Stain Glass Lens of the 21st Century

Category: Summer

  • Spreading Seeds of Care, Connection, and Community

    Spreading Seeds of Care, Connection, and Community

    The best part of going away is coming home again!  My husband and I took a mini holiday this past week. We decided to spend a few days in a popular destination prior to the height of the tourist season.  The hotel, known for its luxury, didn’t disappoint nor did its reputation for friendly and welcoming staff; we will be going back.  The restaurants were not only full of charming atmosphere, and friendly staff but the food was also delicious.   

    What did surprise me were the tourists.   Folks seemed less friendly then I remember.  If a group of us were in an elevator, no one spoke or when a group of us were in the same tour group one afternoon, everyone was polite but certainly not friendly. It seemed that folks have become more insular, less interested in connecting, even in the slightest way, with others around them.  As I observed this change in human behavior I found myself asking, “When did this start to happen?  Is this the result of too much time spent on social media?  Is this a by-product of the pandemic? ” I was puzzled by what I was witnessing.   

    It wasn’t until our first evening home that the puzzle was solved. We had stopped at the corner store to purchase a bag of milk.  As I was leaving the store a young man fell in step behind me.  He was balancing several bottles of pop and a few bags of potato chips.  There was dust all over him from the top of his work hat, across his work shirt covering most of the logo from a local construction company, and all the way down to his work boots.   He looked to be on his way home from a long day.  Not wanting to slow him down I stepped aside and said, “You go ahead of me, I move rather slow these days.” 

    He responded, “That’s okay.  I’m in no hurry.” 

    He stepped ahead of me and walking through the automated doors he turned and held the door open with his shoulder and said, “Just in case it begins to close on you, I will hold it.”  I smiled and thanked him, knowing he had just solved the puzzle for me. 

    The reason folks down in the city seemed so indifferent to each other is because they don’t live where I live.  In the town I live we hold doors for each other, we smile and chit chat even with strangers and we most certainly care for the other. 

    His actions reminded me of the saying, ‘Humankind: be both!’

    As the first long weekend of the summer arrives may the hospitality of our small communities warm the hearts of the tourists and be carried back to the cities; seeds of care, connection and community.  

    Happy Summer,

    Rev. Heather McCarrel

    Photo by Gary Barnes/Pexels

  • Summer Solstice Has Arrived!

    Summer Solstice Has Arrived!

    Today, Thursday June 20th, 2024, at about 4:50 p.m. we will experience the moment of perfect balance! This is the day when the sun reaches its highest and northernmost point in the sky, according to the Farmer’s Almanac, marking the first day of astronomical summer; the summer solstice.

    “The summer solstice occurs in the northern hemisphere when the northern half of the globe has its closest tilt towards the sun.  Conversely, it’s also when the southern hemisphere experiences the winter solstice, as the southern half of the globe is at its furthest tilt away from the Sun.” (Adler Planetarium)

    Traditionally the summer solstice has been celebrated in many ways such as Midsummer Festivals which include bonfires, picnics, singing, maypole dancing, and hikes to elevated heights either to witness the sunrise or sunset.  Some take to the beach as a means of commencing their summer rituals of sailing, surfing, or simply sun bathing.  Others plan a special meal with friends and family marking this special day with a BBQ and a backyard celebration.

    Author Sarah Ban Breathnach reminds us that “One way of celebrating the Solstice is to consider it a sacred time of reflection, release, restoration, and renewal.”

    However you may mark the solstice remember that today affords us 15 hours of day light to inaugurate the summer with deliberate joy, celebration, and fun; the perfect way to begin this most welcomed season. 

    Blessings,

    Rev. Heather McCarrel

    Photo by Travis Rupert/Pexels

  • Night Calls

    Night Calls

    It was in the wee hours of the morning that they woke me.  At first, I wondered if I had dreamt it but as I lay awake their calls filled my darkened room.  Getting up and quietly pulling on my slippers I leaned against the open screen and listened more deliberately.

    Sure enough, they were out there.  Not one but most likely two or more owls screeching and hooting; each marking their territory.  Carefully I opened the door to the patio and slipped out unnoticed.  I wanted to enjoy their conversation for as long as I could.

    Their hollow hoots took me back to a night many years earlier in the same back yard.  We all were gathered around a camp fire and my three young children, no older than 9 or 10, heard an owl for the first time.  As we silently listened to the haunting call the camp fire flames danced in the night creating a most desired effect; it was a night we won’t forget.  The awe I felt that night returned as I now sat alone listening deeply from the back deck.

    Earlier that night I had prayed asking for words, the kind of words a minister is to preach on a Sunday following a week of terrible headlines. That week we had witnessed wild fires strip thousands of acres of land, homeless people pitch make shift tents in city centres, random stabbings on the Toronto subway, and locally we had the deaths of two young promising youth.

    These owls had arrived to answer that very prayer.  Their timelessness reminded me of God’s great mystery, awe, and eternal presence.   

    As the owls flew away leaving behind the wind whispering through the pine trees I knew I had my answer.  As First Nation’s writer, Richard Wagamese once wrote, “I know that the price of faith is the courage to walk through anything with belief in immaculate love-and the value of faith is eternal.” 

    There is eternal value in trusting God’s love, participating in the great mystery and remaining open to God’s un-chartable awe.

    Blessing,

    Rev. Heather McCarrel

    Photo by Erik Karits/Pexels

  • A Risotto Summer

    A Risotto Summer

    This week we flipped one page in the calendar from July to August, signaling, for many the halfway point of summer holidays.  Standing by the kitchen calendar I tried to recall all that July held and was hard pressed to remember much of it, where did the month go?

    Refusing to let July end on such a sour note, I decided to mark the day with something symbolic.  And I knew exactly what that something would be.   Just that morning a friend had emailed me a recipe for Risotto.  I had decided to set it aside as the recipe started with the statement, “Many say Risotto is a difficult dish to make but it really is very simple, all one needs to do is slow down and take your time.  Risotto teaches that slow brings the best results.”

    With recipe in hand, I headed to the grocery store and later, after watching a video on how to make the perfect Risotto, I started up the frying pan.  As I diligently followed every word in the recipe, even timing the stirring to a perfect 20 minutes as directed.  I realized this recipe was exactly the spiritual exercise I needed to set the tone for the month of August.

    This month I will slow down, taking time to gaze up at the fluffy clouds by day and the starry sky at night.  I promised myself I would spend time running my toes through the warm sand at the beach and plan at least one evening by a crackling campfire.  There would be time to attend open-air concerts and to walk under the tall maples along the river.  I would slow down enough this month to savor all that the month of August offers.

    As the list formed in my mind, the Risotto slowly formed into a lovely creamy dish.  Topped with freshly shredded parmesan and garnished with herbs from the garden it became a reminder of the need to slow down and enjoy the good things in life. It is true, Risotto does teach that slow brings the best results!

    May it be a Risotto August for us all,

    Rev. Heather McCarrel

    Photo by Lucas Lobak Neves/Unsplash

  • Sweet Summer Mornings

    Sweet Summer Mornings

    Photo by Torsten Kellermann/Pexels

    Abby, my canine sidekick, and I enjoy starting the day early.  After a quick breakfast Abby is ready to follow me down to the water barrel where I begin to fill watering cans.  The splashing of water seems to wake the birds and slowly they join us with their perfect pitch. With our wagon full of heavy watering cans we follow the softly lit path down to the garden. The next half hour weeds are pulled, vines are placed on poles, roots are watered and, on a good day, fresh vegetables are gathered.

    Each summer day begins with this most enjoyable routine; until recently.  One morning a neighbor snapped a photo of a bear that was meandering down our street, calmly enjoying the sunrise; Abby and I would have been at the garden as he passed by!  A week later I was surprised to see a tall thin fox running down the street and disappear into the forest.  And, if this wasn’t enough, my friend was shocked to cross paths with a porcupine early one morning.

    I decided to play it safe so we stopped our morning routine.  I simply took Abby out on a leash each morning for a few minutes.  It was decided that evenings would be our time in the garden.

    This decision didn’t work out too well.  By the time evening arrived my tiredness would win out and the garden began to show signs of neglect.  Also, restlessness had taken up residence in my soul expressing itself through impatience and tiredness.  My morning routine had grounded me in a quiet time of prayer and solitude that resulted in a profound sense of connectedness with God; I was missing this deeply.  

    So, we bravely re-committed to our much loved morning routine.  Abby and I have been returning the wagon to its place by the water barrel just as the sun’s early rays climb over the horizon. It is with joy that I drink my morning coffee with a touch of dirt under my nails and a happy dog by my feet.   We have not met any wild beasts and if we do, we have decided to simply smile, nod and quietly go about our business.  You see, us early morning types tend not to be very social.

    Rumi wrote, “The breeze at dawn has secrets to tell you.”  I am grateful that each morning starts with this quiet time; a time when I can listen to the secrets of the breeze.

    Blessings,

    Rev. Heather McCarrel

  • The Best August, Ever!  

    The Best August, Ever!  

    Photo by by Anne Nygard/Unsplash

    How did we get to the last week of July already? Where has the time gone?  If you were to make this August one of the top 3 Augusts of your life, what would that mean for you?  What would it take to make this an amazing August?

     I would begin by making a list of all the things that would make this my best August. This list would be all things I can control such as: go berry picking then bake a pie, plan a weekly BBQ for my closest friends and family,  sit on the beach and slowly run my toes through the sand, photograph the sunset every day for a week, read a good book in the shade of a tree, roast marshmallow’s over a camp fire, ride my bike in the first rays of the sunrise, eat vegetables straight out of the garden and go star gazing. 

    Next would be my list of ‘Bonus Things’.  This would be a list of things I cannot control but hope to experience such as seeing fire flies, wishing on a falling star, having a bird eat out of my hand, photographing a beautiful butterfly with its wings wide open, and a perfect balance of rain and sun daily to keep everything green and lush.

    Before the arrival of September I would hope to slow life down enough to savor fresh corn, listen deeply to the melody of a buzzing bee and as poet Denise Levertov writes, “Breathe the sweetness that hovers in August.”

    What would be the measure of an amazing August for you?  There are only a few days left to get your list prepared! 

    Happy August Everyone, Rev. Heather McCarrel  

  • Flowers of the Hours

    Flowers of the Hours

    Photo by Chulpan Gallyamova/Unsplash

    Have you ever noticed how the twelve months of the year line up with the first twelve hours on a clock? 

    Midnight to one a.m. is January with its quiet darkness followed by two a.m. the equally dark month of February; these are the restful months of deepening as roots do into the soil. 

    New life begins to appear in March, the 3rd month of the year; the quiet hour of three a.m.   This is the time of sprouting and breaking free from the soil.  The slight rays of the sun begin to lighten the sky around 4 a.m. just as April, the 4th month of the year, carries us into the dawning of spring bringing with it Snow Drops, shy little Crocuses and tiny new leaves on each tree. 

    By May we arrive to the celebration of Tulips, Daffodils, and the highly perfumed Hyacinths followed by the brilliance of June which explodes with colour from the top of each tree down to the tiniest wild flower among the grasses.   

    The monthly pace of each hour occurred to me this past week as the Tiger Lilies filled the gardens and waved from alongside the roadways.  The Lilacs, Bleeding Hearts and Peonies have come and gone signally the early summer’s passing and now we are in the time of Daisies, Delphiniums, and Columbines; which means we are at half past July already!

    Before we know it the hour of the Poppies, Black-Eyed Susans and Foxgloves will arrive filling the garden with whimsy while quietly drawing us closer to “a quarter to autumn” and, without much fanfare the Chrysanthemums, Sunflowers and Purple Fountain Grass will usher in the tenth hour and we will find ourselves in the roar of autumn colours.

    Each month is part of a whole; a bouquet of beauty.  May we all pause long enough and often enough to capture the beauty of each hour.

    Blessings,

    Rev. Heather McCarrel

  • “Poling Up” The Beans

    “Poling Up” The Beans

    Photo by Annie Spratt/Unsplash

    It has been a great spring for vegetable gardens!  I spent this morning pulling up weeds, thinning the onions and “poling up” the beans.

    “Poling up” the beans has become a daily task.  I speak sweetly to each little green bean plant while gently encouraging the vines to grow up the thin bamboo sticks. Each day I leave them delicately wrapped around the poles in the right direction only to return the next morning to their wandering ways. 

    As I, again, gather the vines from the patch of peas, soil and from wandering towards the tomatoes I whisper sweet nothings while rewrapping them around the poles.  Tomorrow will be the same and yet, I will happily redirect them.

    It was green beans that first hooked me on gardening. During grade three we each were given a clear plastic cup, a wad of wet paper towel and a bean seed.  With an indelible marker we placed our names on the cup, wrapped the seed in wet paper towel, placed it in the cup and picked our spot on the windowsill; than we waited.   

    The excitement of witnessing the daily growth of that tiny black seed has never left me.  This excitement is only matched by the day I proudly display the first pickings from the garden.  It may only be a radish or a meager offering of lettuce but there is nothing in the world that tastes as divine as the first “fruits” of the vegetable garden.

    Philosopher Francis Bacon reminds us that “God Almighty first planted a garden. And indeed, it is the purest of human pleasures.”  So, this week as we officially head into summer 2022 may we all spend these cherished days doing that which adds to our joy, increases our awe and fills our soul with delight.  

    Happy Summer Everyone,

    Rev. Heather McCarrel