Stain Glass Lens of the 21st Century

Category: Inspirational

  • The Handbook on Lock Down Living

    The Handbook on Lock Down Living

    In his book, The Little Book of Hygge: the Danish Way to Live Well, Meik Wiking from the Happiness Research Institute in Copenhagen shares research on what brings enduring happiness.  Interestingly, what he discovers would make the perfect handbook for those of us still living these pandemic days in places of government regulated “stay at home” restrictions. 

    The very word, hygge, according to Wiking, means “as creating a feeling of home.  A feeling that we are safe, that we are shielded from the world and allow ourselves to let our guard down.”  Wiking has discovered that what brings lasting happiness isn’t material possessions and job promotions but instead the simple things of life that create hygge in our home- lit candles, coffee and dessert, a good book, a quiet nook for reflection, sitting by the window with a good cup of tea watching the weather change, and enjoying a crackling campfire.

    Thankfully, this book came into my possession just as COVID-19 was arriving back in March 2020.  After reading Wiking’s findings I decided to create hygge in my home.  That night at supper I announced we were about to embark on a new experiment.  We were going to purposely cultivate happiness in our home despite the pandemic.  Then immediately after grace was shared, I lit a candle. Every evening since a candle has been lit at our dinner table. Apparently, true hygge cannot be reached without candle light!   

    Also, as instructed by Wiking, I started to brew coffee just before supper with the aroma filling the kitchen. And as instructed we began to have dessert every evening.  It was mandatory for this experiment to be complete, so dessert has been served daily. Sometimes it is just a store-bought cookie or, more recently, a seasonal treat as we make our way around a strawberry rhubarb pie.

    The post-supper coffee has been scaled down to merely a ¾ cup as we discovered our aging bodies do not tolerate caffeine in the evening so well, keeping us up well beyond our usual bedtimes.  However, that small cup of coffee has become a routine part of watching the evening news, a warm comfort as I listen to all the happenings around the world.

    We also created a comfy nook in our home, a hyggekrog.  This simple space was created around our fireplace and as instructed there is no technology. Instead, just comfortable chairs and a table covered with excellent books.  This small space has become big in our home; a place of conversations and quiet reflection. 

    As we are coming to the end of this third and last lock down and nearing the “new beginning” of vaccine living, I have wondered if it is necessary to continue our hygge habits.   One afternoon, while sitting around our hyggekrog, I posed the question and after some conversation it was decided that hygge living is here to stay. These simple every day practices anchor us in the decision to be happy.  Happiness, much like joy, doesn’t happen by accident.  It is a deliberate practice to be happy.

    Besides, I think the best way to praise God is to spend our days happy with what we have been given. As Charles Spurgeon once said, “It is not how much we have, but how much we enjoy, that makes us happy.”

    Blessings,

    Rev. Heather McCarrel

    The photo was taken by Margaret Jaszowska used with permission/Unsplash

  • Sanctuary

    Sanctuary

    Recently, I had the privilege of visiting a lovely church.  Its sanctuary is full of stain glass windows and this ministry has a rich history of being a beacon of God’s love for over 140 years.  As I stood, masked, at one side of the sanctuary, a church member stood at the other side sharing beautiful stories of this beloved faith community.  When it came time to leave, he looked longingly around and honestly admitted “It has been too long since I have been here. I don’t want to leave.”

    I deeply understood his sentiment.  Each Sunday, like so many others, I join worship virtually via the live stream from my church.  Thankfully we can “chrome cast” the service to our TV screen, and together my husband and I join with others to sing, pray, and reflect.   There are some advantages to gathering for virtual worship. For example, at my church the chat bar is open allowing those who join worship to share a “hello” and a bit of fellowship prior to and following each service. We can also freshen up our coffee during the service without anyone knowing!  But it isn’t the same as being in the church’s sanctuary.

    This pandemic living has me wondering where sanctuary can be found when one cannot go into the church building.  The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines sanctuary as “a place of refuge and protection.”  Some have told me their place of sanctuary is a special spot in nature- either the sandy shores of Lake Huron or Georgian Bay, while others enjoy the forest canopy and accompanying birdsong. There are a few I know who find sanctuary in their gardens, watching the antics of the chipmunks while tending to God’s beauty.

    Michael A Singer, author of The Untethered Soul and The Surrender Experiment, teaches that there are actually two worlds: one that goes on all around us, and one that goes on within us. He teaches that there is a power within us that pulls us upward. If we focus our inner self towards God, others, and eternity, we can create a refuge; we begin to create our own inner sanctuary.

    Where do you find your sanctuary?  Where is your refuge?  If you haven’t developed one, maybe this pandemic is the perfect opportunity to do so!  

    Blessings,

    Rev. Heather McCarrel

    Photo by Lua Valentia used with permission/Unsplash

  • One of God’s Lost Boys

    One of God’s Lost Boys

    It has been one of my greatest privileges to serve as a chaplain over the years.  My first position began in 2006, and since then I have served in several Long Term Care settings, hospital settings, a hospice and, within my own denomination.  This week’s story took place during the 18 months I served as a Student Chaplain in a Mental Health Unit.  It is with permission that I share this story.

    I met up with some of God’s lost boys this week, those tossed aside by society but tenderly held in the palm of God’s steadfast grasp.  One has dubbed me “The Spiritual Lady” and is always prepared for prayer each time our paths cross.  This week he yelled from halfway down the hall, “Hey Spiritual Lady!  Do you have time to pray with me?” 

    “Of course”, I respond and we found a quiet corner.

    Before we started I asked, “Is there anything specific you want to pray about?”

    “I will start the prayer and you can finish it off” he said before bowing his head and folding his hands on his lap. I too closed my eyes and settled back into my chair.

    With a serious and quieted tone he began, “To whom it may concern.”

    My laugh was audible but when I looked up to his earnest posture and continued prayer I knew it meant he wasn’t joking.  He was set to have a serious conversation with whoever would listen.

    I again closed my eyes and folded my hands.  What followed was one of the most honest prayers I have had the privilege to eavesdrop upon. He shared his hopes, fears, regrets, and asked for forgiveness for a list of wrong doings.  Before ending he shared in a joke with God saying, “And now I end with “eh-man” instead of “ah-men” (amen) because I am Canadian, eh?!”  Then he laughed at his own joke.

    All that was left for me to pray was to thank God for the gift of being present to witness the connection between God and this beloved son of his.  I too ended with “Eh-Men” and we parted with a smile at the private joke shared between the three of us!

    May we all take time during these “stay at home” COVID days to find a quiet corner and converse with our ever present Creator, sharing our joys, fears, regrets and wrong doings; may this prayerful time end with such a joy that it fills our days with laughter. 

    Blessings,

    Rev. Heather McCarrel

    Photo by Andrew Neel used with permission/Unsplash

  • To Touch The Wisdom of the Universe

    To Touch The Wisdom of the Universe

    Whenever life becomes overwhelming, I go outside and stand under my maple tree and lookup.  Whether it is day or night, sunshine or rain, I always gain courage by standing under my maple.

    I look past the tall trunk and through the upward reaching limbs and gaze at the timeless sky. Knowing that under this sky the human story has unfolded for generations, it has been the canopy of our existence as a species.

    That moon I see is the same moon that led the Israelites in their 40-year journey to the promised land.  The same sun that shone down on Jesus as he traveled from town to town, shines on us today.

    It isn’t enough to just stand under the maple, to gain the full extent of its grounding power one must lean on its trunk or run their hands along one of its limbs.  I know it must sound silly, but by holding onto a limb, even for a moment, is like holding the hand of an old, wise and calming presence in the universe.

    If you have never stood under an old stately tree and leaned into its soothing presence, then I highly recommend you do so, right now, no matter the time of day or the weather, just go and touch a bit of the grounding wisdom of the universe.

    Photo by Kevin Young/Unsplash

  • 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/ 

  • Backyard Concert

    Backyard Concert

    These “Stay at Home” days can be pretty quiet and even a bit boring at times, that is until we open ourselves to new experiences.  An unexpected “new” experience occurred just the other morning. I was waiting, ever so impatiently, for my morning coffee when I went to the back door to let the dog out and was awed by what I found.

    The morning sun was just starting to lighten the sky behind the tall bare trees. I stood in my slippered feet with the coffee percolating behind me as the wide-open door beckoned me to the fresh dawn.   As I stepped outside, I closed my eyes trying to count all the different songs echoing from the heights: one, was a robin the forbearer of warmer days. Two, was a chickadee who had visited all winter. Three, was the unmistakable low hum of the mourning dove. Four, was a cardinal, the same one who made a mess of the bird feeders this past winter. There was five and six both of which I did not know and seven, sounded somewhat like a cardinal but I wasn’t sure.

    Making the commitment to learn each of their songs I opened my eyes just as the rays of dawn were returning the colours to the earth and the melodies of my winged neighbors treated us all to an early morning concert.

    As I closed the door it occurred to me how very full my bare trees actually were on that cool and damp April morning.

    May you also be blessed by new experiences right in your own backyard!

    Rev. Heather McCarrel

    The photo with this Blog was taken by Gilberto Dimpio used with permission/unsplash

  • When Less Is More

    When Less Is More

    Here we are again, another month-long lockdown in Ontario.  This time the lockdown looks different than the first two.  This time we have the vaccine rolling out across the province and even as the daily case count climbs, so does the daily count of vaccinations.

    So, even amidst the fears of the variants we can start to imagine a day when the new normal will arrive.  In the meantime, we must find ways to cope.

    One way to cope is by reminding ourselves not to fuss over things of which we have no control.  We cannot control when a lockdown is determined or for how long.  We can control our own response to this shut-down and the ever-present risk of contracting COVID-19 or one of it’s variants.

    It seems like a long journey in having to live with less.  We have less opportunities to go out and enjoy an evening on the town, less dining in restaurants, less movies in the theaters and less time with our loved ones. 

    However, there is also a lot more happening now as well. We have gained more appreciation for other things in life such as more dinners at home, more down time to watch the sunset and to listen to birdsong, and more awareness of the beauty and peace that can be found in our own backyards.  We have a lot more time to garden, clean out the closets and arrange our homes as we may have always wanted. More opportunity to bake, paint, sew or build that bookshelf.

    As the Daily Stoic Ryan Holiday writes, “When we do less, we get a double benefit. We cut out what is inessential, and we do what is essential much, much better. There are not a lot of redeeming qualities to a pandemic, but we should at least take this lesson from it. We are being taught what less looks like. We are being taught that less can actually be more.”

    May we all enjoy the more that has been brought into our lives during these “safe at home” days.

    Rev. Heather McCarrel

    The photo with this Blog was taken by Etienne Girardet used with permission/Unsplash

  • Easter Memories

    Easter Memories

    The very first country church I served was an hour and 20-minute drive from my home which, on Easter Sunday meant I left home at 5:30 a.m. so to be on time for the 7:00 a.m. Sunrise Service.  The drive was one of my favorites all year with the morning mist rising out of the quiet fields and the soft choral music of CBC Radio playing in the background.

     We would gather in the church basement with the coffee percolating, tea brewing and a long table laden with Easter treats awaiting our return.   As the piper warmed up his bagpipes we would tighten the scarves around our necks, pull up our hoods and quietly follow  “Amazing Grace” across the road, through the cemetery and up the hill to where the statue of a soldier had been erected. 

    The cool air would warm enough to rise from our singing lips and the view of rolling country hills dotted by trees was the perfect view for this most sacred sun rise. 

    Years earlier, just after WWII, the congregation had started this Easter tradition.  It was started with the belief that Jesus’ resurrection meant all who had died would also rise some day, especially those young men lost to war. So, each Easter began with a sunrise service in the cemetery; a traditional celebration of the promise of resurrection bridging many generations.

    We would bring ourselves into worship with a prayer followed by fiddle and banjo accompanied hymns. One of the youth would read the resurrection scriptures, the minister would offer a short reflection and finally one last “Jesus Christ is Risen Today” chorus before following the piper back down to the church basement for warmed hot cross buns, homemade jam on a freshly baked tea bisque and a cup of strong coffee. 

    This year, as we celebrate our second COVID Easter, may we all be warmed by fond memories while rejoicing that the resurrection cannot be stopped even by a pandemic!

    May the power of Christ’s resurrection and the promise and hope of Easter go with us into the days ahead.  May we sing, pray, live, love, act and serve all for the glory of God. 

    May everyone have a joyous Easter, 

    Rev. Heather McCarrel

    Photo by Hugo Fergusson used with permission/ Unsplash

  • Whispers of God

    Whispers of God

    There is a little creek that runs along my neighborhood. If you are not careful you may drive right by and never notice the life which surrounds this little bending trail of water.  Usually in February it disappears under the layers and layers of snow and I have seen it dry up almost completely in mid-summer but, at times I have witnessed wondrous things by this creek. 

    Often in early summer there are huge turtles that come up from this creek and dig nests for their eggs along the roadside.  One spring evening I slowed my van to a crawl so to take in the beauty of a mother deer and its fawn as they gracefully bent their heads to drink from this creek. And then there are the wildflowers that grow along its banks; colouring the tall grasses with yellow, white and vibrant blue.  

    This week, due to a mild spell, not only did the creek break free from all the snow but it bubbled joyfully over the rocks, tree roots and even broke free from the banks that held it. What a wonderful sight and sound!

    As I stood admiring it’s tenacity to continue to strive despite all kinds of weather it made me think of the Lenten journey we are now completing.  This journey is a time of inner reflection; a time of “spring cleaning” our souls by asking such questions as “What has been tripping me up from fully experiencing God’s presence in my life?” 

    Lent is a season of tough questions, a journey of self-examination that if done honestly will improve our relationship with God and with ourselves; a deliberate movement into the deeper presence of God.

    As I stood admiring the creek the words of Jesus echoed, “Unbind him and set him free.”  Of course, Jesus was speaking of Lazarus, who had been dead but thanks to Jesus was now alive.  Words I believe are being spoken to us today. 

    What binds me to the world in such a way it prevents me from fully experiencing God’s grace? What prevents me from being fully alive?

    As Rev. Dr. Karoline M. Lewis‘, author, educator and preacher, writes, “What does grace upon grace sound like? It sounds like when you are deader than dead and you hear your name being called, by the shepherd who knows you and loves you, and you are then able to walk out of that tomb unbound to rest in the bosom of Jesus.”

    During this coming Holy Week may we all quiet the world long enough so we too hear our names being called. 

    Blessings on your Holy Week,

    Rev. Heather McCarrel

    The Photo with this Blog was taken by Maddox Howe used with permission/Unsplash