Sunday Reflection: Empty hands

Today's reflection is brought to you by
James 5:1-6 and Mark 9:38-48.

O Christ,
you invite us all
to be your presence in our world.

You ask us
to encourage
everyone who emulates
your goodness and mercy --
no matter their race or creed --
and to show gratitude
to all who embody your kindness.

And though we've been
carefully socialized
to crave luxury
and collect treasures for ourselves,
we know that you call us
to build peace and justice
by sharing what we have
with those in need.

Clearly, it is better for us
to enter your presence
with clean hands --
empty of malice and greed --
than with millstones around our necks.

Simply because we know you
and the love that you have for all,
your abundant Spirit lives in us.

We thank you,
and ask you
to make our hearts free
to share the abundance you give us
without counting the cost.

Let us come to you
with empty hands.

+Amen.

A little more autumn colour

People who follow these moodlings know that I'm a sucker for spring and autumn beauty. I love the shot at the top of these moodlings, taken by my hubby, Lee. Pictures clog this blog because my camera is always in my pocket when Shadow and I go for walks in the shoulder seasons. I don't pretend to be a great photographer, it's just that beauty stops me in my tracks, and Shadow is mostly patient with me trying to capture it. One of these days, I should delete about a million pictures in my computer files. But in the meantime, here's some autumn colour from the last few days.

 A view from Strathearn hill...

and here's a retaining wall near Mill Creek... love the wood pattern...

Heading down into the "Camel Humps"...

Enjoying a zillion different shades of autumn...

The tamaracks are just starting to turn...
same tall one in the middle of the last picture,
from the opposite direction...

A golden grove...

Shadow loves beach combing at the accidental beach...

while I love watery reflections...

and offroading...

with my good walking buddy.

Banishing the Inner Critic

These last few weeks, I've run into several friends at different stages on the parenting journey and it's been wonderful to catch up with them. But what has really been interesting is the common thread that has come up in many of these conversations -- that of parental guilt, a particular affliction experienced by all the mom-friends I've chatted with lately.

As human beings, we are blessed (and sometimes cursed) with self-consciousness. By that, I mean that, as parents, we are often aware of how our well-intended actions sometimes have negative repercussions, and we sometimes become over-critical of ourselves. The danger lies in blaming ourselves for not doing enough or for unintended consequences that were impossible to foresee, and in playing that old "If Only..." game. "If only I had done/said/tried this instead of that..." For some of us, a little voice I call the Inner Critic takes up residence in our heads, ensuring that we're always second-guessing ourselves.

I know the Inner Critic all too well. I suspect many parents do. When the media quotes studies, the educational system sends "helpful" websites, friends make recommendations, or grandparents offer input, these things can play into the Inner Critic's game of frequently reminding us that our parenting seems less than adequate in comparison to the parents who do everything right (and who are those people, anyway? They can't possibly exist!)

Just think for a minute about that dreaded phrase, "Studies have shown..." which ends any number of ways: Studies have shown that parents should feed their children more unprocessed foods, limit their screen time, send them to play outdoors two hours a day, teach them meditation, quiz them on their math facts at every opportunity, enroll them in at least three extra-curricular activities, read to them daily, set up play dates with school friends a few times a week, ensure that they have regular contact with grandparents, teach them to cook, and the list goes on ad infinitum...

It all means that we as parents often feel a level of societal pressure -- and guilt -- and second-guess ourselves more often than necessary. Which, ultimately, isn't helpful. To put it simply, there are not enough hours in a day to do all the things that our Inner Critic -- bolstered by those studies, suggestions, recommendations and websites -- says we should be doing for our kids. Never mind the fact that our kids learn a lot more without us constantly running their lives! (Boredom can lead to unexpected creativity, which is often a good thing, at least in my kids' case.)

I have to hand it to my mom, who told me something like this when my babies were small, "Maria, you're doing your best. You love your kids, but you have to enjoy life, too, or everyone will be miserable. So keep doing your best and don't worry about the rest. The kids will be the people they are meant to be. You're their mom for good reason. Trust that."

Thanks, Mom, you gave good advice. But I'm afraid I didn't really trust myself and take all of Mom's words to heart. Missed the last bit about trust, and "don't worry about the rest." So a year ago, just before my youngest turned 18, I found myself in a professional counselor's office, face to face with my parental guilt. It took me three sessions to become aware of and banish my Inner Critic, using some of the same words that my mom gave me: "I've done the very best I could for my kids with the time and energy I had. My kids are wonderful, and they are who they are meant to be, for reasons well beyond my control, thank goodness. I can't listen to unsolicited opinions from my Inner Critic any more. GO AWAY!"

Whew! Freedom! It was like a huge weight was lifted off me.

Of course, Inner Critic tries to come back regularly from her place on the sidelines (most recently, with this morning's radio report about screen time diminishing kids' intelligence and focus, which made me second-guess myself yet again, "Did I let them watch too much CBC for Kids when they were small?") Oh, puh-lease, that's in the past. Get lost, Inner Critic!

Unfortunately, I've noticed her Inner Critic pals lurking around the mom-friends I've seen in these last few weeks, the ones who are struggling with parental guilt, so I tried to pass along my mom's wise words, plus a few of my own:

"You are doing the best you can with what you've been given. You are the best mom for your kids, chosen for them for good reason, and they will be who they are meant to be. Trust that, and tell your Inner Critic to take a hike."

I just hope my friends were able to hear me, and can banish their own Inner Critics or, at least, keep them on the sidelines most of the time.

It's an important part of being a healthy parent.

A gorgeous evening walk

Lee and I took Shadow for a walk this evening, and what a golden evening it was. Pictures can't quite do it justice, but Lee took a couple anyway that I'll just leave here... so I can look back on a golden autumn evening in the dark winter evenings to come...

Sunday Reflection: Asking for the right things

Today's reflection is brought to you by James 3:16 - 4:3.

O God,
for what shall we ask?

Not for the things that cause envy,
that place us higher than others,
not for things that create disorder,
or lead to wickedness of any kind.

No,
we should ask for wisdom from you,
your wisdom in us --
peace and gentleness,
surrender and mercy,
the deepest goodness that invites and includes others.

If we sow peace,
we harvest goodness and peace.

But sometimes,
our desires get the best of us.

It's too easy
to forget all the good we already have
and to want glamour or fame,
brilliance or beauty,
or a wealth of things
that cannot satisfy.

Remind us,
in those moments,
that we should ask for wisdom from you.

Your wisdom in us --
peace and gentleness,
surrender and mercy,
the deepest goodness that invites and includes others.

Help us to ask just for the right things.

+Amen.

Guest Moodler: Going solar in Edmonton

Two weeks ago, my hubby and I went on a hot date (for geeks!) -- a Solar Energy Society of Alberta evening on electric vehicles. We came away convinced that, for the sake of our planet (not to mention our wallets), we should probably sell our present vehicle and go electric. The panel of presenters were very convincing. Now we just need a car company to come up with an electric vehicle high enough to get down our back alley in the winter without getting high-centred (we actually cracked our present crossover vehicle's under-grill trying to get down our alley last winter). Our solar panels produce enough energy that we can easily power our home and an electric vehicle, so we'll get there eventually, and cut our greenhouse gas emissions by half yet again.

Lee recently wrote an update regarding our solar installation and how it's performing, along with suggestions for others who are considering their own solar power. So if you have yet to make it to an SESA event, here's our experience, as told by Lee:

Going Solar in Edmonton

Two Years of Residential Solar Electric Generation

I am writing this post to assist others who may be thinking about a solar electric system installation in Alberta or Canada.  It contains information about our system and actual performance over a two-year period.  I suspect others may have questions about what to consider and hence might learn from our experience.

System Design Parameters:

Physical Configuration:

-          Total panels = 24:

o   20 panels on the garage, 4 panels on the house

-          Total installed estimated maximum capacity - ~6.24 kW

-          1 microinverter for each two panels

-          Panel Manufacturer: Canadian Solar, 260P, 260W

-          Microinverter Manufacturer: APSystems

Orientation – south facing

Inclination of panels -- ~20 degrees on the garage and house

Considerations for Installation and Design:

·       Roofing: For asphalt shingled roof installations like ours, the support stands for the panels have mounts that fit under the existing shingles.  This keeps things sealed on your roof envelop.  Before you install such a system, it is highly recommended to re-shingle your roof with long life shingles.  We chose ones with a 25 to 30 year lifespan.  Our solar electric system should last at least that long.  Replacing shingles around a solar panel installation is a major undertaking.  It is best to think ahead and delay this issue as long as you can.

·       Snow: The steeper the panels are inclined on the roof, the more likely that snow will fall off by itself during the winter.  During a sunny day, light penetrates the snow cover on the panels and warms the snow so it falls off naturally.  For Edmonton, the optimal angle to maximize solar energy collection is about 50 degrees.  To minimize wind sheer issues, panels are typically installed parallel to the roof surface for residential applications, so ideally panels should be installed on steeper roof sections.  Something to watch out for when you select the location of your panels, is don’t place them near sidewalks or other areas you typically walk under.  You may have a sudden icy surprise on your head as the panels shed snow or find a slippery section on your sidewalk that is difficult to keep ice free.

·       Electrical: These systems use direct current near the panels which is converted to alternating current that can be used in your house.  Engaging a qualified electrician is highly recommended due to inherent dangers (shock and fire) during and after improper installation.  Another consideration is to check your electrical panel before installation.  We had enough spare capacity to connect the system, but some houses may not.  An electrical panel upgrade can be expensive.

·       Protection from Rodents and Leaves: Our system’s panels are raised slightly above our roof to allow for airflow.  To protect against gnawing rodents (they apparently enjoy chewing through cables) and leaves and other build up, a protective mesh was installed around the bottom of our panels along the roof line.

·       Rebates: Check if rebates for solar installations are available in your community or province.  They can make a significant difference for your installation costs (saving you thousands) and reduce the payback period for your system.

·       Electrical Maintenance: Photovoltaic (PV) systems are relatively low maintenance and worry-free – almost.  One of the microinverters was defective and failed in October 2016 and this was not noticed by us and repaired until April 2017.  As a result, the electrical generation performance for part of 2016 and early 2017 is slightly lower than would have been expected (~1/12^th loss).  From a practical perspective:

o   I recommend that you check system performance from month-to-month.  Our  microinverter manufacturer has a website that shows individual panel performance.  It is fascinating to watch as your panels produce electricity throughout the day and it also makes detecting issues very easy provided you check for them periodically.  An email alert for system failures would be a nice feature… in case any manufacturers are reading this post.

o   As electronics for these systems can fail earlier than expected, it is a good idea to get a warranty.  It is worth the peace of mind.

o   When you pick an installation company, remember that ongoing service should be a consideration.  When the occasional malfunction occurs, it is nice to know you can rely on the installing company to perform the needed service.  The one we chose came and fixed things quickly once we noticed the outage.

·       Other Maintenance:

o   Washing: Keep an eye out for dust and other build up on the panels.  Dust, bird droppings and other build up can reduce system capacity.  Washing them gently with water from time to time should be considered.

o   Trees and other shadowing: When we installed our system, I trimmed the top of a tree next to the system to reduce the amount of shadowing during later afternoon.  It is time to do this again.

·       Thinking Ahead:

o   Electric Cars: When we installed our system, we purposefully built it so we could add extra capacity for an electric vehicle in the future.  Our installation company recommended at least 8kW for a combined home/car system.  Cable sizing and placement, physical space for additional panels and electrical panel capacity are key considerations.

o   Battery Backup: Our system is a grid-connected configuration.  This is apparently the most common type of system installed today.  When it does not detect an energized electrical grid, the inverters do not produce electricity.  This avoids feeding electricity into a de-energized electrical grid during an outage and potentially putting your local utility workers in harms way.  This has two implications: 1) the system will not provide backup electricity during an electrical outage, and 2) if a battery backup system is installed for such a scenario, it needs to be disconnected from the electrical grid during an outage and / or allow for solar recharging of batteries in a disconnected situation.  A local Alberta company, Eguana Technologies, seems to have a system that will work for this situation.  This is an area I am still investigating and would be interested in the experience of others.

Observations of Actual System Performance:

On warm days, our panels produce up to 40 kilowatt hours in a day.
We had a several cm of snow on the 13th, and not much sun since...

·       Time of year and snow does make a difference for electrical generation.  Don’t expect too much electricity generation in the months of December and January.  The sun is just too low in the sky to generate very much.  I tried to remove snow from the panels in December but saw limited electrical generation.  Even 6 inches (15 cm) of snow pretty much stopped the panels from working.  In the shoulder months of November and February, the amount of electrical generation increased appreciably when temperatures rose sufficiently for the panels to shed their snow load by themselves.

·       Total Yearly Solar Electric Generation:

o   Year one (June 2016 to May 2017): 5824 kWh (see note above about failed inverter)

o   Year two (June 2017 to June 2018): 6023 kWh

·       Generation Pattern - The following chart shows how much electricity was generated by our system at various times of the year from June 2016 to May 2018.

(Maria's note: We don't have to think too much about our solar panels. They do their work, we do ours, and it's all good, especially because we're not contributing more than we have to when it comes to greenhouse gases. We think solar is a great way to go!)

Sunday Reflection: "Who do you say that I am?"

Today's reading is brought to you by Mark 8:27.

I've never met John, 

or Elijah, 

or any of those prophets 

your disciples would name,

but I think I know you.

Your eyes twinkle

even when you're serious.

Your hands are gentle

as you touch,

heal,

and embrace.

You move with purpose

to help others, 

speaking less

and doing more.

You pray alone in quiet places.

You're all about hospitality and celebration.

You see us all as your brothers,

your sisters, your mothers.

You are a storyteller extraordinaire.

You spread your arms wide

to invite outsiders in,

and turn "insiders" inside-out.

You aren't afraid 

to call out hypocrisy.

You also notice beauty,

goodness, 

simplicity,

and truth,

and praise it where you find it.

You stand up for little ones.

You invite everyone

into your light.

You offer your suffering

so we can learn to live with our own.

You are peace, 

love, 

joy,

and hope,

personified.

You are the one

we are all called to be,

Blessed and Beloved.

Make us into you.

+Amen.

Simple Suggestion #277... Change for Climate

With hurricanes Florence, Helene, and Isaac, and Super Typhoon Mangkut besieging different places today, and with the weather abnormalities, droughts and wildfires we've seen across our planet this summer, it's past time to do everything we can to slow climate change. I suspect those who follow these moodlings are already taking as many steps as we can to reduce our fossil fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions... but maybe there are still a few that we haven't considered. The Simple Suggestions moodled here are designed to get us thinking about ways to work, live, consume, be entertained, and travel in ways that do less harm to our planet, but there's no way I've covered every option!

Change for Climate is one of the City of Edmonton's efforts toward making Edmontonians aware of ways that we can live more lightly on our earth, for the sake of our future. For too long, we've been too relaxed about changing our living and consumption patterns, but suddenly we seem to be at a "tipping point." This isn't a future problem, it's here now. Weeks of smoky grey skies and the early snowstorm that damaged crops and tied up this morning's traffic are bringing reality home, I hope. We clearly have to do more to lessen our impact on our environment.

So today's Simple Suggestion is to check out the programs and 30 actions (and counting) suggested at Change for Climate if you haven't yet, to see what more you can do. Even if you're not from Edmonton, the ideas are applicable almost anywhere. Some are easy, others more difficult. But we can all do something.

As the video says, it's time to change for climate, before climate changes everything.

Ralph’s squash... and tomatoes, and a bunch of other produce

With a four-letter s-word dreaded by all (but especially gardeners!) in the forecast for tomorrow or the next day, perhaps it's time to wrap up a few harvest moodlings. I went out to pick today because I'm afraid covering my cucumbers and tomatoes won't work too well if 10-15 cm of white stuff arrive by Thursday morning and flatten my blankets. Lee and I harvested the last of the peas and beans on the weekend, and it sounds like it's time to bring more produce indoors...

But first, I want to show you Ralph's squash plant... It did pretty well in spite of the fact that I wasn't around to tie it up at the right time, and I probably should have removed half its branches and blossoms if I wanted a six-foot squash like the one for which Ralph is famous. 

But a six-foot squash is more summer zucchini eating than our family wants to do. The large gold squash  (below) will give me seed for next year, but the small ones are tender and probably better for eating, which is what we prefer! The seeds are in the large bulbs at the ends, and if any of my readers would like to try growing their own, I'm guessing I'll have seed to spare! Just say the word and it's yours!

I planted two of Ralph's roma tomatoes... and got at least 30 extra large, almost seedless fruit that will be great for tomato paste. And three of his banana tomato plants gave me at least three gallons of long skinnies, which  means I'll be making spaghetti sauce for a day or two. And there are lots of other tomatoes for eating, salsa and bruschetta...

Ralph's romas

Ralph's banana tomatoes

Our peppers did well enough that I picked a small peck...

We got decent crops of cukes, cabbages, and corn on the cob. I think I'll leave the root vegetables to fend for themselves in the coming storm. There's more than enough to do with what's come in just today!

Thank you, God, for an abundant harvest, and thanks, Mom, for the extra buckets!

Sunday Reflection: We're all God's favourites

The cover of an amazing book by Peter Spier

Today's reflection is brought to you by James 2:1-5.

We are all your children,
equally favoured by you,
who love everyone.

How we dress,
how smart we are,
the colour of our skin,
our sexuality or the gender we present as --
these things matter not a whit
in your estimation.

We are the ones who make distinctions
and judge between people,
choosing favourites
and forgetting that we are all
equally beloved.

Help us,
O God,
to know,
to feel within our bones,
that whether we are
artists or biologists,
CEOs or drag queens,
educators or farmers,
gay or heterosexual,
illustrious or jobless,
keyed-up or laid-back,
maestros or nannies,
outgoing or prickly,
quirky or reserved,
simple or technically gifted,
unbelievable or verifiable,
wholehearted or xenophobic,
yogic or zealous,
we are
yours,
through and through,
loved by you --
and meant to be loved by all.

Open us to love
all that you have created
the way you love --
without distinction.

+Amen.

Sunday Reflection on a Monday: First fruits

Today's reflection is brought to you by
James 1: 17-27.

You,
O God,
are the source of all perfect gifts
and all generosity.

When we give,
it is your bounty that we are giving;
nothing
that we have to give is ours
because you created
everything.

All our freedom,
memories,
knowledge,
possessions,
gifts,
and talents,
are your presence in us,
meant to be shared.

We are to offer ourselves
like the first fruits of harvest
laid on your altar.

We are to give ourselves
by serving you
in those who are today's widows and orphans:
our sisters and brothers in need,
and receiving the gifts of self
that they offer us in return.

We are to be
"quick to listen,
slow to speak,
slow to anger..."
and more than hearers of your word,
but doers.

Otherwise,
there is no point to any religion.

Help us all to share ourselves
without concern for what it costs us,
and without thought of any reward.

Doing everything and giving all
for love of you,
in love with you and your creation,
is already enough.

+Amen.

* * * * * 

This Sunday reflection is a bit late because it is harvest season. We picked over 60 gallons of pears this Labour Day weekend, and would be happy to share our first fruits with anyone who would like some!!! Send me an email (contact info on the sidebar) if you need an address to come and get them (bring your own container).

Simple Suggestion #276... Plant a local forest

The site of Edmonton's most recently planted food forest

These days, I like to take Shadow for walks to check on the City of Edmonton's latest food forest project. Many Edmontonians got together on Saturday to plant all sorts of food bearing trees and shrubs on the bank of the hill in Strathearn Park.

A view up the hill

City staff from Root for Trees cordoned off an area to be planted and gave volunteers lessons on how to plant saskatoon berries, bilberries, raspberries, gooseberries, nut bearing trees, I think, and I don't know what all. Hundreds of little trees and bushes are now part of the hillside for Edmontonians to enjoy in future summer seasons. And you can bet I'll be picking some of the fruit in a few years, with a little bit of luck!

Raspberries, eventually

I managed to plant 8 sets of raspberry canes before working with two others to set a bunch of bilberry shrubs (which are much like blueberries, I'm told) into the side of the hill. Steps away from us, a few more people planted about 60 Saskatoon berry bushes. The City will water until winter sets in, and hopefully the young saplings will survive the winter and thrive from here on. I'm already praying for good moisture for all those babies next spring!

These little bilberries turn red in the fall --
don't they look nice on the hillside?

To plant a tree or shrub is a wonderful, hopeful thing simply because we expect it to live beyond our years. To plant a public food forest with other Edmontonians who appreciate nature and want to participate in our earth's rejuvenation is a powerful action. It brings to mind the "Commons" shared for the "common good" by townspeople in the middle ages, a piece of local land from which all the locals could benefit.

And really, we've already benefited just from the effort of planting together. Over 120 volunteers, including youngsters from the 59th Edmonton Scouts' Group and many yellow-shirted people from Edmonton's Gayatri Pariwar community, started our little food forest by planting over 1000 edible shrubs in four hours. We enjoyed our time together, sharing stories and chatting quite naturally about environmental actions we are taking in our own lives, further inspiring each other. Working with a group of people who volunteer to plant trees is a way of investing in our community's future, no matter what kind of trees we plant.

I ended my day with a tired body and a joyful spirit... and I look forward to attending more planting events and sharing more pictures of this forest's progress in future moodlings.

So today's Simple Suggestion is an invitation, really, to do some voluntary tree planting in your community, if possible. If you're in the Edmonton area, Root for Trees has a few ongoing and future events requiring volunteers. All you need is a strong back, good shoes, and the desire to make a positive difference ion our world. Go for it!

For more Simple Suggestions, click here.

The beauty of three sisters

I'm one of three sisters, and I absolutely love the other two. So when I look at the three sisters in my garden, I often wonder which of the three represents my dearest sisters and which is me. The easy answer would be that the squash plant has yellow flowers that my youngest sister would like (she loves yellow), and the corn is the tallest, which could represent the middle child in our family as she's tallest. So that leaves me as a scarlet runner bean? Well, I do like to wear red, but I guess I might be reading too much into this!

My three sisters garden box has done beautifully this year -- I've never had such tall and productive corn, the beans are blooming beautifully, and there are a few little squash that might amount to something yet if I'm lucky frost-wise. Other years I made the mistake of planting all the sisters at once, but this year I planted the corn first, and when it was five inches tall (two weeks later) I hilled the corn a little and planted the beans. A week after that, I planted the squash. Of course, the idea is that the oldest sister, the corn, supports the climbing beans and squash plants as they grow, the beans give nitrogen to the soil and hold all three sisters close together against the wind by winding through the corn stalks and squash vines, and the squash leaves shade, mulch and protect the trio's feet from weed infestations.

When I look at these sisters' interdependence, I realize that my sisters and I share aspects of all three at different times. We've all been each others' supports, we've all huddled together in tougher times, and we've all sheltered each other through different storms -- though I admit that due to my commitments to husband and kids, I probably haven't been as present to them as they have been to me a lot of the time. L and J, I am so grateful for your presence in my life, your deep friendship, and our sisterhood!

My sisters are patient and loving, and they put up with me when I get a little corny!

Sunday Reflection: Choices, choices

Today's reflection brought to you by
Joshua 24:15-18.

You give us so many options,
O God,
that we often don't know
whether we are coming or going.

The array of possibilities is dazzling
when we consider
whom we shall serve:

The idol of our economy?

The gods of fame and fortune?

A culture which places possessions
above people?

Those for whom personal wealth
is the only bottom line?

If we listen to the spark of life
you placed in our souls
we know,
somehow,
that we need to reconnect
with your great fire.

But in a world filled with
too many distractions,
we forget the most important thing --
that you love us --
and we lose our way.

Grant that we may hear
the wisdom of our soul-spark
and respond with the people of Joshua:
"Far be it from us 
that we should forsake you
to serve other gods" 
for you are the only One
for whom life and love
are the bottom line.

Help us to choose life,
to choose love,
to choose you.

+Amen

Guest Moodler: Sermon on Wisdom

Six years ago today, I posted a sermon on the Bread of Life, delivered by my best friend, Cathy, in her United Church. Today I have the pleasure of posting another of her sermons -- this time reflecting on the very same readings, but with a different theme. Being a little older and wiser, I have to say I really appreciate her sharing about wisdom today, and am grateful to her for allowing me the privilege of posting it here. Enjoy!

Older and Wiser??

August 19, 2018

             
            When I saw the reading for this week on Jesus as the bread of life something twigged that I’ve done a sermon for this reading before. And sure enough. August 19, 2012… the exact same reading and the exact same date! What a coincidence! I talked about food, it was 9 minutes long and we left church early that day. Some have suggested I just repeat the sermon but I decided to do something new because six years on, I’m older and wiser. Well maybe.

             In our first reading Solomon, a new and very young king of Israel asked God for Wisdom when God was handing out wishes. God was very pleased that Solomon had asked for something so, well, wise. He hadn’t asked for riches or power but something more valuable. “How much better to get wisdom than gold, to get insight rather than silver!” it says in Proverbs (16:16). 

             Wisdom does sound like a good thing to have. But what is wisdom and how do we get it? According to those who study such things, wisdom has three factors: Cognition, reflection and compassion. Cognition is what we know and how we think. Experience certainly teaches us a lot. We look back on our youth and say, if I only knew then what I know now. That’s experience. But wisdom is more than just knowing a lot. Being able to reflect on our experiences and gain insight into them and then use that understanding to help ourselves and others is what turns our experience into wisdom. 

             When I was working in nursing homes 20 years ago, I remember being surprised at the number of elderly people I met who did not seem wise. To be honest, there were many who were silly, exasperating and annoying. Don’t get me wrong. I loved them anyway. I learned then that people often carry entrenched patterns of behaviour and personality throughout their lives, and older and wiser doesn’t always apply. But one woman I cared for I remember particularly and thought of as wise. What was the difference? Florence had a multitude of physical ailments: crumbling bones, pain, a tremor, and a heart condition. But whenever I had to take her medication or provide care I would always sneak in some extra time with her. I felt good in her presence. I loved to chat with her. She radiated a quality of peacefulness despite her considerable challenges. She was gracious, grateful, had a good sense of humour, and a genuine interest in others. 

             What I read about wisdom from the definitions I found on the internet may explain the wisdom I found in Florence, the nursing home resident. Wisdom is maintaining positive well-being and kindness in the face of challenges. Florence certainly displayed those qualities. It’s not like she never complained or expressed pain but she did not allow the hardships to define her. But to get to that point we have to look within. As well as the hardships in the world around us we have to see and acknowledge what is negative within ourselves and own it. We have to accept our negative qualities, learn from them and forgive them, which leads us to have greater empathy for others. Wisdom is characterized by a reduction in self-centeredness. Wise people try to understand situations from multiple perspectives, not just their own. But it is understanding ourselves more fully that allows us to see things through others’ eyes. 

             Someone wrote to me the other day that we really need more sermons on when life doesn’t work out. And I’m aware that in the midst of heartache, broken dreams, devastating illness or loss, fears about the state of our world and its future, that this road map to become wise I’ve just outlined is small comfort. When you have an experience, reflect on it, turn that insight into compassion and you’ll be wise. Poof! No problem. Easy peasy. But while that’s an important formula, I think there is more to it than that.

             There is a wisdom in the world that is deeper than the psychological processing of our minds and behaviours. We see this in children who come up with surprising gems of wisdom. The same can be said for people we would describe as unsophisticated or “simple”. I spent years working with people with intellectual disabilities who taught me more about being real than I ever taught them. There is the wisdom of nature: the amazing world of animals, and how plants and insects and other species find a way to thrive and survive. And there is the deep wisdom of your own being. You know there have been times in your life when you acted on wisdom from within yourself that steered you in the right direction at the right time. I think of the two times in my life, twenty-five years apart, when I experienced an overwhelming urgency to come home while living or vacationing abroad, and cutting my plans short and getting home in time to be with my parents when they needed me most even though I had no idea beforehand. In the first case, my Mom was diagnosed with terminal cancer 10 days after I moved home, and in the second, this spring, I cut my vacation short to go to my Dad, who died 3 days after I arrived, much, much sooner than anyone could have predicted. 

             If there is this deep wisdom flowing through the universe and us, and I believe there is, then I think it is that wisdom that sustains us through the difficult times and ultimately changes us for the better. 

             How can we trust and cultivate that wisdom from God? How can we grow in the wisdom we need to make a difference in the world and in our own ability to cope with the challenges of life? I do think we have to work at it and the first step is to desire wisdom and to ask for it. 

             Solomon was not older and wiser when he became King. But he had the wisdom to know what to ask for to be the kind of ruler that was needed and that he wanted to be. He knew he needed more wisdom and God blessed him with that and more. We might be in position where we have a steep learning curve ahead. Or we recognize things aren’t working for us and life is full of dissatisfaction, and we might think there’s got to be a better way and cry for help. This is a cry for wisdom. Or we are visited by tragedy and the suffering leaves us unable to imagine going on, and shaking our fists at God in anger and asking why. That honest response can be a call for wisdom. And when we call for wisdom, wisdom answers. Hear from Proverbs, which are the Proverbs of Solomon: “The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom, and whatever else you get, get insight. Prize her highly, and she will exalt you; she will honour you if you embrace her. She will place on your head a fair garland; she will bestow on you a beautiful crown.” (4:7-9)There is a line in one of our hymns that God is wiser than despair. We too can be wiser than despair. And what a gift to the world we can be when we are. 

             So there is working on ourselves to gain wisdom and there is asking for wisdom. But there is another beautiful way we become wise, and that is by being with wise people. Richard Rohr, a wise man and author, says, “Transformed people transform people.” What that means is by being in the presence of someone wise, holy or transformed, we are changed ourselves. The reverse also applies. If you do your own inner work and gain wisdom, others you are with will gain something from you that you don’t even realize you are giving. Think of the wise people in your life… grandparents or other relatives, teachers, people in this church. Remember how it felt, or feels to be around them. I think of one of my grandmothers. My memories with her are coloured by a sense of unconditional love, safety, wonder, and desire to learn and become my best self. When we hang out with wise people they hold up a mirror of positive acceptance which helps us discover our potential for wisdom within. I think of all my nursing mentors, including my own mother, who showed me the art of nursing with compassion and intuition. Not only does a mentor like this give us a model to emulate but they too give us the encouragement to believe in our own abilities. 

             I think of all the farmers I grew up with who seemed to be wise by absorbing the wisdom of the land and the cycles of nature and I think of my own farmer father who faced his death earlier this year with such grace and wisdom that I have rarely seen. 

             I think of the people of this church. When I sit up in the choir, I am surrounded by the wisdom of those other choir women. Their collective life experience, their joy (we laugh a lot) and their compassion inspire me constantly. I have so many examples of women I want to be when I grow up. We need wise elders as models for our own aging. And I think of the many members of this church whose lives I’ve been privileged to share in a deeper way in my role as Parish Nurse, hearing their amazing life stories and seeing their compassion and humility in the face of living through incredibly challenging times like a world war, or the loss of a child. I am humbled and inspired by the people of this church every day. 

             Finally, we as a church are inspired and changed by the wisdom of Jesus. We know the stories of Jesus and have a template for a moral, compassionate life. But there is something more here, something deeper than pretty stories. 

             In our reading from John, Jesus talks about being the bread of life, the living bread that came down from heaven. Then he tells his disciples that the bread is his flesh and they must eat it and drink his blood to have life. Talking about eating flesh and drinking blood is too gross for me. Too many horror movie images. But eating bread, I can think about that. I love bread. And bread as body works symbolically. That’s why I made the little bread bodies for the children. And of course there is the sacrament of communion, the ritual that Jesus gave us. When we eat bread or anything else we take it into ourselves. It becomes us. We chew on it and chewing on something is a metaphor for thinking things over, reflecting and processing, one of those steps of wisdom I mentioned at the beginning.        
           
             Jesus wants to pass on his wisdom which he received from his Father, our God. Eat me, Jesus says. I am the bread you want that satisfies, that gives life. Take me in, chew on me. How do we do this? By spending time with him. We do this when we come together in worship. We do this when we read the bible, not just reading the stories but chewing on them, taking them in through repetition and study. We spend time directly with the wisdom of Jesus in the mystery of silence and in prayer. And we do this indirectly as well, by spending time with those who have taken the wisdom of Jesus into their own cells. We have a library here in our church of good books, of spiritual wisdom just waiting to be feasted upon, wisdom from the path of Jesus and from parallel paths of other faiths. There are wise people in your own life to remember and give thanks for. There are wise people around us on every side whose wisdom will rub off on us. There is the created world to spend time in and absorb its wisdom. There are sources of wisdom all around us if we have an open heart and eyes to see and the desire to eat some good bread. 

             
Bon appetite! 

Let us pray. 
Jesus, we ask you for this bread of life, 
for wisdom, 
for life in all its fullness 
that we may be filled and give to others from that fullness. 

Amen.

What to DO about our smoky skies

Edmonton this afternoon...

With so many wildfires in British Columbia (and other places) this summer, Western North America is under a pall of smoke. I live less than five kilometers from our downtown skyscrapers, and it's not easy to see them through the haze.

"This sucks!" "It's so gross out there!" "I feel like I'm suffocating!" are all comments I've heard in the past 24 hours. But the big question is:

What are we going to DO about it?

We need to get past the complaining and see how the way we live is contributing to the problem. Human beings are the most influential species in our planet's web of life. I know there are people who don't believe in climate change, but to them I say, "Look at the skies. It's here. And what are we going to DO about it?"

"There's nothing I can do," is a cop out, especially when we get into the car to drive somewhere for a cup of coffee. Couldn't we reduce our impact on the environment by choosing to
cut down our use of fossil fuels,
conserve resources,
reduce, reuse, recycle, and
sacrifice a few comforts and pleasures for the sake of being able to breathe?

My neighbour with asthma certainly hopes so.

For the past 8 years, almost, I've been moodling here occasionally about Simple Suggestions that we can follow to increase our own health and community well-being. I was delighted when Pope Francis came out with Laudato Si, his letter to the world about how we are to care for our only home and the poor (who are most affected by climate change). And now these smoky skies are telling us, in no uncertain terms, that we need to get serious about changing our lifestyles and cutting greenhouse gases, pollution, and waste of the earth's resources, just like Pope Francis and many other wise people say.

Maybe it's time to stop dissing our environmentalists and start listening to them.

Today I offer, once again, a few resources to help us think about what we can DO about our smoky skies. Check these out to

• Learn about your ecological footprint and how to reduce it

• Try out the top ten ways to stop climate change

• Discover how the city of Edmonton is encouraging its citizens to combat climate change (and perhaps see if your own region has similar programs)

• Find some other simple changes you can make to reduce your impact on the planet (many of these are working for me!)

The thing is, we have to go on living. But we have the power to DO things better than we have been. So let's stop complaining, and start making a difference!