Stain Glass Lens of the 21st Century

Category: encouraging

  • Stillness

    Stillness

    It began as a daily observation but became a source of great healing. I first noticed little green tips pointing out of the cold, hard ground. They grew tall seemingly right before my eyes.  Then the buds appeared, growing slowly to reveal their hidden gems.  At last my flower beds are full of their yellow, white, pink and purple celebration, perfuming the air with promises of sunshine, warmth and joyful days ahead.

    These slowed-down COVID days have afforded me the time to sit still and capture all the life around me.  This life has been happening all along unnoticed.  Now I have charted the ever changing growth of the flowers, the budding and growth of the maple trees (have you noticed the bobbles they are now donning?) and the dramatic brightness of the forsythia bushes. 

    I have sat in silence enjoying the building of new nests and the refurbishing of old ones.  Many giggles have been shared over the amusing antics of the red, black and grey squirrels.  And I had no idea how many visitors there were to my backyard until now: midnight visits from raccoons and owls, followed by a chorus of morning birds rising alongside the spring sun on the backs of rabbits, skunks and the neighborhood cats.

    The ongoing affairs in my small piece of God’s Creation promises to entertain me in the weeks ahead.  I anticipate the lilac bushes bursting with colour, the blueberry bushes exploding with sustenance and the rhubarb growing tall and unyielding.  The vegetable garden has been tilled and waits to receive the peas, beans and tomato plants that now fill my window sills. And I can’t wait to see how many chicks the robins produce.

    The great Stoic Markus Aurelius wrote that having stillness allows us to “concentrate on living what can be lived (the present moment).” Only then, he said, “can you spend the time you have left in tranquility. And in kindness. And at peace with the spirit within you.”   (Daily Stoic: Ryan Holiday)

    May we all appreciate the gift of stillness which these Stay-At-Home days afford us and may we glean tranquility, peace and beauty with each and every day.

    Blessings,

    Rev. Heather McCarrel

    Photo by Melissa Askew used with permission/Unsplash

    P.S. With gratitude to Sandy Lindsay requesting that this BLOG continue in the Saugeen Times and with permission granted from my denomination it has been decided Stainglasslens will continue to part of this online newspaper.    

  • A Serious Heart Condition

    A Serious Heart Condition

    Bear had a heart condition.  The surgeons did all they could when he underwent heart surgery but it didn’t go as well as hoped.  Eventually, he made it home and for the last 8 years before his death he was aware that his heart wasn’t as strong as it used to be.  But that isn’t the heart condition I am referring to. 

    Bear had the kind of heart condition that made him phone his mother every Thursday evening just because he knew how much she loved to hear his voice.

    He had the kind of heart condition that made him a strong but fair foreman at the local factory and the kind of guy you would want on your ball team or better yet, as your coach.

    This big, burly, and, tattoo covered man single handily raised a fine son; one who is now raising children of his own.  Bear became a single parent when his son was only two months old and gladly quit his motorcycle gang, bought a house and set up a home. That is the kind of heart condition Bear had.

    Bear liked to spend his summers over at The Country Camp Ground, a few miles out of town, where he became known as “the Pope of the Camp”!  He thoroughly enjoyed sitting in his lawn chair on the deck by his trailer and each passerby received a kind word or he had a joke ready to share.  He also had a listening ear and clear common sense advice for all who sought him out. Bear made time for everyone.

    As a minister I am privileged to preside at the funerals of many over the course of a year and I will never forget the funeral service for Bear.  The funeral home was filled beyond capacity with a spill over crowd in two separate rooms and the service being viewed via TV screens. 

    There were entire ball teams who arrived in their jerseys.  Bikers who arrived in leathers with the logo for “Saddle Tramps” pasted on their backs, and many others arrived who wiped tears from their faces as they viewed photos of Bear’s life.

    After the service one young man, about 15 years old, and his mother approached me.  This young man, wiping tears from his eyes said, “Bear was like a father to me.”  Then he went forward and laid his hands on the urn.  His mother turned to me and said, “My son was experiencing terrible bullying at school and I was at a loss of what to do.  About 3 years ago we came to the Country Camp for summer holidays and it was there we met Bear.  Bear took my son under his wings even keeping in touch with him over the school year.  He really did become like a father to my son.  I am indebted to Bear for how he helped my son.  We are already missing him deeply.”

    The Apostle Paul writes that we are to “outdo one another in showing love”(Romans 12:10).    Bear would have won that competition hands down! 

    He leaves behind a legacy of love and an example for us all to follow; the world sure could use a few more with Bear’s heart condition!

    Rev. Heather McCarrel

    Photo by Tengyart, used with permission/Unsplash

    I would like to thank Sandy Lindsay for adding my weekly BLOG to the Saugeen Times, it has been a privilege.  On May 5th, 2021 I will discontinue my ministry at Port Elgin United Church and so, my BLOGs will no longer be appearing in the Saugeen Times.  These weekly writings will be appearing at https://stainglasslens.wordpress.com/