Continuing with the theme of Indigenous art and wisdom in my last moodling, here's a gorgeous video that tells us to continue past our sorrow and make the necessary changes to save our earth. The first 1:25 is a beautiful prayer, and the rest tells the story of the man praying. I'd love to spend some time chatting with this Cherokee elder, Stan Rushworth, but he's in California, and there are many elders here, too. How many Indigenous folks do you know?
Simple Moodlings \'sim-pѳl 'mϋd-ѳl-ings\ n: 1. modest meanderings of the mind about living simply and with less ecological impact; 2. "long, inefficient, happy idling, dawdling and puttering" (Brenda Ueland) of the written kind; 3. spiritual odds and ends inspired by life, scripture, and the thoughts of others
Showing posts with label sorrow. Show all posts
Showing posts with label sorrow. Show all posts
Thursday, January 20, 2022
Friday, April 6, 2018
An emotional wringer of a week
This week was tough and emotionally wearing. Yesterday our L'Arche community said goodbye to our dear friend, Anthony*, and on our way home from that funeral, we learned that another dear friend had just died. It would be too much to handle if we weren't Easter People who believe in the resurrection.
Today we held a first farewell gathering for our second friend, Tim. Plenty of tears and laughter, and lots of funny stories, one of which I had completely forgotten from back in November of 2010. I'm remoodling it below, because it's such a good one.
Tim brought his petition to the General Body Meeting on Monday night, and showed it to the entire L’Arche Edmonton community, finally giving it to the community leader, Sister Pat. She showed it to the Board Chairperson, Wendy, who surprised everyone (including herself, we suspect) by announcing that she would take the petition to a few appliance stores the next afternoon, and see if perhaps she could convince one of them to donate a brand new dishwasher.
Today we held a first farewell gathering for our second friend, Tim. Plenty of tears and laughter, and lots of funny stories, one of which I had completely forgotten from back in November of 2010. I'm remoodling it below, because it's such a good one.
* * * * * * *
It didn’t take long for the members of Little Flower house to get tired of doing dishes by hand when the old dishwasher broke down on the weekend. Tim, honourary home maintenance guy and core member, drew a picture of a new dishwasher, showed it to everyone in the house, and they all signed their names to what became a rather effective make-shift petition.
Tim brought his petition to the General Body Meeting on Monday night, and showed it to the entire L’Arche Edmonton community, finally giving it to the community leader, Sister Pat. She showed it to the Board Chairperson, Wendy, who surprised everyone (including herself, we suspect) by announcing that she would take the petition to a few appliance stores the next afternoon, and see if perhaps she could convince one of them to donate a brand new dishwasher.
On Tuesday morning, Wendy told her curling team the story of Little Flower’s dishwasher petition, and showed it to her friends at the rink, explaining her intended errand that afternoon. She was surprised again when one of her teammates wrote her a cheque for a new dishwasher, asking only that a charity receipt be issued to her husband’s business.
Tim’s efforts got results faster than any other known petition!
*I usually use pseudonyms for my L'Arche friends. Tim is an exception to the rule.
Tim’s efforts got results faster than any other known petition!
* * * * * * *
God bless you, Tim. We miss you already.
Tuesday, January 17, 2017
A cure for January blues
January is a strange month. It's the start of something new... and a time when many are blue. Christmas has passed, the decorations are down, and our spirits sometimes go that direction too.
It didn't help that this work week began with news from five of my colleagues who had lost a friend or relative over the weekend. I've heard it said many times that people often hold on through the Christmas season for one last celebration with loved ones, and then succumb to illness or old age once all the feasting and festival is over. I'm not sure that's really the case with all the deaths I've been hearing about this week, but I know that it's made for a more sombre atmosphere at work. We are saddened by our friends' sorrow.
So this morning, our L'Arche Day Program decided to do something to lighten the burden a bit. We were all invited to join our core members to pray for those who had died and for those who are grieving. And it's safe to say that the little impromptu prayer service lifted all our spirits a little. I was especially touched when Mariette began her prayer: "I'd like to pray for my wonderful friend, Thomas, and my wonderful friend, Lucy, and my wonderful friend, Sandy, and my wonderful friend, Darren..." and on it went, as she looked around the circle and prayed for all present -- a simple, heartfelt naming of each of us to God.
I wonder, in this strange month of January, how much our spirits might lift if we would simply remember all the people who bless us, day in and day out, by their presence in our lives. Maybe Mariette is on to something -- the real cure for January blues.
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