Good Day and Blessings from Rev. Mary White
This year has given us many new experiences and forced us to see our known world differently. We had to learn to physically distance from others which means no hugs and definitely no touching. We learned to wear face masks which covered our mouth and nose and initially caused some to have difficulty breathing. We learned to communicate over the internet or through phone calls, and we learned we have a great deal of inner strength that demonstrates our ability to adapt to unexpected circumstances.
Being taken out of our habitual way of living was and is an opportunity to look at our world through a different lens. This allowed for us to think deeply about what is really important. There have been so many moments in time over this past year that opened our heart to allow the light in. We can finally forgive our neighbour for not returning that borrowed tool, forgive a loan, let go of that grudge we have been carrying for years, let go of insignificant tensions and take time to relax more, allow for self-examination, and be open to self-Love and Love for our neighbours.
We have discovered that we are people of faith and hope. We have our faith in a Higher Power to guide us through life’s journey. And we have hope for a better future, and know that whatever in life we are gifted, we will continue to learn and survive. I pray that we have all expanded inwardly and understand that this life is a gift with all the joys and challenges that we experience. We wait with endurance. Love well!
Faith by Joy Mead
Faith
It was the way the sun came out:
as if there was light
at the end of the tunnel,
as if there was good
to be illuminated.
The word ‘Yes’ –
the affirmation
“that the tinsel
would never
outshine the sunlight
and something of yesterday
would be valued tomorrow.
For there will be
tomorrow
and it will be
good.
Grace,
epiphany,
spots of time,
moments of being –
as if this almost nostalgia,
this remembering, this being here,
as if there might be angels
telling us to believe in tomorrow.
READING Excerpt From: Katie Munnik. “The Pieces We Keep.”
And So We Begin
We’re all straining our eyes for a new way to start. That’s how people are. Living out our days in blocks of time, waiting for the future to begin. This month and then … To the end of this season and … It will be different then and I will be different, and things will be new. Again things will be new. Again and again and again.
“Creator, you have been our dwelling place in all generations.”
Those were the words that caught my attention that morning. They sounded old as the hills and fresh as the morning in a single folded moment. God as our dwelling place. I like that. So, I’ve been carrying those words around ever since, tumbling them around in my brain and seeing how they sit. They come from Psalm 90, but the preacher said they were the words of Moses and that’s what it says in my Bible, too. And maybe that’s why I held them. Like me, Moses was a travelling man. A man of faith, too, as I try to be. He must have known a thing or two about moving on and the search for beginnings.
A BLESSING AS YOU JOURNEY INTO THE NEW YEAR
May your eyes be opened to the wonder of the daily miracles around you
and your sense of mystery be deepened.
May you be aware of the light that shines in the darkness,
and that the darkness can never put out.
May you be blessed with companions on the journey,
friends who will listen to you and encourage you with their presence.
May you learn to live with what is unsolved in your heart,
daring to face the questions and holding them
until, one day, they find their answers.
May you find the still, quiet place inside yourself
where you can know and experience the peace that passes understanding.
May love flow in you and through you to those who need your care.
May you continue to dream dreams and to reach out into the future
with a deeper understanding of the Creator’s way for you.
– Lynda Wright
Amen