Look to See Me with Chris Pepple

A reading of my poem "Dreamer of Dreams" read during a worship service of remembrance on Words Aids Day in honor of my family member who died of AIDS in 1993. You are remembered forever. 

Bonus poetry reading of a 2021 poem used in a public reading through an online community program. 

In. this Look to See Me episode, Chris Pepple remembers the life of her cousin who died of AIDS thirty years ago (1993) on the day of this recording. She reads part of his funeral service and reminisces about his life and the loving community in Key West who took care of him as he was dying. Who do we look to see?Whose stories do we truthfully tell as we share the courage and beauty and love in their lives? 

#AIDS

#LGBTQ+

#Family

#Love 

This Look to See Me podcast episode looks at light as a symbol in many faith traditions. Chris Pepple talks about Epiphany Sunday for Christians and relates that to our our journeys in life. We can find the answers that we need from the light outside of us and from our inner light. We may be uncertain as we move forward, but uncertainty doesn't have to be equated with fear. 

#light

#spirituality

#faith

#personalgrowth

#Epiphany

I celebrated my birthday last week. It was a wonderful week filled with special people in my life. In this episode, I talk about the history of birthday celebrations and about all of the ways that we change and experience new "birth" moments in our lives. We are constantly growing and learning as we journey through life. Let's think about the ways we grow physically, spiritually, and emotionally as we move through different phases of life. 

#personalgrowth

#birthday

#history

This episode is also available as a blog post: http://looktoseeme.blog/2022/12/11/birth-and-birthdays/

What brings you joy? Do you find joy along your journey? In this Look to See Me podcast episode, Chris Pepple discusses ways she has found joy along her journey and seeks joy in her daily life. 

#joy

#personal growth

In this Look to See Me podcast episode, Chris Pepple reads an original short story title "The Chairs." She then reflects upon our journeys toward healing, hope, and love. Whether we are healing from domestic abuse or facing racism and inequality in our communities, we need a balance of moments of courage to fight the hard battles and moments of self-care that allow us to heal and rest. We can be both chair builders who create places for people to find safe spaces in our communities and be the person who needs to rest to heal and catch your breath. As we find the courage to bring equality and healing to all members of the LGBTQ+ community, to end racism, to stop domestic abuse, and to face hurts in our families and in our communities, let's think about the chairs we rest in and the chairs we offer to others. 

#Ally

#LGBTQ+

#Hope

#Healing

#SelfCare

This podcast episode opens the door for discussions about our gender identities and the states who are trying to make laws against transgender equality for youth and adults. Be a lifelong learner…be a listener…talk to professionals…talk to anyone who is transgender and willing to be open…read books by parents and by people who are nonbinary or transgender…care enough to be informed.

Let’s be known by our love rather than defined by our misunderstandings…

 This episode is also available as a blog post: http://looktoseeme.blog/2022/11/19/lets-talk-about-our-identities/

#TransgenderAwarenessWeek

#LGBTQ+

#Nonbinary

#Transgender

This episode lets listeners know some of the things that made me smile this week. I talk about being intentional about looking for joys along our journey when life is challenging. I also share three things that brought joy to me this week. We can be intentional about looking for joys and about being a joy in the life of someone else. 

#joy

#whatmademesmile

#funfindsinstores

Chris Pepple reads an original short story from her first published book, Look to See Me. "Shifting the Bowl" is a story of mothers and daughters and family memories...a glimpse of grief and the things we cherish as we heal.

Tennis star Serena Williams has teamed with the Allstate Foundation Purple Purse project to help us all understand the devastating effects of financial abuse and give us an opportunity to share conversations about how we can bring this to an end. I also share my story of surviving financial abuse.

Original Release Date: November 2018

My thoughts on why the Supreme Court nominee matters to me...our nation's choice will have an impact on my family.

First release date:24 September 2020

This podcast invites us to look closer at the lives of people around us and to take time to hear their stories. This week I reflect on what happens when we fail to look to see the truth about other people. I challenge all of us to create a common table where we can share our stories honestly and boldly in order to help bring about peace and hope in our hurting nation...a nation grieving over tragedies in our communities.

First released: October 2018

Today I’m talking about two groups of Moms who have given me the courage to speak out and to love and to find hope for all people. My silence though the years allowed all of discrimination against the LGBTQ+ community to continue. There is no pride for me in all that I failed to say—didn’t do. For the people I never fought for and spoke up with. I’m so glad the LGBTQ community has never given up the fight even when so many of us stayed silent. I’m silent no more. I’m a proud Mama Bear giving Free Mom Hugs. See you at the next Pride Parade…Happy Pride Month…Happy World Pride. You are loved…be courageous…be strong…be you….

First release date:30 June 2019

I used to naively believe that there never had to be “sides.” There never had to be choosing who to stand with because I thought we could learn to stand together. I believed in tables…I believed in conversations. I believed in being willing to hear another person’s voice, to understand another person’s life experiences. But then life taught me that some people are unwilling to come to the table and listen. Come to the table…join the conversations…there’s laughter and joy on the other side of the tears we will shed when we realize all the unnecessary losses that have occurred when we excluded people from the table.

Today I’m going to talk about all that is good. I have thought long and hard about what I consider to be the good in the world…what I will choose to love and be a voice for as much as I am able. I think we all need to use this time to define what we will stand for and what we define as all that is good in this world. Hang on to all that is good. Now is the time to embrace the good, share the love, offer hope, enable healing, and find joy and love and hope for yourself in the process.

Today I offer a reading of a Service of Healing originally written for a worship setting in Atlanta, Georgia. This reading reminds us to hang on to hope, to love, and to all that is good as we struggle in these uncertain times.

I’m Chris Pepple and today I’m once again going to talk about an individual instead of a nonprofit group. This week, however, I’m not going to talk about a public figure. I’m going to talk about a private individual…a person who could be defined as an average person in America with a career and a family. Today's episode is about a mentor and a financial coach. This is dedicated to all of the quiet heroes among us who often work without recognition. (Bonus poetry reading)

I’m Chris Pepple and today I’m going to talk about poetry. April is National Poetry Month, in case you didn’t know. National Poetry Month was inaugurated by the Academy of American Poets in 1996. So, in honor of this month, I’m reading here several of my poems from my book titled Looking, Seeing published in 2018.

In this podcast, I talk about people making one right choice at a time today. There’s a quote from Frozen 2 that says, “When one can see no future, all one can do is the next right thing.” I’m discussing what each of us can do in the moment we are in to not only help others but to also bring joy to ourselves as we do it. There are some wonderful things that individuals and communities are doing to think outside of their own worries and work to help others. (First released in 2020)

You will be known by your vote...by your love...by your justice...by your wisdom in understanding that we are all lifelong learners...that none of us have all of the answers...that we are better together.

Vote like I matter. I will vote like you matter as well. We can sort out the economy and the national debt after we make sure we are all safe...no one wants a weak economy. But no one should vote as if only money matters. People matter.