Author: admin

Finally putting myself out there (coming out of the closet, so to speak) as a writer. For many years I have been writing reflections for our Catholic church bulletin and I've decided to share them beyond our little community.

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Can You Handle It?

Recently, I was called upon to look after my precious grandchildren…from Saturday morning, up to and including getting them to school (on time) Monday morning – solo. Yikes! It was not only the children I was caring for, but the two dogs and two cats too. My husband was conveniently and otherwise occupied, and my son and daughter-in-law were in need of a well-deserved get-away.

Driving to Orillia, I already felt exhausted – the thought of being the sole care-giver for three busy children 8 ½, 7 and 5 ½, actually scared me to death. The last time I was called to do this, my husband and I worked together as a tag-team, when one began to falter, the other jumped in with renewed energy and enthusiasm. It seemed an impossible task for one aging grandma to handle on her own.

Do you ever feel God calling you to a task that is far beyond your capabilities? Why would God do such a thing? Isn’t it rather, that we feel it is beyond us, we’re sure it’s more than we can handle…and we know ourselves better than God does? I don’t know about you, but that kind of thinking trips me up every time. A lack of trust in God keeps us from accomplishing so many worthwhile endeavours. In our minds, we’ve already decided we can’t accomplish a particular task, we write off God’s opinion, shaking our heads sadly and walking away from what he’s calling us to do. What a waste of time, worry and mental energy. Here’s a tip: you can handle it. You would not be called to it otherwise.

My weekend with the grandkids was a blast. Afternoons at the park, Just Dance (a video game) kept us all hopping around the living room till bedtime one night, a nerf-darts war took us to bedtime the second night. We made popcorn, told stories, read stories and giggled a lot. “This will be our little secret,” Rowan said, when I let them have a bit more Halloween candy than was normally allowed.

If my weekend with the grandkids taught me anything, it’s that I worry too much and I should pay more attention to each call from God. We must move beyond our fears. The energy will come, the right words will be on our tongues.

Advent approaches. Take time to listen…what is God calling you to do? You can handle it

Mercy – Gotten and Given

In my file, labelled My Writing, I found a piece with this title – Mercy – Gotten and Given. I had no recollection of writing the piece, but I looked forward to refreshing my memory of it. Turns out there was not another word written…just the title – a disappointing discovery, but, I took it as a sign that it was time to follow the title up with some thoughts. And, as we near the end of this Extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy, I thought it an appropriate time to give it a go.

This Sunday, and last, the Gospels speak of tax collectors – the lowest of the low, in the eyes of the general public, in Jesus’ time. And yet, the tax collector in last Sunday’s Gospel prayed to God in a way that won him favour over that of the Pharisee. This week, another tax collector, Zacchaeus, is at the center of a story being told for our benefit. The first gospel teaching us to pray in a way that is pleasing to God; the second teaching us how to seek out Jesus, pushing past our own limitations and, not only meeting him, but bringing him into our homes.

God’s mercy is such that we don’t even have to meet him half way. We don’t have to do much of anything really, to experience God’s tender mercy, but when we acknowledge our sinfulness; when we make that extra effort to seek God, I believe we increase those spiritual benefits bestowed upon us. And, once received, we must pass them on to others, because, as St. Francis says, it is in giving that we truly receive. So, my take on – Be merciful as the Father is merciful – Luke 6.36 – is simply Mercy – once it’s gotten it must then be given. Pass it on!

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Did You Hear That?

When later asked if he was correct in hearing that the wind was going to shift to the South East…I really couldn’t say. I mean, by the time I’ve listened to 20 minutes of the French weather forecast, followed, in English, by every nuance in temperature and humidity level from North Bay to Timbuctoo, my attention span is gone. When the actual marine forecast comes on, I’m thinking about a snack, and a reasonable time for happy hour to begin. So no, I couldn’t say if he was correct in his hearing. Regardless – when the gale winds blew from the North, we were totally unprepared.
We’ve all said it before – it was the longest day of my life. I’ve said it before, but nothing I’ve endured in the past could compare to being tossed, thrown, beaten and bruised from noon to mid-afternoon, only to hear, on the updated forecast – WARNING – Gale force North winds on Georgian Bay…diminishing around midnight. MIDNIGHT?!?! There was nothing to do but watch and wait. Well, Leon was plenty busy, checking coordinates, checking lines, replacing lines, checking coordinates, trying to prevent the anchor and chain from ripping the bow off the boat. I am the one who watched and waited. Watched while Leon went to the bow numerous times, life-jacketed and tethered; watched as the dingy lines (2) snapped and the dingy rode the waves happily to shore; watched the guy on the beach nicely carry our dinghy up out of the surf; watch the bow pulpit float by me, while I watched the cops come down to the beach (three times in all), stare at our boat, talk to the cottagers and then leave, not knowing what to do to help us. It was, indeed, the longest day of my life.
They say you meet the nicest people boating, but in this case, the nicest people were the cottagers in Big Sand Bay, who all came out to greet me when I swam to shore next morning; the guy who canoed out to Anerca to get Leon and Scout; his wife and sister-in-law who made us breakfast; his brother who later helped Leon to jury-rig the tiller (yes that got broken too)…despite their kindnesses – I wanted to go home!
That brings me to my purpose in writing this piece…my husband is looking for a sailing partner – strictly a sailing partner, you understand. One who remains calm under pressure and can really pay attention to marine weather forecasts!

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The Journey…or the Destination

Post author By admin
Post date August 26, 2016
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It’s boating season and on some of our lengthy sailing passages, my mind begins to wander and ponder. (I apologize in advance for all the parallels I’m about to use in this piece – sailing vs. life.) We were once power boaters, getting to our destination with speed and efficiency. When we switched to sailing, our power boating friends were shocked and horrified. You’d think we had changed religions, ok, not so much religions, but philosophies. With power boaters, it’s all about the destination. It has to be. You can do nothing, not even carry on a normal conversation until you get where you’re going. When we made the switch, and it suddenly took us an entire day to travel what had previously taken a fraction of the time, we embraced the sailors’ code – It’s not the destination, but the journey that counts. Ah, how many times did we repeat those words to each other that first year, with gritted teeth?

This expression came to mind as my husband and I neared the end of a long day’s journey, recently.

‘Exhilarating,’ said the captain.

‘Nerve racking,’ said his first mate.

Perspective is everything, in sailing and in life. I don’t mind a bit of wind, but could I have calm seas, please, and lots of sunshine? No, sorry…rarely the case. So our crossing from Thornbury to Hope Island gave us tiny patches of blue sky and brief glimpses of sun, with longer stretches of dark, angry looking clouds and one metre seas. It was the first good sail my husband had had all summer and he enjoyed it immensely. I on the other hand, prone to motion sickness and an aversion to too much heeling in the wind – did not have as much fun. Once through the gap at Christian Island, and motoring into the wind toward Hope, the seas calmed down, my nerves calmed down and I thought about destination and journey again. I couldn’t help but compare the expression to life and not just life, but to our spiritual journey. How we approach life, how we live our faith, will ultimately decide our destination. And so, in my opinion, the journey and the destination are of equal importance.

My husband’s approach – to life and faith – is a constant reminder to me that I lack trust – in his sailing abilities…perhaps, but also in God’s plan for me. Our sailing adventures – an equal measure of anxiety over wind, waves and weather, and tranquil anchorages with lots of time for reading and reflection, help me to put things in perspective…put my life, my spiritual life in order.

When I look at my husband’s take on things, and then my own, I can’t help but see that I’m too cautious, afraid to take chances. Does that spill over into my spiritual life? Yes, I believe that it does…afraid to give, afraid to love, afraid to trust in God’s plan and follow it.

The good new is, it’s never too late to change direction, when we find ourselves drifting off the course God has set for us – sometimes it takes a life time. But, as long as we continue learning, seeking and growing, our journey will be fruitful…and the destination blessed.

Catholic coping Spiritual Renewal Trust

Renew the Face of the Earth

Post author By admin
Post date August 2, 2016
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Summer is here! The earth is fully renewed! So why aren’t I? “Come, Holy Spirit,” we sing, “renew the face of the earth.” Doesn’t that include me – all of us? I run, I bike ride with my husband, we sail on weekends…and maybe that’s the problem right there – too busy; no time to sit and think; no time to smell the roses; no time to rest. Summer comes and we try to squeeze as many activities into it as we possibly can. That’s understandable, of course, with six to seven months of winter behind us, we want to be outside, we want to celebrate warmth and greenery, water and light.

Is it my age then? Is that why I’m so tired? Is it my worries; are they what are exhausting me? Bingo! So, instead of renewing the face of the earth, renew my faith and trust. I don’t know about you, but I need to trust that God will handle those things I cannot change…I need to trust that those things I want changed are in his hands and he will ‘handle’ them according to his will. Clearly, I’m not always in sync with God. In my prayers I plead, bargain, cajole. Clearly I’m not paying attention when, in praying the Our Father I say, ‘thy kingdom come, thy will be done.’ There are times when I deliberately ignore that phrase, with a ‘yes but’ attitude. You know – ‘yes Lord, but I don’t think you quite understand where I’m coming from…let me just explain.’ Give it up. He understands our thoughts better than we can attempt to articulate them.

The other morning when I was out running, the sun was just coming up over the trees, birds were singing, insects were buzzing and I felt like I could run for miles and miles. I truly felt renewed. Everywhere I looked I was treated to his beautiful creation – nothing man-made, but for the hay bails in the fields, the barns and fences.

So, when we find ourselves drained of energy, bereft of spirit, we need to sit in the quiet of a church and talk to God. I picture him rolling his eyes and thinking to himself – you again! But I know that really he wraps his arms around us because we soon feel his love envelop us, calming our concerns. If the church is not easily accessible, find a place to sit and meditate on God’s caring nature, preferably in a place that’s filled with his beauty. Sit in a garden, a park, smell the flowers, listen to the birds…just let go and let God do the rest. Trust me, renewal will come.

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Family Matters

Beautiful sister — Rest in peace, Beautiful Sister – Oct. 2011, with her grandson.

I’ve never been one to fall into the lament, ‘why do bad things happen to good people?’ It’s a pointless exercise and I’ve never wasted the time. There are just things we must accept. My oldest sister was born a ‘blue baby.’ She had congenital heart disease along with many developmental problems. She was not supposed to live beyond her childhood, but was 35 when she died. Even then I felt cheated, losing her when we did. My husband never met her which was so unfortunate, because to know Judy was to have your life changed forever. My parents never questioned why this happened to them; why their poor innocent child was dealt such a heavy hand. They accepted God’s will and made the best life they could for their special daughter – an impressive example for the rest of their children. My mother died of cancer 20 years ago. We were blessed to have her into her 74th year. Over the course of my life time, she suffered through many bouts of the disease – always with grace, dignity and a very strong faith. We learned a lot from mother, through her illness. When one of my sisters lost her husband in a tragic motorcycle accident several years ago, we were all devastated, heartbroken and my sister was consumed with grief. Her daughters and sons-in-law were a tremendous help to her, but her faith gave her the strength to move forward. Again, a powerful example for the rest of us. Now our baby sister must call upon that strength, dignity and most importantly, that faith that we have witnessed in our family over and over again. Cancer touches all of our lives at some time or other. It has hit our family once again. Bad things happen to good people. With every fiber of my being I resist anger – it’s exhausting and serves no purpose. God did not cause this and we need him on our side more than ever. Above my desk in the office are the words, Faith – Hope – Love. A friend came in the other day and asked which one I was feeling most at that moment. I said, “All three, right now I need all three.” Don’t we all? We all experience hardship, tragedy and loss. But to lay blame in those situations where clearly no one is at fault is an unhealthy practice. That’s when meditation on the Serenity Prayer can be helpful. God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference. And though it is perhaps counter-productive to the prayer itself, I am compelled to add – and the strength to fight for one’s Life!

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Patience!

Post author By admin
Post date June 30, 2016
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It never hurts to go over some aspects of our lives that periodically need review. Patience, is one of those areas in which, along the twists and turns of life’s journey, I am forever being tested. We’ve been a household without a dog for about three years now. My oldest sister once explained to me, ‘Freedom is when the kids have left home and the dog dies.’ Our boys were in their teens when she revealed this to me, and the dog was quite young…I had no concept of what she was talking about. Now, 17 years later, kid-free for over a decade and dog-free for three years – ah yes, freedom! Then – wait a minute, what? My husband is talking about getting a dog?!?

‘Let’s just go look at these puppies I saw advertised,’ says he. ‘Dirty pool,’ says I. The person who can say no to a tiny, innocent, adorable puppy has no heart! So we are now owners of a 10 week old English Springer Spaniel and that’s where the patience comes in – with the puppy…and with my husband.

I could explode with ‘I told you so,’ or, ‘This was not my idea,’ at least a dozen times a day. With patience, however, I manage to hold my tongue and only burst out with either of those lines a mere few times a week.

And I’m discovering that I don’t need to nag about watching the puppy every single minute she’s in my husband’s care, because she taught him that lesson all by herself, the time she was taking a nap, so he thought he could take a nap…and woke up to discover that he really must watch her every second she’s in his care – or kennel her.

My husband is not a morning person. I am. Does that mean it is my job to look after this pup in the morning, in lieu of my run – which keeps me sane? A discussion about this (preferably the night before as opposed to 6:45 am, when I’m wanting to bound out the door) is necessary – with calm explanation of expectations, not angry accusing words spoken to a foggy headed and groggy spouse who is not-a-morning-person. (And I thought life would get dull when the children left home!)

So yes, this area in my life needs more than the occasional review, clearly, constant daily attention to it is required. Perhaps we all have areas in our lives where fine-tuning is needed? Just remember, God has a sense of humour, so don’t lose yours, because everything is tolerable, if you can make your spouse laugh.

Bargaining Catholic God Humor Prayer Trust

Pushing the Limit

Driving along the highway in my little yellow bug, I find I’m always pushing the limit – the speed limit, that is. If it’s 50 km/h, I bump it up to 60. If it’s 60 km/h, I take it to 70. 80, to me, means keep it under 100. Driving along recently, in my meditative state, I thought about how we push the limit in so many ways. The quick check-out at the grocery store – ‘no more than 12 items’ – we sneak through with 15…or more. ‘No trespassing!’ ‘Do not walk on the grass!’ If we’re not actually breaking, we’re at least bending the rules more often than not. Even in the ways we pray and talk to God – we push.

In prayer, it seems, we are always bargaining, but God must be used to that. Look at the way God and Abraham haggled over Sodom. Being fed up with the sinfulness of the place, God planned to destroy it. Abraham dared to argue with the Lord – “But what if there are 50 just people to be found there? Would you wipe them away too, along with the wicked?”

“Well, no,” says God, “for the sake of the fifty, I would not destroy the city.” Abraham wears God down with his haggling and God, walking away (and throwing up his hands, no doubt) agrees to spare Sodom if he finds 10 just people living there. I have always loved this bible reading. Now I know that Abraham was quite new to monotheistic worship – you know, one Deity as opposed to the many gods he had previously worshipped. And we, on the other hand, are not. Still, this reading tells us that God was (and still is) approachable. And isn’t that good news?

Catholic Listening Trust

Listen Up!

Post author By admin
Post date June 2, 2016
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The Lord works in mysterious ways, doesn’t he? Recently, at a lovely, mini-retreat I attended, one of the facilitators, David Dayler, from the Hamilton Chancery office, gave the afternoon reflection and reminded us that God often spoke to the people of the Old Testament. “Why doesn’t God speak to us now?” is a question he’s asked all the time. His ready reply is that God does speak to us just as often…but we’re not listening.

Recently, on my way to work, I was pondering and praying as I so often do. Something in particular was niggling at me – something I want to tackle, but fear stops me in my tracks. I’ve wrestled with this very thing for years in fact, but this time I put up a little prayer for some guidance and encouragement. In the course of that very day, two things came across my desk (or over my computer screen). The first was in reference to St. Teresa of Avila and the writer finished with, “When faced with the unexpected, may you, like Saint Teresa, trust in God and be open to the possibilities.” The second was a quote from Saint John XXIII – “Consult not your fears but your hopes and your dreams. Think not about your frustrations, but about your unfulfilled potential. Concern yourself not with what you tried and failed in, but with what is still possible for you to do.”

Wow! It’s as if the heavens opened up and God bellowed, “Are you listening, Margery? It’s me, God!” Yes, I heard him loud and clear. I smiled the rest of the day and then I said to myself, ok, now get to work, you just can’t sit there and expect things to happen, you have to put in a little effort yourself, you know.

That’s the way it is with all of our encounters with God. We do have to do our part, but it sure feels good, when we sense that he is truly on our side. So, listen carefully, with an open mind and heart…and be prepared to get to work!

Catholic love Social Action Stength

We Are But A Speck

It snowed overnight on our ascent. This was in 2012, but the memories are still vivid. (Fortunately, all physical pain is gone and forgotten!? — It snowed overnight on our ascent. This was in 2012, but the memories are still vivid. (Fortunately, all physical pain is gone and forgotten!)

Hiking down into (and, more importantly, back out of) the Grand Canyon is, for many of us, a monumental feat. It’s certainly not one I’d ever take lightly – again. For the five of us who made this trek in February – two experienced hikers…three not – it was a bonding experience; a test of character and will. It was a delight to the eyes, the ears, the soul. Majestic, transcending all other visual experiences in my life!

With some distance now between me and the physical pain of this adventure, I can truly say it was an opportunity that I would not pass up if given the chance to do it again.

Our bodies groaned the day after our six hour hike down into the Canyon. The constant jarring on knees and feet, pounding down an unrelentingly steep grade, had major consequences. Our heavy packs adding insult to injury. While in the canyon, we hiked day after day after day, just to keep those joints moving and soon they were repaired enough to tackle the hike up and out.

I loved the day hikes most of all. The weather was mild, with cloudless skies, once the sun had climbed high enough to show itself over the canyon walls. No heavy packs on the day hikes, just a bit of lunch, lots of water and much camaraderie. On one of these hikes, as we headed back to our campsite, I got way ahead of everyone else. I’m not sure how or why it happened, but I continued on, alone with my thoughts. I would stop every now and then to photograph some awesome sight. Over and over, this one thought kept coming to my mind – we are but a speck…and a moment in time. Surrounded by this massive expanse of rock, billions of years in formation, I could think of little else. And yet, there I was, this speck, wandering around a mile below where normal people stood, and I was filled with God’s love – for me…this tiny, inconsequential speck that God loves. That will put strength in your stride and add height to your stature. I smiled at the thought process that took me from feeling so small…to so important. Not filled with self-importance, but a sense of being important enough to be so loved.

Still, in a geographical and geological sense, there’s no denying… we are but a speck and a moment in time. I concluded, on this independent hike, therefore, that there’s no time to waste. I must get busy! But busy how? Doing what? Sometimes it’s all so confusing – and then it’s not. The answer came, bouncing off the rock walls that encompassed me – love. Just love. If I feel such love, I must give such love. That’s where you begin – a simple way to live one’s life – with love. I’ve always tried to live this way, but not always with success. When I gossip, I’m not loving; when I judge, I do not love…So, I’ll pick myself up, dust myself off and try harder.

After a time, the others caught up with me and the chattering and laughter filled the air once again – but I felt changed. Nature, God’s creation, has a powerfully spiritual effect on me.