We’ve moved into the season of Advent now,
that supposedly quiet season of preparation for the Christian ‘Christmas.’ In
our culture, the season is anything but quiet. We don’t get terribly involved in the madness, but
with guests coming for Christmas and family all over the country, we do have to
get into some Christmas shopping. Which is how we spent last Saturday. In
Edmonton, at the Art Gallery, and a computer store, with at least one more trip
planned.
A long the way, I listened to an interview
with Stuart McLean on the Edmonton/Calgary Sunday AM show. I like his voice
better when he is speaking normally, rather than the semi shout he uses when
reading his Dave and Morley stories. He got talking about the completion of
twenty years on the Vinyl Café, and about having lived a “well lived life.”
That got me thinking about “legacy.” I found myself asking myself what, if
anything, would be my legacy. My mind settled on the 32 years during which I
was a teaching Chaplain in three Canadian hospitals – Health Sciences in
Winnipeg, the Civic in Ottawa, and finally, Foothills in Calgary. Not only did
I serve as a Chaplain during the day and on call, but I supervised and mentored
over 100 “students” in pastoral ministry in crisis situations. These were
clergy and lay people of various Christian denominations, wanting to learn how
to deal with people in extreme medical situations. I enjoyed those years,
overworking a lot of the time with a passion. Now and again someone with whom I
worked indicated that the experience was valuable. My “pinnacle moment” came
just a few years ago in Camrose, Alberta at a clergy workshop. I man approached
me, white haired and middle aged, with no name that I could recall. He
introduced himself to me, reminded me that he had taken a summer CPE unit in
the late 70’s. He looked me in the eye and said, “That was the best course I
ever took in preparation for ministry.” I was speechless (an unusual
situation), This Lutheran pastor reminded me of the worth of what I had spent
32 years doing as a ministry.
Walking and swimming continue to be
satisfying. The swimming is taxing; I’m not good at it, and I don’t any of the
more relaxing strokes. However, the benefits are there, and I keep that in the
front of my min as I gasp for breath at the end of a length. They are much more
difficult to do without flippers, but I soldier on!
Tomorrow, Monday, I’m off to Edmonton to
pick my repaired computer – new hard drive. Probably stop at the WEM (sorry,
West Edmonton Mall) for a Christmas gift or two. Time to start wrapping and
mailing. Really, I wonder what all of this has to do with “Christmas”? But of
course, we do it anyway.
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