If you missed Sunday’s service, focused on Philip and the Ethiopian eunuch, here it is: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aEQV-lVF_Rs
It was a busy Sunday for all concerned; I especially thank Louisa and the funeral and flower committees for their hard work, for their skilled work. I note Louisa has many balls in the air; the Bargain Bonanza (May 25), the April 27 wedding (congrats to Dave and Ann), and the funeral for Ross Lawley held on Sunday (please keep his family in your prayers). The choice in life; to be engaged or not, is a constant challenge in life, no matter your age (though when you are younger you are swept into involuntary challenges like education, work, and sometimes parenting).
What prevents us from engaging with our world? Sometimes, when I speak to retired people, there is a sense of frustration with things being unfair, “that’s the world today…”, as if the world 50 years ago was somehow a fairer place/time (fair for who?). And when I speak to working age folk, there is a sense of “recency bias”, like somehow the generation of people who lived through wars, an economic depression and diseases that killed thousands without warning, did not know the stress we feel. Really? It is in these moments it is good to gain perspective, to consider others are going through their own set of challenges, “it is not all about us”.
In moments when I despair, am tired, or frustrated (my own filter is less “why don’t they do it my way” and more “why can’t they be consistent”) I seek “the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, that guards my hearts and mind in Jesus” (Philippians 4:7). On the weekend I did this looking out the window in our home with three suncatchers.
The suncatchers offer glimpses of light shining through my window, creating transparent colours that spill onto surfaces, the flecks of light scattering around a room, not just reflecting light but letting light flow through it to project light somewhere else. They offer a healing effect on my body, calming my mind, and awaking my spirit. The suncatchers bring me rays of happiness and bright energy, restoring my soul. These three; a Pitcher plant from Newfoundland (my mother’s maiden name was Pitcher), a hummingbird (treasured by my late mother) and the Blue Iris (a gift from Dave Reid), animate my most weary moments.