We received a lovely invitation to spend a few days at the Chautauqua Institute last week. We had been there several times, but it had been 11 years since our last visit. We remembered it as a magical place, and this visit confirmed it again. The Institute hosts nine weeks of lectures and entertainment. Each week is theme-based and we were lucky enough to be there for Week 7:
“Grace: A Celebration of Extraordinary Gifts — A Week in Partnership with Krista Tippett and “On Being”
Be it emotional, physical or spiritual, grace takes many forms. It exists in the way we treat one another, the way in which we move through the world, and the way in which we use our gifts, our grace, to lift up others.
- Grace, as defined by religious terms, is the means by which we receive an unearned gift, one we’re not worthy of. Beyond religion, what does grace look like in the secular world?
- When is grace difficult? In talking across differences? In compromise? In the face of adversity? We look at the moments in which grace is most needed.
- How can we go out into the world, actively moving with more grace throughout our own lives?
Interfaith Lecture Theme :: Grace: A Celebration of Extraordinary Gifts
There are many ways of defining or explaining the idea of Grace. Grace is thought to be something we receive, something we give, something we are, and something we do. In this week we will hear stories from four traditions – Judaism, Christianity, Islam, and Humanism – exploring how each tradition perceives, interprets, and lives Grace.”
I’ve read two of Krista Tippet’s books, Speaking of Faith: Why Religion Matters and How to Talk About It, and Becoming Wise: An Inquiry into the Mystery and Art of Living. I loved both of them, and reread the first one when my interfaith book group picked it for one of our group discussions. All her conversations last week will be recorded for her On Being podcast which I can also heartily recommend. My two favorite interviews last week were with Richard Blanco and Serene Jones. I’m not familiar with a lot of poets, but it feels like I should have known about Richard Blanco since he was the inaugural poet at Barack O’Bama’s second inauguration. He read from his most recent book of poetry, How to Love a Country. Tracy reads even less poetry than I do, but he downloaded the Audible version of the book right after the lecture. I had already read Serene Jones memoir, Call It Grace: Finding Meaning in a Fractured World, and was delighted to have an opportunity to hear her speak.
The morning lectures take place in the Amphitheater which just had a huge renovation. They maintained the historic look of it, but upgraded all the seating and the sound system among other improvements. There is an evening arts presentation each night as well.
Our favorite evening presentation was the renowned Paul Taylor dance company. Thanks to our hostess, we also saw a charming production of The Fantasticks. Since JoAnn lives at the Institute all summer she’s able to be a sponsor to one of the many students who study music, dance, and theater in the summer program. The student she sponsored this summer had the lead in the production, and I know we probably would have missed it if not for JoAnn. I saw the musical at least once growing up and maybe twice. I’ve always loved the music, and all the lyrics came right back to me.
At 2:00 Monday-Thursday there is a lecture at the Hall of Philosophy.
Last week each of the speakers talked on the topic of grace from different perspectives: Monday’s speaker was Rabbi Rami Shapiro, Tuesday was Barbara Brown Taylor, Wednesday was Dr. Abdullah Daar, and Thursday was Katherine Ozment—representing the Jewish faith, the Christian faith, the Muslim faith, and a humanist, secular perspective. I’ve read many of Barbara Brown Taylor’s books. Her most recent one, Holy Envy: Finding God in the Faith of Others was probably the most popular book my interfaith book group has read, and our church recently completed a three-part Sunday Seminar on the book. Before we went to Chautauqua, I read Katherine Ozment’s book, Grace Without God: The Search for Meaning, Purpose, and Belonging in a Secular Age, and liked it very much.
The grounds of Chautauqua are lovely. There are many old homes, almost all with wonderful porches.
This is the back of the Anthenaeum, the old and quite expensive hotel on the grounds. There are many kinds of accommodations. We stayed at the Ministers Union (now renamed) the first time we came. The rooms were spare, you brought your own linens, and cooked in a communal kitchen. When we returned later we stayed at a lovely hotel with a large porch. Each room had a microwave and a tiny refrigerator so we always prepared breakfast and lunch in our rooms.
There are beautiful flowers everywhere:
And then there is the location of the Institute—right on Chautauqua Lake:
The Miller Bell Tower
The first two times we went to Chautauqua was in the mid-1990’s and our kids were in elementary and middle school. One of my favorite activities with them was playing shuffle board. When we first returned in the early 2000’s I missed them terrible every time we walked by the Sports Club which also sits right on the lake.
Our hostess owns a lovely home on the north end of the Institute. We’d never been out there, but it was an easy 15 minute walk back and forth. In addition to spending time with JoAnn, we had several other friends who were there for the week as well, and were lucky enough to meet up with them twice for conversation at the apartment of one of our mutual friends. It couldn’t have been a much more enjoyable week. The only drawback (and not one the diminished any of our pleasures) were intermittent thunderstorms every day except Monday. On Tuesday the wind blew the rain through the Hall of Philosophy so even if you were seated inside (we were), you got wet. Barbara Brown Taylor just carried on through it all although she had to hold on tightly to her papers, and I’m quite sure she got wet as well.
I have a few more photos to share when the final link for the Summer Photography Scavenger Hunt gets posted, and you’ll see a couple of these again.
