Weekly Bread # 237

Sometimes a trail is overgrown and you have to go through the weeds to reach your destination. Long pants and sleeves help, but, then, if it is a hot day, you pay for that tick protection. There are always choices, but there aren’t always good ones. Pick your poison. Or, you can do what I did, simply turn around before you planned to do so, head back to the car and call it a day. I have done that trail before, on cooler days, and after the rangers had been through with their weed whackers. It has to be fun. When it isn’t – just stop and turn around. There will be other days and other trails. Follow the star, but stay away from cliffs – and ticks.

If you have been following this blog for awhile, you know that ministry is important to me. I am happily retired, but there are moments when I feel that sense of call, a fierce passion, rising from my gut. A friend gave me a copy of the following poem this week. She’d kept in in a scrapbook for almost 25 years, along with the newspaper obituary for the Rev. Norma Cordell. I wrote the poem in October 1998. I think maybe I read it at Norma’s memorial service. She had a certain fierce sweet passion that made her a remarkably courageous and visionary minister. I feel a shiver of that in myself at times, and also glimpse it others, most recently in the colleague who has recently been called as the settled minister of the congregation that Norma served, that I am again a member of. Norma helped start me on the path toward ministry. I think Cory will help keep me on it – even if it is a little “overgrown” just now, even if it is only in my soul.

“Norma

My heart aches and breaks

How will we go on?

Your courage, spirit, vision,

Filled our lives with hope.

You directed our steps on a path,

Hard and steep at times,

But it really led somewhere.

We tried to follow,

At least most of the time.

It’s scary to be promised so much

Scary to reach out into newness,

Into hope.

Scary to trust Love.

Your light shone bright

It shone it shone

Deeper, wider than you – or we

Realized.

The wound,

The gaping hole of your loss

Seems an abyss of emptiness

We pledge to keep your light shining

To keep good courage

And right relationship

We will reach to each other

Take hands

And walk the path.

Blessings to you so sweet so fierce

Go shining.

We love you and will keep you always

A part of the soul of all of us.

Theresa October 1998

On another note about another journey- my weight is still pretty stable and it might be about time to invest in a few more clothes. I only have two pairs of pants that fit and are long enough, cool enough, and look good enough to wear to church in hot weather. I mean, it works with just the two if I keep up with my laundry, but it is a little boring. Then again, winter will be coming soon and I have at least 4 pairs of jeans and one pair of “nice” slacks so maybe I can wait. I am not a book, but don’t judge me by my cover.

L’Chaim!

Average weight this week was down 1.5 pounds for a total loss of 145