FROM THE DESK OF THE RECTOR

From Jean Russell, these pearls of wisdom that speak so beautifully about our lives and the challenges we all encounter. While we can’t control the events of our lives, we do have agency around how we respond. The oyster has much to teach us…..  

Pearls of Wisdom

Some of the oldest and most delightful written words in the English Language are the collective nouns dating from medieval times used to describe groups of birds and beasts. Many of these go back five hundred years or more, and lists of them appeared as early as 1440 in some of the first books printed in English. These words frequently offer an insight into the nature of the animals or birds they describe. Sometimes this is factual and sometimes poetic. Occasionally it is profound: a pride of lions, a party of jays, an ostentation of peacocks, an exultation of larks, a gaggle of geese, a charm of finches, a bed of clams, a school of fish, a cloud of gnats, and a parliament of owls are some examples. Over time, these sorts of words have been extended to other things as well. One of my favourites is pearls of wisdom.            

An oyster is soft, tender, and vulnerable. Without the sanctuary of its shell it could not survive. But oysters must open their shells in order to 'breathe' water. Sometimes while an oyster is breathing, a grain of sand will enter its shell and become a part of its life from then on.            

Such grains of sand cause pain, but an oyster does not alter its soft nature because of this. It does not become hard and leathery in order not to feel it.  It continues to entrust itself to the ocean, to open and breathe in order to live.  But it does respond.  Slowly and patiently, the oyster wraps the grain of sand in thin translucent layers until, over time, it has created something of great value in the place of where it was most vulnerable to its pain.  A pearl might be thought of as an oyster’s response to its suffering.  Not every oyster can do this. Oysters that do are far more valuable to people than oysters that do not.            

Sand is a way of life for an oyster. If you are soft and tender and must live on the sandy floor of the ocean, making pearls becomes a necessity if you are to live well.            

Disappointment and loss are a part of every life.  Many times we can put such things behind us and get on with the rest of our lives.  But not everything is amenable to this approach.  Some things are too big or too deep to do this, and we will have to leave important parts of ourselves behind if we treat them in this way. These are the places where wisdom begins to grow in us.  It begins with suffering that we do not avoid or rationalize or put behind us.  It starts with the realization that our loss, whatever it is, has become a part of us and has altered our lives so profoundly that we cannot go back to the way it was before.            

Something in us can transform such suffering into wisdom.  The process of turning pain into wisdom often looks like a sorting process.  First we experience everything.  Then one by one we let things go, the anger, the blame, the sense of injustice, and finally even the pain itself, until all we have left is a deeper sense of the value of life and a greater capacity to live it. 

Around St. Mary’s – thanks to Harry for the photos!

A lovely photo of Rev. Selinde from last Sunday’s service.  Plus our NEW addition to the St. Francis Pet Memorial Garden. 

           

     

A BIG THANK YOU to Fred and Linda Henton for the many hours devoted to this project.  The miniature marble dog/cat inlays in the concrete slab are truly remarkable.    It is such a lovely tranquil area on the property.  Please stop by sometime!                     

Reaching Out, Welcoming In

Because of the pandemic, we have not been able to offer our monthly Community Dinners. What else can we do to build community and support people in need in Nanoose while respecting the current COVID restrictions? Would you like to be part of a brainstorming session?  Please email Selinde indicating your interest and she will set up either a ZOOM or in person meeting, depending on the response and any new directives from either Dr. Bonnie Henry and/or our bishop.  

Our Prayers of the People/Scripture Readings sign-up roster is feeling quite neglected.  Can you please sign up for Sept. 12 and forward.  We need two “bubbled” people per service.  And what is “bubbled” you ask…it is either a couple and/or single readers who are comfortable reading together.  One will do the psalm and prayers of the people while the other does the two scripture readings.    

The Centre for Action & Contemplation (CAC) Conference & Webcast-in-Community are set to go for an online experience - by Zoom - of an exceptional conference, Sept 24-26.  Click on the poster download at the bottom of this post for details from Andrew Twiddy.  

        Conspire 2021 BC


Me/Us/The World ~ Living Inside God's Great Story with exceptional real-time presenters and CAC virtual teachers:  James Finley, Barbara Holmes, Jacqui Lewis, Brian McLaren, Richard Rohr, Mirabai Starr.   

Click HERE  to register NOW.  Cost: $60 for 3 days of transformational education and experience.  Your ticket gives you access to our Zoom room for all three days, and you are able to drop in as often as you like during that time if you can attend for only part of the event.  Details are also available on their website.  

BOOK STUDY

The following opportunity is available during this Season of Creation through our diocese:

There’s not enough time to order a hard copy of the book but if you read e-books, you can get it right away. And if you’d just like to attend the Zoom sessions, that’s fine too. 

Cynthia Moe-Lobeda's Resisting Structural Evil: Love as Ecological-Economic Vocation. Taking place on Zoom over four Wednesday evenings from 7-8:30pm (Sept 15, 22, 29 & October 6), this reading group will be hosted by Bishop Anna with sessions offered by John Thatamanil, Matt Humphrey, Juli Mallet and Brendon Neilson.

Together we will engage Dr. Moe-Lobeda's work to draw us into a deeper understanding of the ecological crisis we face, and its interconnections with racial and economic justice.   We recommend joining this reading group with a small group of people from your community or parish, to deepen your engagement.  REGISTER HERE.  

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting. The book is available electronically or in paperback from several online retailers (e.g., https://www.parasource.com/).

More information about the study is available from September 1st on the diocesan website.  The author will be joining us in December as a part of the John Albert Hall lectures hosted jointly by the University of Victoria’s Centre for Studies in Religion and Society and the Diocese of Islands and Inlets, and this book study will be a great preparation for her lecture and workshop.      

                                                       

Responsible senior lady looking for house sitting or rental opportunity for Jan-March 2022.  Unfortunately she can’t do more than a few stairs.   She has a well behaved dog and cat that travel with her and she is willing to pay pet deposit.  References available upon request.   Contact the church office for details.

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