap of sunlight. It moves with direction — swift, alert, unapologetic. When it arrives in the garden, circling slowly before landing on one of the red blossoms, it feels less like a random visitor and more like a messenger that knows exactly where it is meant to be. Its life begins in a

Our sister Michal writes to us from Israel, where communities are navigating life between sirens and shelters. In this quiet reflection, she shares how even in these moments, human connection, compassion, and unexpected companionship can still be found. Metamorphosis GCA — Growth. Change. Action. In a shelter. Here in Israel, things seem to happen in a different order: Action. Growth. Change. And then the hope for a different kind of action. In my neighborhood, the shelter ha

Lizard collage by Ms Kimberly Here in the Dominican Republic, the lizards are never far away. They dart across sun-warmed stones, cling effortlessly to painted walls, and pause—still as prayer—on the edges of gardens and hillsides. The Hispaniolan anole flashes emerald in the morning light, the house gecko claims the corners of our kitchen at dusk, and the curly-tailed lizard surveys the yard like a quiet guardian. They are small, yes—but their presence feels ancient, watchfu

The hills of Sosúa. Photo by Ms Kimberly I planted a test garden this season. It was going to be beautiful. Balanced. Diverse. Cucumbers. Lettuce. Snap peas. Beans. Onions. I imagined abundance. A thriving ecosystem. A metaphor for my life. What I got? Cucumbers. Just cucumbers. The lettuce faded politely. The snap peas gave up with dignity. The beans… tried. The onions never really committed. But the cucumbers? They said, “We live here now.” They stretch. They climb. They gr

More rain today. But the rain is doing its work. When we first moved here, this land had been treated like a dumping ground. Garbage pressed into the soil. Debris layered into the earth. A kind of forgetting had happened — the kind that occurs when people stop seeing a place as alive. And then we began. Cleaning the land, experimenting with plants and gardens. Soon we learned how the rain flowed on the land, where to plant, where to walk, where we needed shade and where we ne

Yesterday marked the anniversary of my father’s death. Anniversary days have their own gravity. Even when the world continues on — events planned, conversations happening, community gathering — there is an undercurrent that asks to be felt. My father was a spiritual leader. Not in the loud or performative sense, but in the quiet, steady way that shapes a life from the inside out. From him, I learned goodness. I learned kindness. I learned love — not as sentiment, but as orien

There is something about putting seeds into the earth that changes a person. As I plant cucumbers, beans, and lettuce into peat and soil, I feel the deeper layers of what is really being cultivated. It isn’t just food. It isn’t even just land. It is relationship — with place, with responsibility, with myself. Three words keep circling me lately: sovereignty, stewardship, and serenity. Sovereignty For much of my life, I feel like I moved through spaces as a guest — grateful, r

I have a message to share here. Love will win out. There is a lot of unhappy news blaring at us everyday, between war, politics, and headline news there is a message for us all to chose love. This is not a Pollyanna moment, this is the time to clearly decide that you are on the side of love. And let me tell you about the world we live in and the immense amount of love that surrounds us. Every living creature is filled with love. When I speak of living, I am looking beyond hu

I want to share the magic that I have discovered in living a life of growth, change and action. I know the time has come to develop a...