Author: Siv Ricketts

Hi, I'm Siv (pronounced "See-v") Ricketts, & I'm so glad you're here. In this space & on Instagram, I write to encourage you to have hope, seek beauty, and live joyfully. I have BA’s in English and Communication from Westmont College and an MDiv from Fuller Theological Seminary. I have focused my career working in and writing for the Church as a youth director, a communication director, and a freelance writer/editor. I live in the San Francisco Bay Area with my husband, two sons, and a menagerie of pets. You can also find me on Instagram (@sivricketts).

The Welcoming Prayer

As New Year’s Day 2020 dawned, many expected a year of clear vision. We could clearly see our priorities and accordingly set attainable goals, perhaps in an ambitious list of 20, like walking 20 minutes a day. And then the world toppled sideways. Our intentions for how we’d conduct “normal” life fell out the window … Continue reading The Welcoming Prayer

Writing as a Spiritual Practice

I will be leading a 4-week workshop on Writing as a Spiritual Practice (via Zoom). If you can tell a story to your neighbor when you meet at the mailbox, you can write. And if you’re a person of faith, you can use writing as one more tool in the toolbox to deepen your relationship … Continue reading Writing as a Spiritual Practice

Reverend Ricketts, Reptile Wrangler

A funny story about the importance of listening well & fact-checking: My husband Dave has been a pastor at our church for 15+ years. Our church tries to prioritize being FOR our local community, loving our neighbors well. If you know Dave, you know he is all in. Dave is also an environmentalist. And a … Continue reading Reverend Ricketts, Reptile Wrangler

Reading: Feb-March 2022

Lots of reading recently... I've been doing research for a Writing as a Spiritual Practice class I hope to teach next month (stay tuned for more info) and I've also participated in an online book discussion group with other writers. And then there's all the fiction I read to procrastinate on the actual work projects … Continue reading Reading: Feb-March 2022

Finding Peace Outside

Recently I have been wrestling with a deep (and unnecessary) disappointment, a let-down that pressed hard on still-tender tissue beneath old scars. Things didn’t have to go this way, and yet they did and I’ve done all I can do. I have also noticed something interesting in my response to this turn of events: I … Continue reading Finding Peace Outside

Reading: January 2022

I set a goal to read six books each month this year, and instead in January I read eight. Does your reading happen consistently, a little each day? Sometimes I fall into a story and binge it every available minute until it ends. Other times all my 'on hold' library books come up at once … Continue reading Reading: January 2022

January in California

I am enamored with January in California. While friends around the world share pictures of snow or, much worse, inflamed cheeks frosted with icy eyelashes, here “green” has become a verb. We watch, newly astonished, at the greening of our once crisp straw hills. Once dead lawns resurrect themselves, springing to life with tender green … Continue reading January in California

Spark

The smallest spark can ignite a fire,for good or ill,To warm friends around a campfire on a chilly nightTo candle-cozy a room and illuminate a page of readingTo create a fireline for safetyOr burn down buildings. The smallest spark of electricity canPower a light bulb or an engineAnd heat or cool your food or home.Lightning … Continue reading Spark