It’s been a week and a half since I last
posted. It has been quite a full week, with some fresh excitement and stress in
my life. Early on, I was involved in a tense meeting of an organization of
which I am a part. An interior conflict, which has been brewing for over two
years, finally hit the surface, and required a general meeting. It struck me as
odd that such a tense conflict could only be spoken of in general and
non-specific terms, with solutions proposed that were tentative at best.
Potential resolution came after the fact, when one of the participants in the
quarrel was temporarily relieved on membership. I’m quite sure that this tense
struggle will continue, as people try to talk about it without talking about
it. Do you get it? No…neither do I!
I was involved in two professional and
public events last week. The first was the funeral of a man with no church or
institutional of church connections. His passion was motorcycles, which seemed
to be at the centre of his life. His whole life was organized around bikes and
bikers. No gang, connections, just bikes. The gathering was almost totally denim
and leather. The men and women were actually very nicely dressed, in “formal”
leathers. A Veterans Biker group, to which the deceased belonged, were there in
their club uniforms. They were very military, very smartly turned out and very
respectful in their mourning rituals. I found relating to the family very
stimulating. They had no idea what to expect from a minister, and so their
outlook was governed by the way we connected. It seemed to go well.
Funerals like this always intrigue me. I am
of the opinion that everyone deserves a respectful and spiritual burial,
regardless of their faith stance. It was, for me, a tiring afternoon, but a
worthwhile time commitment.
Sunday morning I conducted worship and
preached in a Presbyterian Church in Red Deer. I am a known quantity to them,
and feel reasonably at home there. For me, the most significant aspect of being
involved in these two events was the anxiety and stress I experienced in
preparing for them. My physician responded promptly to my reporting of this,
and I suspect the situation will be easier in the future. The whole business
underlined again for me that I could not work, even ½ time, even if I was so
inclined. My energy level simply wouldn’t allow it.
In another sphere, I am finding the AM
swims invigorating, and I am improving in my ability to process oxygen. This
morning, for example, I swam four lengths before I had to stop for breath. It
is getting easier. Beatrix is charging ahead in top gear. She swam 24
consecutive lengths this morning. I was teasing her on the way home. “I made
the commitment to swim 40 lengths,” I said. “It looks like you will get to keep
that commitment! Me? Not so much!”
Plans for my upcoming journey to visit
children and grandchildren took another step forward, as I purchased a legal
carry-on bag yesterday. They are amazingly large and light. This one is bright
orange: my “Jack Layton” bag…the Orange Revolution.
This morning, I spent some time examining
the hand-made quilt given me by the Bashaw congregation when I left them five
years ago. It has a square made by each family. Reading it was very touching
and brought back some fond memories. It is unfortunate that my time there
concluded with them terminating me, with pay, three months early because the
student with whom I was working refused to work with me. He, of course, was
their future…as well as being quite a sociopathic individual. So I paid. It
left a very sour taste in my mouth, despite the lovely quilt.
Tomorrow I must appear at Red Deer
Presbytery’s meeting, as the 55th anniversary of my ordination to
ministry will be recognized. Apparently, I am expected to say a few words. Like
what? “It’s been a slice?” I await inspiration.
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