Thursday

     I have been attending the Thursday Eucharist service for some months now. It is at 9:30 in the morning on a weekday which is not possible for everyone but it usually works for me. It's completely different from the service that I attend on Sundays; the same place, some of the same folks, a similar but extremely pared down service, but very much a unique experience. Previously it had never occurred to me that I might attend a church service more than once a week. Life is busy; many of us can barely make it there one day a week. That used to be me. 

     This service for me is a simple but profound connection that is made in quiet moments. I can look around and really see my surroundings: the stained glass, the brass and wood, the tapestry and wax, the bread and the wine. By observing the ritual of Eucharist up close with attention paid to the acts and words of this most sacred communion, I am drawn in, focused. In the chaos and commotion of daily life, this time in His house is a small retreat into wonder, a simple but valuable reset: I feel like a child in my Father’s house. Once again, I am. 

     I am grateful for this. I appreciate that our clergy, led by Father Joe, provides this service. I am thankful for the Altar Guild and that the church can be open and available to us in the middle of the busy week. I thank God for all who came before and gave us this place of joy, of peace, of hope, of love. There may be cracks and stains in places, spilled wax and old windows but I love this house of God, my church home. I know this every day but I am particularly reminded, every Sunday and every Thursday.

Goat

     Looking after a tiny goat kid is more work than you might imagine. It's also more rewarding than you could possibly think. Our little friend was about a month old and her mum had rejected her so things weren't great and to top it off she had a heart murmur. Our daughter and I figured that we were her only chance for survival so we decided to give it a whirl. Here's what I learned from our little cloven-hoofed friend Misty:

1. Communicate, communicate, communicate. And volume is key here. Don't whisper when loudness is so much more effective. If you're hungry, let everyone know about it. Heck, let the neighbours know....everyone needs to know.

2. Strolling is overrated. When at all possible run, spin, leap at full speed. Slowness is for sissies.

3. Everything is a potential snack. Chair cushions (especially the green ones with cute little ties), coffee tables, jacket zipper pulls, house plants....everything has some nutritional value. You just don't know until you try....

4. Every place has what it takes to be a toilet. We are not fussy; towels are good, mats are nice, dog beds are awesome even just the plain old floor. Even grass. We're not fussy--- why should you be?

5. Pushing things with your head is underrated. There is no end to fun when you are applying your forehead to any imaginable surface: fireplaces, furniture, doors. Anywhere has possible pushing possibilities. Also it feels good on those little horns that we are growing. You should try it! 

6. Neatness is not a thing. Whenever possible, drip your milk, spit out your hay, knock over your water and jump at the slightest noise. It keeps life interesting and let's face it, Martha Stewart is not coming over anytime soon. Also see #4.

7. Goats are people too. Sure you may not give us the best names or dress us in the highest fashion clothes but we like the attention so we don't really care. As long as you are into the same kind of fun that we are, we like you. And if that includes racing around a field like an idiot then we love you! 

8. You never know how long you have on earth so it's best to live your best life every day that you can. Make friends, sing, dance, enjoy the outdoors as much as you can and just know that every day is another chance to make someone smile....

Rest in peace Misty!

Recycling 2

     Our eldest daughter has been kept busy lately by one of her jobs---  her recycling job. Over the years she has recycled almost 30,000 containers with the help of family, friends and neighbours. A new job maintaining a local strip mall has also added to this bounty, making those $100.00 cheques come a little faster than they used to do. The mall maintenance has been an eye-opening one for her with cigarette smokers leading the ranks of the worst offenders for littering followed closely by folks not willing to recycle or even throw away their alcoholic cans and bottles and just leaving them wherever. I find it sad to see that so many students from the nearby high school can't be bothered to throw their pizza boxes away. I remember being in Europe many years ago and being horrified by the litter there. It seems like we are headed in the same direction. This is me being a grumpy old lady.

    Anyway the new Return-it Express service through Encorp Pacific makes it so much easier to simply bag, label and scan those clear garbage bags full of returns and have your account automatically credited. No sorting required! Our daughter enjoys being busy, likes to make money and is encouraged by all the folks who make sure that she gets their empties either by bringing them to us or asking us for a pick-up. People like you. So thank you for those bags and bags of recyclable containers. Every can, bottle, jug and tetra pack is another ten cents in our daughter's pocket and for that, she is thrilled! Thanks!

Don

     A newcomer to our church, Don was a retired lawyer who actually told lawyer jokes. Some of them were even funny!  He was a faithful attendee to the 9:30 service on Thursdays (as well as the 8:00 service on Sundays) and as a result we became friends. We sat together at the Newcomer's Lunch and were part of the same listening session. I learned that he had trouble understanding some of the Apostle Paul's teachings and did feel that tithing had no biblical support. He was opinionated. He was also a bit of a mystery when it came to his life before White Rock and I was looking forward to getting to know him better and finding out more about his life. Unfortunately I did not get that chance. Don died in his apartment on Boxing Day. I suppose when you reach my age, you assume that you will experience more deaths. His was unexpected however and I was shaken. 
     Don had suffered through weeks in a neck brace after a fall. He was stoic and patient with the process though and I admired that about him. Another thing that I liked was that he would bring folks from his apartment building to church with him from time to time. Regardless of their faith background, he was happy to introduce them to us, his friends at church. At the last service I attended with him, Don informed me that he had gallstones and they were the cause of all his recent medical appointments. When standing up at the altar together for communion, he patted my arm and told me that he was happy to be there with me. It was such a kind moment!

     Sometimes we cannot understand when people we care for die when they do. We all die of course but the how and when is not of our choosing and therefore one of the mysteries of life. As a Christian I must believe that Don is in a better place. However I would have liked a little more time with him in this place.

Manana

     As a result of what is going on in my life as well as what is going on in the world around us, I started a gratitude journal. Around bedtime I make note of one thing that I am thankful for that day. It has become an end of day routine that I am finding beneficial. And although my mood is typically less positive during these darkening days, I feel a little more upbeat, a little less stressed, a little more able to get a restful sleep as a result of this new practice.
     This week I learned how to say thank you in Pashto. It was taught to me as a result of meeting some folks new to this country and a donation of some family furniture. I know next to nothing about the people receiving the couch and some other pieces but I do know that I was the one who received the larger, more profound gift. The reality that these families had escaped an oppressive regime half a world away with almost none of their own possessions affected me deeply. Their simple expression of thanks was one that I will never forget. And today, that is what I am grateful for. As divided and hate-filled as this world can be, there are instances of love. "Love thy neighbour as thyself" Jesus said. Helen, you helped show me what that looks like. Thank you! Manana!

Moon

     We have been packing up our parents' belongings to move them to a new home. It has been an experience fraught with a plethora of feelings; there are so many memories wrapped up in almost everything we put in a box or a bag. It makes the process a lengthy one, one that keeps getting bogged down in remembrances of times past with photos and correspondence, bits and pieces of years and years of life fully lived. 

     Change is hard; grief catches me off guard. Deeply felt emotions surface at sometimes inopportune moments and I can either experience them or stuff them away, to be dealt with at a hopefully more convenient time, whenever that will be.... Whenever I consider my own parents' end of life arrangements, I can’t help but ponder my own. Thinking about my own mortality is never easy, particularly with a special needs daughter to consider. There are always those things left undone (at least in my case there are) which can keep me awake at night. 

     One thing that I enjoyed finding as I packed was The Montreal Star from July 30, 1969, printed one day before my twelfth birthday. My father had kept a few noteworthy headlines and used them to line a dresser drawer. That was the day the paper published photos of earth that were captured by the Apollo 11 space flight. What amazing images! On July 20, 1969, Apollo 11 Lunar Module Eagle had landed on the moon. As all of us kids crowded on my parents' bed to watch the moon landing on our small television, my father declared that as a young boy in school in England, he had been told that what we were witnessing was an impossibility and could never be done. We knew then that the impossible can become possible. At this moment, in a world seemingly full of violence and division, I pray that that might still be true.

Peace

     Recently I attended a Peace Vigil for the Peoples of the Middle East which was presented by the Surrey Interfaith Council. I was delivering a message from our rector who is a Palestinian Christian and not able to attend as he was away. We learned from a handout that the "The Golden Rule" is the same no matter what religion you practice: "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." or: "Do not do to others what would cause pain if done to you." and multiple other versions of the same admonition from all over the world, from every religion. It was a simple yet profound reminder that we are all one.

     After the welcome, a Muslim boy gave the call to prayer, a Muslim prayer was translated, I shared Father Joe's message and prayer and a Hebrew prayer was offered up by our facilitator. We were encouraged to breathe deeply, to feel our feelings, to take responsibility for them and if we wanted to, to share them. We then heard stories of intense sadness, anger, wisdom, worry and faith. One person left, there were tears shed. We also heard many prayers from different faith groups. Our names were used, our faiths or our country of origin were named but not in a way to make us seem different from each other but to reaffirm our unity, our one-ness in the room. We didn't have a lot of time together but there was an opportunity for us to eat and talk amongst ourselves. The food was delicious and so graciously provided by various participants. We closed with a song. 

     I was happy to have attended, privileged even, to have been asked. The evening was expertly facilitated, perfect in length and all stories were heard and honoured. Many faith traditions offered words of comfort, words of peace. To witness the pain of others but also to hear intentions of goodness and unity was a gift to me at this time of immense strife and upheaval. It reminded me that kindness is always necessary; we truly have no idea what others have to deal with in their lives. It put a human face to the ever present media coverage of war but also gave me a glimpse of what could be. Even in the face of human suffering, it's there: hope.