Stain Glass Lens of the 21st Century

Tag: September

  • September Sunset

    September Sunset

    Photo by Sasha Martynov/Pexels

    This past Monday evening, the Monday of Labour Day Weekend, we enjoyed the sunset at Sauble Beach.  As we silently sat on the park bench, the sun steadily lowered itself into the distant horizon but not without vibrant shades of peach, pink and soft white.  We know that as the sun sets on one horizon it is rising on another.

    So, as we drove home in the gathering dark our thoughts turned to preparing for the week ahead, meanwhile; the sun was brightening the morning horizon for others.

    As the world turns on its axis, at 1,000 miles per hour, the sun rises, and sets and rises again.   It is a reminder of how fleeting our days truly are; weeks becoming months seemingly in a blink of an eye. 

    Now, as we head back into the busyness of September and our calendars fill with appointments, meetings and constant routine, may we remember to pause daily to acknowledge the divinity that surrounds us all and may this presence ground us in God’s enduring peace, joy and love.  

    Blessings,

    Rev. Heather McCarrel

  • Labour Day Weekend: It’s Not Too Late!

    Labour Day Weekend: It’s Not Too Late!

    Photo by Kyle Glenn/Unsplash

    We in Canada have been celebrating Labour Day since 1894; it has become a national statutory holiday.  Traditionally this day, the first Monday of September, was set aside for honouring laborers of the middle class. On this day there were picnics, parades and activities planned to bring together the laborers in a day of solidarity.

    Things are different now.  Today Labour Day is more about getting the children back into routine for another school year and for catching up on all the summer chores at home.  This has become the weekend when we begin to turn over the garden, pull up the bedding plants and air out the sweaters.  It has become known as the last weekend of the summer.

    But, truth is, the official last day of summer is 2 weeks after Labour Day weekend on September 21st.  That leaves almost 14 more days of warm afternoons at the beach or hiking our favorite trails or reading a good book in the shade of a tree.  The sun does set earlier by September which only creates more time for star gazing or enjoying a late summer campfire.

    The playful butterflies seem to linger in September inviting us all to enjoy the marigolds, Chrysanthemums and late summer roses.  May we accept this invitation and pause long enough to make a few more memories before this summer’s chapter closes.  As William Shakespeare writes, “Summer’s lease hath all too short a date”!

    Happy September,

    Rev. Heather McCarrel