Made Whole

What if we weren’t alone after all?

What if you were really a fragment of a

Great and glorious mind

Like an individual wave

Is part of the magnificent ocean?

Then anything would be possible.

This poem, by Joan Borysenko, captured my feeling as I left our Service for Healing of Body, Mind and Spirit yesterday. During the service everyone had the opportunity to write prayer concerns that were then shared during an intercessory prayer at the end of the service. The mounting of concerns – Haiti, cancer, marital difficulties, financial concerns, and more – could have been overwhelming to some, but I experienced it differently. As I watched person after person bring forward their concerns, and I had the honor of giving them voice, I was reminded of how every single person faces challenges. Every single person present had something weighing on his or her heart. Often we bear these burdens silently, but yesterday we named them out loud, and I felt us pulling together. Through this process, I felt a deeper connection with all who were present. I also felt a sense of hopefulness that God will help bring us through our personal and collective trials and make us stronger.

As I prepared for this healing service I was very aware that there were some people in our midst who were praying for cures so that they might be made well. I share in their hope and prayer, but I also have found myself reflecting on what it means to be well, what it means to be “made whole.” As I looked out on the congregation I saw persons who are filled with vitality, creativity, and a love for life who happen to have a disability. I saw persons who move a little more slowly and need to have some things repeated every so often because they are losing their hearing, but whose very lives embody love and wisdom. I saw persons who live with cancer, diabetes, multiple sclerosis, and Parkinson’s who exude an inner peace and a reverence for life that bears witness to the living Christ within them.

My favorite communion chalice is a cup that appears as though it was broken and put back together again. For me, it resembles not only what happened with Jesus but happens with all of us. God welcomes and loves us, however it is that we are; God takes all of the broken pieces, nurturing and shaping us into something that is perfectly whole and all the more beautiful. Today, I am giving thanks for all of the people who make up this community of faith, who through sharing their brokenness as well as their strengths, make a beautiful whole.

Loving One Another into Wholeness

A couple of people had suggested we consider having an Animal Blessing Service. I had heard about these services but had never attended one nor could I really imagine what to expect, but I was glad to try to create a service that would honor and bless our animal companions. Nearly 100 people, with their animal companions, came to the Animal Blessing held in Schiller Park on Saturday, October 17th. Some people came with their cats in crates or their dogs on leashes. Others brought photos from home, or some hair from the tail of a horse to receive a blessing. One by one, I had the privilege of blessing these creatures and I left that evening feeling as though I was the one who received the blessing. Never before have I had such intimate contact with so many animals. Never before had I experienced the wide array of personalities in animals! I heard stories of animals who had been abused or abandoned and then welcomed into a home. I heard stories of companionship. I heard stories of animals who were struggling with cancer, bone decay, or diabetes. I witnessed people who are loving their animal companions into wholeness and animals who are loving their human companions into wholeness. A blessing indeed!

I am thankful to everyone who helped create such a wonderful experience. Brenda Burris and Susan Olson passed out lots of flyers in German Village. Karen Corcoran designed a poster we used for publicity. The choir, as always, provided leadership through song. Laura Kuntz accompanied the choir on All Things Bright and Beautiful with her guitar, and lots of people played bells to All Creatures of Our God and King. Earl Wurdlow provided us with a sound system. Ralph Quellhorst, Walt Adams, Mike and Diana Rangel helped with the set up, greeting, and refreshments. Drew Klamar made tasty homemade dog and cats treats in the shape of crosses for the animals. Sara Cosgill, Walt Adams, Meredith Reece, and Earl Wurdlow all served as readers. Bonnie Vallette created the wonderful program and certificates. Diana Rangel even arrived with complimentary “poop kits” for those who might have forgotten to bring along supplies!

“All things bright and beautiful,
All creatures great and small,
All things wise and wonderful,
The Lord God made them all”

Sit Down and Shut Up!

As this week began I was concerned that there were so many things scheduled that I wouldn't have much time to think or reflect or prepare for any of them, but then a scratchy throat quickly gave way to strep and my concerns immediately changed. Instead of figuring out how to fit it all in, I kept calling one person after another canceling my commitments. I found myself with nowhere to go and plenty of time to think and reflect. My physician has told me that strep has "colonized" in me, meaning that whenever my immune system is down strep is the first thing to appear. With no voice, I am quickly put in my place. I have decided it is some divine way to tell me to "sit down and shut up."

I am incredibly grateful to everyone who helped me this week, picking up pieces I could not handle. I am grateful, too, for the perennial lesson I need to be reminded of: none of us, for the tasks we do, are indispensable. All of us, for the people we are, are irreplaceable. We all need time to be still and quiet if only to remember these truths. I know I do. Perhaps if I took more time to be still and quiet on a daily basis, nature would not need to force it upon me.

Tonight is our first TAIZE service of the season (first Thursdays from 6:00 - 6:30 p.m.). There are few ways I like to be still and quiet more than when I am surrounded by candlelight and beautiful music in our sanctuary. Even though I am feeling better, I am still planning to sit still and be quiet tonight. I hope you will join me there.

Needs versus Wants

I have just returned from my annual trek to Crystal Lake in northern Michigan. I had thought I would post a few blog entries while away, but instead almost completely “unplugged.” I did not compulsively check email. I did not call the office to check in. I simply let myself be. I can’t remember the last time I have “unplugged” so fully; it has been more than a decade.

I slept until I woke up, and then smiled as I curled up with a book later in the afternoon knowing that it would lead to a nap. I enjoyed walking for hours on end with no regard for what I might need to do next. I sat on the beach and strolled through art fairs and street sales and farmers markets. I spent a couple of hours at a time waiting and watching for the sun to set. I painted rocks with my niece and drunk lots of coffee with my husband. Delightfully, I was able to spend each day doing whatever I wanted.

My husband and I frequented a coffee spot that had the sign: We no longer serve breakfast before 10 a.m. We chuckled every time we saw it and speculated that the owner of this popular spot must not like to wake up early, or perhaps he or she goes kayaking or running every morning as the sun rises. Maybe he or she reserves the first hours of the morning to have coffee with his or her spouse! Whatever the reason, it doesn’t seem that it would be because it financially makes sense – it is what he or she must want to do.

On my first day back, as I caught myself saying, “I need to …” and then filling in a growing list, I stopped and inserted “want” instead. “I want to check in with the Tuesday Team so that I am not left to do all the work myself. I want to review resumes so we can hire an intern.” It made a world of difference in my attitude. I may not be able to wait until 10 a.m. to start my day, but I can be intentional about why I do what I do, and why I want to do it.

"Healthy 09!"

Those who are close to me know my most recent mantra, "Healthy 09!"

I have never been one for new year's resolutions, but I have been one to set goals for myself. As 2008 was coming to a close I was noticing the effects of physical neglect and I knew I wanted to do something to reverse what I saw as an unhealthy trend. My efforts to get more sleep, consume fewer calories, and get regular exercise did not kick in until the week of February 15. For the first several weeks it took real determination to get myself to the gym when there was a long to-do list for work or the prospect of another hour of sleep. I never thought I had the time, but my mantra, "Healthy 09!" would rise in my mind and (most of the time) I made the time.

Now, 9 weeks later, new habits have finally emerged. For the first time, I am experiencing a restlessness when something gets in the way of my workout. I am appreciating how much more energy I have and how much more I can get done in a day when I make the time to get my heart rate up for awhile, and when I have small but frequent boosts of protein and veggies.

This week I find myself also reflecting on how healthy living is so much more than diet and exercise. As my mother has tried to tell me from the time I was a young child, "moderation in everything!" Last Monday I was tempted to sit at my computer most of the day because there was much on my plate this week and I thought it would be a great idea to use my day off to get a jump start on the week. Instead, Dale and I slept until we woke up, went to the gym together, did some errands, succumbed to a nap in the afternoon (at least I did!), and enjoyed a quiet evening together. At the end of a very full week (as I am looking at a very full weekend), I continue to be grateful for the renewal that came on Monday.

It's taken awhile but I think I am finally taking to heart the lessons of my mother, and the prophet Ecclesiastes, "to everything there is a season and a time for everything under heaven."