The many faces of Anne...

"There's such a lot of different Annes in me. I sometimes think that is why I'm such a troublesome person. If I was just the one Anne it would be ever so much more comfortable, but then it wouldn't be half so interesting."
(from Anne of Green Gables, by L. M. Montgomery)

"I am a child of God,

I am a glimpse of
    God's new creation"

(And I will never

outgrow swingsets!)

I am a beloved daughter

and a baby sister

 

un'amica stretta

Mother of two amazing girls

Soulmate

 

Sara calls this one
"momma's emo picture" 

Reflecting on the holy mystery...

or maybe I just have a secret...

...I'm not telling ;)

 Because it's all about ME!!!

Aglow with Christmas cheer

"Boler chick"

My inner party girl still

makes an appearance

from time to time!





What is at the end of the rainbow?

Oh look, it's ME! :)

Firenze on my mind...

For us to go to Italy and to penetrate into Italy is like a most fascinating act of self-discovery—back, back down the old ways of time. Strange and wonderful chords awake in us, and vibrate again after many hundreds of years of complete forgetfulness.


~ D. H. Lawrence

The traveller who has gone to Italy to study the tactile values of Giotto, or the corruption of the Papacy, may return remembering nothing but the blue sky and the men and women who live under it.


~ E. M. Forster

(Masaccio's Expulsion from the Garden of Eden,

part of the fresco cycle in the Brancacci Chapel

in the Church of Santa Maria del Carmine,

"sometimes called the Sistine Chapel of the early Renaissance")

You've Got a Friend

A couple weeks ago, my friend Valerie shared the following story in her weekly email to our congregation.  (I am going to assume that since she herself broadcast it in a mass mailing that she'll be ok with my sharing it here!)

Have you ever had one of those days when your soul is heavy and your nerves are thin?  The kind of day that comes every now and then perhaps as a result of some life event or perhaps as a result of things that have been accumulating for a while.  Well that is where I found my self yesterday.  Everything felt heavy and uncertain and my energy was at an all time low.  When I arrived in the office a voice inside me suggested I pick up the phone and dial a friend.  For me this was a nudge from the Divine that happens every so often and I try not to ignore it when it happens.  I left the office and picked my friend up.  We went for brunch and then sat in the park on the shore of the Bedford basin.  The scene before us was touched with holiness and the presence of my friend beside reminded me that we were indeed on Holy Ground.  Sometimes it is not the words that are spoken but the blessed silence between two souls that can bring a sense of light in darkness and calm in chaos.  Here in this place there is healing and hope renewed.


My prayer for each of you is that you have that ‘kindred spirit’ with whom you commune on those days when life needs a lift.  Take the time to sit and share the beautiful silence that speaks of a journey shared.

Isn't that an amazing and beautiful connection?  Valerie has told me about this friend before, and I hope to meet him one of these days.  A few evenings later, she and I were at a concert at our church.  A Nova Scotian musician, Rachel MacLean, was performing.  I highly recommend seeing her perform.  She is warm and friendly and has a gorgeous voice.  I am really glad we went, although disappointed at the low turnout.  (Alas, supporting such events is not a strength of my congregation.)  But those of us who did go got quite a treat!  Rachel shared stories of her family, sang some of her own compositions as well as a few songs written by others.  One of the cover songs was Carole King's You've Got a Friend, which is one of my all time favourite songs in the world.  As Rachel sang, I was thinking of Valerie's story and how blessed she is to have such a friend to call when she's down and troubled, as the song goes.  I found this video on youtube, and post it here for Valerie and her Kindred Spirit! ♥

Two steps forward...

My Discernment Committee had our second meeting this evening.  And I am singing thanks to God for a Spirit filled evening!!  The meeting followed the outline suggested in the United Church's handbook on Discerning a Call: 

Meeting 2: Faith and Spirituality

This meeting focuses on sharing experiences, beliefs, and questions about faith and Christian spirituality. Using the meeting outline that was decided when you first met, you might consider these ideas and questions to start your conversation:

• Take a moment of silence and think about those moments in your life when you have felt very close to God and when you felt the absence of God. Share your reflections with the group.
• How are your faith and your relationship with God affected by these moments?
• What do you do to nurture your spiritual life?
• What helps you have a sense of God’s presence in your life?
• Is there a particular place or time that draws you nearer to God?
• Reflect on the practice of prayer, reading the Bible, or meditation in your life.
• How have your views or beliefs in God, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit changed during your faith journey?
• Agree to try some different spiritual practices in the time until the next meeting. Keep a journal or some notes about your reflections that you might share with others.

It was a bit difficult for me to explore and explain my own thoughts in depth since the forum wasn't so much conversational as it was a round table for everyone to share their individual reflections.  Probably I should have more intentionally dominated the discussion, although that is easier said than done.  But we did have some sparks of deeper conversation, so I definitely feel like my formal discernment is finally moving forward.  I am hopeful the others on my committee now have at least some sense of what my faith looks like.   And now, it's late and I'm going to bed.  Filled with gratitude myself, I leave you with these words from the United Church of Canada's Song of Faith:

Grateful for God’s loving action,

   we cannot keep from singing.

Creating and seeking relationship,

   in awe and trust,

we witness to Holy Mystery who is Wholly Love.

Amen.