That is not my judgement
It is the assessment of the folks who run “MailChimp”.
The folks at Mailchimp take care of the behind the scenes administration of Vincentian Mindwalk email distribution. This they do for some 13 million small businesses.
For the last couple of months when I have checked the “dashboard’ they provide for each of their customers, they have rated our “little company” of subscribers, to borrow a phrase from St. Vincent, as “highly engaged”. That is their shortcut for saying that consistently they see between 81 and 89 percent of you open, read, and interact with Mindwalk emails. Given the scope of their clients, and industry norms in general, that is astounding.
Some comments…
First, I would like to say thank you to each and every one of you for your engagement. We are all facing many claims to our attention. That so many of you chose to engage in various ways astounds me.
My aim has not been to accumulate “likes” or ‘follows”. As I said at the beginning I view this as a kind of kitchen table where much of life is discussed. It has been to provide a safe place, apart from the noise of so much social media, where people who care about the Mission of Evangelizing the Poor can explore with others who care about that mission.
More importntly, it says a lot about your commitment to exploring Vincent’s way of bringing good News to the those who are poor.
Another comment is that I have been surprised by the many ways you use these posts. In private emails or in public comments some have said they have used these reflections in personal prayer, formation groups that they are responsible for. Other have shared them with friends who might appreciate them.
I also know that I personally have been enriched by the comments and questions you have shared whether through public comments or personal emails.
Some questions
In just about six months we have covered a wide range of topics. (I am appending a list topics as a refesher.)
- Is there anything about following Christ the Evangelizer of the Poor what you would like share or ask others to share?
- Looking back of these months is there any particular post that caught your attention or bothered you in some way?
- Do you have any things you would like to see improved and features you would like to see added
I regard the space as your space so don’t be afraid to speak up whether by posting a comment on this post or emailing me privately.
Above all, thanks for engaging in these Vincentian Mindwalks!
Click below for an audio version of this Mindwalk
Father, I don’t consider myself “highly engaged” but I have certainly enjoyed this “kitchen table” where things can be brought up and talked about.
This morning, I was reminded about something my sister had shared with me about 20 years ago. She had spent years in the convent but left to pursue a nursing career and served 20 years in the Navy and raised two sons. I had been in Jesuit pre-seminary in high school and diocesan seminary for nearly two years after that before it became obvious to me that my “vocation” was elsewhere. It had been a good decision for both of us to leave religious life in exchange for another a “secular vocation.” At the time, we both had jobs and families and hosts of responsibilities that consumed so much of our time.
The particular discussion that came to mind today was praying the Divine Office on a semi-regular basis and whether it was practicable for working adults in a non-monastic setting. We came to the conclusion that it was not practicable, at least, not for us. What we discovered was that the Scriptures provide profound inspiration for the “why” we serve God and others, but our lived experiences and those of the people we were trying to serve opened up whole new vistas of understanding about who God was/is and who his people are.
I guess my point is: Father, keep providing us with the inspiration and/or thought-provoking ideas – they draw us back to the Scriptures and how they are lived out in what we say and do each day. They provide the foundation and substance of why we get involved in the first place.
I’ll finish my coffee and go. Thanks for inviting me to the table.