Appreciation Album for Dr. Lerita Coleman Brown

Published 9 days ago • 1 min read

2026 Black Contemplative Prayer Summit

Contribute a Note to Our Keynote

Dear Community,

I’m writing to share an important update regarding our beloved keynote speaker, Dr. Lerita Coleman Brown. Dr. Brown has experienced a decline in her health and will no longer be able to join us for the 2026 Summit. She has asked for our prayers for herself and her family during this tender season.

Dr. Brown has been a guiding light for so many of us—her teaching, writing, and witness have shaped contemplative practice across generations. To honor her profound impact, we are creating a community appreciation album entitled Notes to Our Keynote, a collection of gratitude notes, reflections, blessings, and stories from those whose lives she has touched.

The intention is to gift this to her on December 15th. Please contribute before this date.

We invite you to contribute a message and to help share this opportunity with others who may want to express their love and appreciation. This is time-sensitive, and your participation will help ensure Dr. Brown feels the fullness of this community’s support.

Thank you for keeping her and her family in your prayers, and for joining us in offering this meaningful expression of gratitude and presence.

Add Your Note Here

Grace + Ease,
Tia Norman
Curator + Host, Black Contemplative Prayer Summit

Pastor, Awakenings, Inc.
Owner, A Contemplative Space LLC

PO Box 212, Fresno, TX. 77545
Unsubscribe · Preferences

A Few Time-Sensitive Invitations Before the New Year

News + New Good Things from Tia Norman “A contemplative is not a special kind of person, but every person is a special kind of contemplative.” - Tessa Bielecki Friends, I’m dropping in off our regular News and New Good things schedule to share a few time-sensitive happenings as we linger in the space between one year and the next. So this one is mostly news of the new good things in hopes that it will serve as an opening to your New Year. Here are two ways you can join in practice and...

about 8 hours ago • 2 min read

Living an Uniterrupted Life

News + New Good Things from Tia Norman “Do you bow your head when you pray or do you look up into that blue space? Take your choice, prayers fly from all directions. And don't worry about what language you use, God no doubt understands them all." -Mary Oliver (excerpt from Whistling Swans) Peaceful, Centered + Connected When I was first introduced to Centering Prayer, over a decade ago, one of the biggest obstacles I faced was finding 20 minutes to sit in quiet solitude. My home was full of...

28 days ago • 5 min read

Held Between Earth and Sky

News + New Good Things from Tia Norman “There is a rest of the soul that only comes when we stop striving to be more, do more, and achieve more—and simply consent to being held.” -Cynthia Bourgeault Peaceful, Centered + Connected There was a little girl sitting behind me on the airplane ride home from Durham, NC, this week. I’m not sure how old she was, and I was only able to catch a glimpse of her brown curls and the side of her left cheek through the crack in between our seats. “Are we...

about 1 month ago • 3 min read