Stain Glass Lens of the 21st Century

Tag: Community Building

  • 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

  • World House

    World House

    Some years ago, a famous novelist died. Among his papers was found a list of suggested plots for future stories, the more prominently underscored being this one: “A widely separated family inherits a house in which they have to live together.” 

    This is the great new problem of our time.  We have inherited a large house, a great ‘world house’ in which we have to live together-black and white, Easterner and Westerner, gentile and Jew, Catholic and Protestant, Muslim and Hindu-a family unduly separated in ideas, culture and interest who, because we can never again live apart, must learn somehow to live with each other in peace. (Martin Luther King, Jr’s introduction to his talk, “The World House”)

    The world’s religions all agree it isn’t complicated to live in peace, simply “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”  Jesus simplified it even more, “love thy neighbour as thyself” (Matthew 22:37–39).   

    Who is our neighbour?  Anyone beyond ourselves. 

    Author Saul Bellows tells the story of a rabbi in a small village who mysteriously disappeared every Friday.  It was whispered, and the villagers sincerely believed, that on those days he ascended to Heaven itself.  A newcomer to the village heard this and was extremely skeptical.  So, making sure he was not seen, he stealthily followed the rabbi one Friday.  He saw the rabbi change into the clothes of a peasant.  Then, carrying an axe, he went into a nearby forest where he cut down a tree. He cut the tree into fire logs.  Gathering enough for a week’s burning he took them to the home of an old and frail woman.  After that, he returned to the village, changing back into his usual clothes. 

    And ever afterwards, when the villagers declared that every Friday their rabbi ascended to Heaven, the newcomer would say under his breath, “If not higher.”

    May we all ascend higher than heaven by our daily selfless acts of caring for our neighbours.

    Blessings,

    Rev. Heather McCarrel

    Photo by Priscilla Du Preez/Unsplash  

  • Summer Sabbeth

    Summer Sabbeth

    Summer worship has always been my favorite kind of Sabbath keeping.  Gone are the early mornings of shoveling, clearing off the car and maneuvering through snow packed streets.  In summer the singing seems brighter, the energy lighter and there is extra time for chit chat and lemonade.  

    And yet, it is easy to get so caught up in the relaxed pace of summer that we forget the most important day of the week; the Sabbath day.  We kid ourselves by believing time spent in nature walking garden paths or hiking forest trails can replace the importance of time in Sabbath. However, to buy into this way of thinking is to rob ourselves of a most profound gift. To witness the beauty of God’s creation is only part of feeding our souls.

    As Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel (1907-1972), author, professor and activist, writes, “Six days a week we wrestle with the world…on the Sabbath we especially care for the seed of eternity planted in the soul… The seventh day is a palace in time which we build.  It is made of soul, of joy and reticence.  In its atmosphere, a discipline is a reminder of the adjacency to eternity.”

    Setting aside one hour to join others in praise, song, scripture, reflection, prayer and fellowship feeds a sacred element of our soul, so ancient in fact,  it can only be nurtured through this Sabbath keeping.  This one hour a week measures immensely in our entire well- being.  As the old hymn goes,

    “Lord, what a change within us one short hour.               Spent in your presence will prevail to make.       What heavy burdens from our bosoms take.                            What parched grounds refresh as with a shower!” (Lord, what a change within us one short hour, by, Richard Chenevix Trench)

    Blessings,

    Rev. Heather McCarrel

    (Photo of a stain glass window in Owen Sound ON)

  • Proud To Be Canadian

    Proud To Be Canadian

    This past month my husband and I spent some time traveling around England and Wales.  Prior to leaving Canada we had been advised to place small Canadian flags on our luggage and back packs so everyone would know we were Canadian.  Not thinking much of it, I did pack a few Canadian pins into our carry-on luggage but failed to pin them on.        

    That was until the second evening of our trip.  We had just finished placing our order in one of those quaint village pubs when the gentleman at the table beside us turned and said, “Oh, a couple of Americans! I have wanted to ask about that Trump fella you choose as a President.”

    We were quick to fix that misunderstanding.  He apologized and offered to buy us each a pint so to “mend the fence”.  Once back at our hotel room I pinned a small Canadian flag on both of our backpacks and these little pins made all the difference!

    We were stopped by waitresses, hotel staff and complete strangers wanting to share their Canadian stories; stories of family members and friends who now make Canada their home.  We heard heartwarming stories of Canadian care and hospitality.  One hotel worker asked if we had ever heard of a place called Kitchener-Waterloo as he will be moving there this September.

    It wasn’t until we visited St. Margaret’s Church in Bodelwyddan, Wales that my Canadian pride filled my eyes with tears.  In the churchyard of St Margaret’s, locally named the ‘Marble Church’, is the cemetery of over 100 Canadian servicemen and women who died during the First World War and two servicemen of the Second World War. Carved into each  headstone is a maple leaf along with the names, birthplace, and age of each Canadian. This churchyard is kept immaculate and our Welsh guide solemnly said, “To think they came over to help us fight a war that wasn’t their own and they never went home.  We will always be grateful to Canada for this.” 

    In total there was an estimated 15, 000 Canadian Service men and women who went to England and Wales during WWI.  Standing tall amid the graves is a Memorial and inscribed upon it is: “To the memory of Canadian soldiers who died at Kinmel Park Camp during the Great War. This memorial was erected by their comrades. Their name liveth for evermore.”

    It was while we slowly paused at each grave, reading the names and ages that I began to tear up; young men and women between the ages of 19-21, mere children.  I took off my pack back and taking the Canadian pin from it, I placed it among the Canadian coins and river rocks that were scattered around the memorial.

    This weekend is Canada Day.  A day set aside to celebrate and reflect on what it means to be Canadian. We have a past both prideful and painful and a future full of opportunities to mend the wrongs and honour the rights.   

    Happy Canada Day,

    Rev. Heather McCarrel     

    Canadian Flag Photo by Erik McLean/Pexels

  • Hiking For Hospice

    Hiking For Hospice

    It was late one cool September Saturday when my mother arrived to Hospice. She had one of those illnesses that crept through her body almost undetected until it was too late.  Once discovered there was a swiftness to her decline.  We had done all we could for her at home; rented the hospital bed, gathered in all the necessary equipment, shopped for the foods she could eat and where we could do no more there were these angelic nurses who arrived to do the rest of her care. She was a polite patient but not necessarily co-operative. By nature my mother was a very private and defiantly independent woman which, in the past, had bode well for her.   

    I recall my father, two brothers and I sat in silence while the Hospice staff settled her in. This was a silence of relief as we each began to relax from the weeks of emotional heavy lifting.  No longer were we the ones having to remind her to take her meds, rest, or use her walker.  Now, we could start to face our own grief and to be a gentler presence; a profound gift indeed.

    It wasn’t the first time I had been to the hospice. As a minister I had sat by the beds visiting both parishioners and their loved ones.  I had firsthand experience of the kindness and dedication of the hospice staff.

    So impressed have I been with the gentle but strong presence of this hospice that I am now counted among their staff.  It is with humble gratitude that I walk the halls as a Spiritual Care Provider, aka, a Chaplain.  I witness the dedication of all the staff from the remarkable clinical staff, compassionate kitchen staff,  friendly cleaning/enviromental services staff,  well trained and warm hearted volunteers to the busy Management Team.  It takes an army to run a hospice and lots of Chapman ice cream!

    It also takes a community to run a hospice.  That is why I will be at Harrison Park on Saturday May 27th from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. for the wrap up hike and BBQ as we rally around Grey-Bruce Hospice Inc, known to us all as Chapman House. This will be the first in-person Hike for Hospice in two years.  A day of fundraising and gathering, it isn’t too late if you too would like to join us. Please go to https://www.greybrucehospice.com/ for details.

    Hike-Bike-Ride-Paddle-Skip-Play all in the name of Hospice! I hope to see you there,

    Rev. Heather McCarrel

    Photo by Photo nic chiro/Unsplash

  • Do Not Despair

    Do Not Despair

    It was a damp, cool and foggy morning; perfect for a walk through the park.  As we quietly strolled past the tall bare trees draped in mist and over small wooden bridges almost swamped by the over flowing streams I thought how perfect this weather fit my mood.

    The recent headlines had left a fog hanging over me, images of broken bodies pulled from tons of debris.  Two massive earthquakes in Turkey and Syria, the first at 4:00 a.m. on February 6th as folks were slumbering snuggly in their beds registered a 7.8 magnitude which was felt as far afield as Lebanon, Cyprus, Greece, Israel, and the Palestinian territories. A second quake, which recorded a magnitude of 7.5, struck just 9 hours later. Both resulting in a death count at 41,000 and rising.

    How can one look at the images, read the data, watch the carnage on the evening news and not be affected?  Besides donating funds (check out Canadian Red Cross at redcross.ca) we can also pray asking for God’s light, love and healing to reach each victim and strengthen the rescue workers.  

    It is easy to despair and feel vulnerable. We know that one minute these people were sleeping soundly and the next chaos ensued. We know they did not deserve this to happen and we know, from witnessing this devastation that it could happen to us too.  Perhaps our chaos may not come as an earthquake but may be disguised as a pandemic, cancer or a car accident. Some were left feeling anxious this past weekend as an American Fighter Jet shot down an Unidentified Flying Object over Lake Huron. This happened way too close to home!

    Thing is, we have only so much control over what happens in this world and there is no sense worrying over that which we cannot control.  What we can control is how we spend our days. The moments of our lives add up to the sum of our days and result in the story of our lives.  It matters that we handle what we can control well. 

    Richard Wagamese, a truly inspiring First Nations writer shares this wisdom,  

    “All we have are moments.  So live them as though not one can be wasted.  Inhabit them, fill them with the light of your best good intention, honour them with your full presence, find the joy, the calm, the assuredness that allows the hours and the days to take care of themselves.  If we can do that, we will have lived well.” (Embers, 161)

    May we all continue to hold the victims in our prayers while also shaping our moments into lives of light, joy, peace and love.

    Blessings,

    Rev. Heather McCarrel

    Photo by Dave Goudreau/Unsplash

  • Lighten The Load

    Lighten The Load

    Have you been to the grocery store lately?  On Monday I took time to stock up our supplies and was left speechless!  To save on time I had gone to the store closest to my home where I discovered orange juice at a whopping $8.59 a jug and white bread at nearly $6.00 a loaf. 

    Needless to say, I quickly returned to my car and drove across town to a more economical store.  As empty nesters my husband and I do not spend nearly as much as we used to at the grocery store.  Nonetheless, after years of penny pinching while raising our children habits don’t change. If I can get the same juice for $5.00 less only 10 minutes away, I will drive 10 minutes.

    However, even at the economical store the prices were startling. Bread, meat and even a can of soup have gone up more quickly than ever in my 55 years of living. How are young families coping?  I recall when my 3 children were teenagers we went through a loaf of bread daily not to mention cereal, milk and lunch supplies.  But it isn’t just the young families struggling; many seniors are left wondering how they will manage with such high prices.

    On October 27th, 2022 the Toronto Starr reported that Food bank usage across Canada hit an all-time high, nearly 1.5 million visits in one month alone. 

    What can we do? 

    If you are able please consider donating to your local Foodbank.  Any donation is appreciated: a can of soup, a jar of peanut butter, a bag of pasta, whatever you can spare.  What is most helpful, however, are cash donations.  With money to spend those managing the Foodbanks can buy in bulk what is most needed.

    If you are part of a faith community why not have some fun with a Food Drive Challenge?  At one church we had a month long peanut butter challenge.  The challenge was between smooth or crunchy peanut butter, the one with the most donations won.  The Crunchies won!  At another church one of the teens decided to build a wall against hunger.  Enough canned food was donated to erect a wall that took up half of the front of the sanctuary!  There are many fun ways to help others.

    Perhaps another way to make change in the lives of others is by offering to volunteer at your local Foodbank.   

    As Charles Dickens wrote in his book Doctor Marigold, “No one is useless in this world who lightens the burdens of another.”

    May we all consider ways to lighten each other’s burdens,

    Rev. Heather McCarrel

    Photo by Cottonbro Studio/Pexels

  • Worth Keeping

    Worth Keeping

    Photo by Clay Banks/Unsplash

    Recently, while on holiday, I had the opportunity to attend worship at different churches.  Each service was meaningful in their own ways. One thing I noticed was that the wearing of masks was optional at all the services and only at one of the churches did the majority of those in attendance wear masks.

    While drawing my mask out of my pocket I looked around wondering what the difference was in this church compared to the others. 

    After the service I was told that there were a few folks from a group home who attended and the only way they can attend worship is if everyone masks.  This is done out of an abundance of concern around one individual who has a serious lung disease.  This faith community would rather all mask then have that one person not attend worship. What a beautiful act of belonging and love!

    This faith community has become one of my favorite churches as a result of this selflessness. 

    There are a few things worth keeping from pandemic living.  For example, I do hope the live-streaming of funeral services is here to stay.  This has made it possible for family members across the country to attend funeral services.  

     I also hope ZOOM meetings are a permanent change.  Given the long and nasty winter months we encounter here on Georgian Bay I rather like simply turning off my computer at the end of a meeting instead of white knuckling it through snow drifts and white outs. 

    There are many other changes the pandemic has taught that hopefully will remain but the one I witnessed at that worship service is, in my opinion, one of the most powerful changes; to do for others instead of selfishly taking care of only ourselves.

    When we look beyond ourselves and find ways to live that enhance life for others, we make a peaceful world possible.  

    The pandemic was a universal experience; people of all races, sexual orientation, religion, socioeconomic status and age were touched by it and perhaps the best response is for us, without bias, to show selfless regard for each other by sharing respect, acceptance and patience. As the song goes,

    I’d like to see the world for once,
    All standing hand in hand.
    And hear them echo through the hills,
    For peace throughout the land.

    I’d like to teach the world to sing,
    In perfect harmony.
    And I’d like to hold it in my arms,
    And keep it company. (I’d Like to Teach The World To Sing by The New Seekers, 1972)

    Let’s all join in!

    Blessings,

    Rev. Heather McCarrel

  • Belonging

    Belonging

    Photo by Tim Mossholder/Unsplash

    There is a memorable lesson I have done with the children at church on Sunday mornings. I invite all the children to come forward and sit in the front pew. I hand each of them a stick and after the count down, “3-2-1 go!”  They all break their sticks in two.

    This is always followed by laughter! 

    Then I have them bring me the broken sticks and together we gather them into one bundle and bind them with a string before asking, “Do you think we can break these sticks now?”  And, no matter how many tricks we try that bundle of sticks will not break.

    The moral of the story being, we are stronger in community then when we try to do life all on our own.  We all need to reach out to others both in giving support and in receiving it; this is how we become strong together.  As Mother Teresa said, “We all belong to each other.”

    I thought of this lesson recently as I witnessed a widow move from the home he and his wife shared.  After 60 years of marriage she had died rather suddenly and in his grief he decided to go it alone.  However, after 7 months he was ready to step back into community.  After touring many lovely options he chose the right one for himself.  So with help from family and friends he moved his most cherished belongings into a smaller place inside a retirement community.

    At first he felt lost and his grief seemed to deepen.  However, those already living in this community were quick to knock on his door, invite him out for conversation, coffee and one afternoon for musical entertainment. 

    It was this afternoon that changed everything.  The musical guest stopped part way through her performance and from the stage she noticed him.  They made eye contact and with his smile and nod of the head she knew it was him; a fellow musician whom she had shared the stage with many times in the past.  She quickly introduced him to everyone and shared a few memories of their performances.

    Before leaving that afternoon this man was asked if he would help pull together a “home band” for the residence since there already was a pianist, guitarist and a singer.  What they needed was a drummer and a manager; would he mind being both? 

    He entered his apartment later that day and knew he was home. 

    Henri Nouwen, a Dutch Catholic Priest, author, theologian and best known for his ability to create and foster community for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities wrote, “The best of community does give one a deep sense of belonging and well-being; and in that sense community takes away loneliness.”

    May we all be blessed with a sense of belonging and may we foster belonging for others,

    Rev. Heather McCarrel

  • The Teachings of Spring

    The Teachings of Spring

    Photo by Oyster Haus/Pexels

    Spring is the season of new beginnings; a time when all the harshness and bitter cold of winter is forgiven.  This is a season that teaches the relevance of letting go of the past and embracing the gift of new life.

    The cold north wind slowly turns southward bringing with it seeds of growth and melodies of promises fulfilled.  These are the promises of newness but only for those who are brave enough to reach out with wide open hands, daring to let go of what has been ready to grasp the new thing about to happen.       

    It is the same in life; either we decide to let go of those things that hold us to the prickly past or we end up with a bitter winter chill deep in our souls.  It isn’t easy to let go, to forgive those moments of pain and move on.  As Mahatma Gandhi said, “The weak can never forgive.  Forgiveness is an attribute of the strong.”

    It takes strength to forgive and let go, but we do it for our own freedom.  This freedom leads to warm breezes, unexpected sunshine and moments of pure divine joy!  Spring doesn’t wait for winter to apologize, instead, with spunk and a bit of grit spring brings forth new life daily.

    Perhaps this is why spring is so adored.  It has the audacity to embrace life despite all the darkness of the world, not allowing the shadows to dim its light

    May we all embrace this divine light.

    Blessings,

    Rev. Heather McCarrel