Full life

It’s been a while since I sat down to post here with intent. Life has been full. Two grandchildren, their parents, chaos all around, and a lovely visit with adult children. I haven’t been caught up in the Olympics…yet. But that could happen.

Big news in my part of the world has been the catfight between the Premiers of Alberta and B.C. – both females. The issue is the Northern gateway Pipeline. Most of it crosses B.C. and the Premier wants some cash to balance the huge risk they take in hosting that long pipeline through pristine wilderness. Premier Redford of Alberta is huffing about the royalties for the sludge they are transporting belonging to Alberta ALONE! Any change to that fact would require a change in our Constitution, according to Redford. The tension has become quite high, influencing even the Premiers’ conference this past week.

The Alberta paranoia regarding the possibility of even compensating B.C. is ironic. The province that boasts proudly of being ‘Christian to the core’ seems rather reluctant to consider the risk management needs of others when that threatens Alberta’s wealth. We are a manifestly self-centred and greedy province. We are rich, and we intend to stay that way, no matter whose territory is threatened!

Actually, I think B.C.’s concern is well founded. The pipeline is in the hands of Enbridge, which seems to be dealing with a new leak every week in some part of the world where they have pipelines. They have stopped talking about “no leaks will happen,” and now say, “When there is a leak, we will respond instantly!” I don’t think I would trust them to transport anything myself. But that’s just me.

Apart from the depressing tone of the news this week, we watched a powerful film last evening. It is Detachment, the story of a brilliant, but damaged teacher, who goes through his career avoiding strong attachment to any student, while being a good strong teacher, whom the students respect and admire. Barthes (his role name) becomes attached to a young street hooker and a bullied student, and slowly loses his detachment as the movie progresses. The death of his beloved grandfather is a major crisis for him, and the young people help him through it with their care and admiration.

The perspective on the school system and its effect on the teaching staff is dramatic and demoralizing, and provides a dark backdrop for the personal tale of the movie. The two crucial young people in the film are played by virtually unknown actors, Sami Gayle and Betty Kaye, about who there is nary a word in IMDb! Great movie, though not a happy one. See it if you can.

Detachment caused me to reflect on the similar story that can be told about the life of many in ministry, people who enter the work of preaching and pastoral care as a way of doing therapy on their own lives, and who are then broken by the reality of the all-too-human congregations they serve. So often the Church of our idealized studies bears little relation to the churches within which we carry out our ministries. Many a priest or pastor plumbs depths of disillusionment, even despair, in their careers. I’m quite sure the same can be said for others who travel different career paths, and experience the same disappointments. Perhaps many withdraw as Barthes does in the film, and require some kind of healing, or ‘conversion’ at some point in life.

Beginning next Sunday, my free weekends are over for the foreseeable future. I am filling at Rimbey through August, and then move to work half time in Lacombe until they are able to call a new ‘second’ minister. I am glad to be going back to work, while at the same time I feel some loss of my nice ‘retired’ routine, so stable, so relaxing. More for me to think about: I have been a notable failure at retirement over the past decade. One day soon I will have to change that. But not this autumn.