Greetings to you all, dear friends! As July draws to a close, so does the first half of my sabbatical time, and I’m checking in just to let you know that all is well and I am thinking of you.
The last five weeks have been a wonderful combination of quiet time at the beach, gatherings with special friends, and traveling adventures. I spent a weekend hiking in Yosemite (I hadn’t been there since I was in high school) and attended the small, intimate wedding of a close friend’s daughter at her mother’s home. Fred and I went to Greece, where we visited several of its islands and marveled at their beauty and history. This coming week, my daughter will fly out from Washington, DC and join me for a few days of rest and relaxation in Arizona. To say that I’ve been having a blessed time is an understatement!
But though all of this has been wonderful and absorbing, you have still been very much in my thoughts and prayers. Perhaps the greatest gift of parish ministry, for me, is the privilege of sharing our journeys, with all of their gifts, challenges, and opportunities to grow in the knowledge and love of God, with fellow pilgrims. This is the work of yours and my lives; for I believe that in all that comes to us we are being called to keep waking up to what is real and true. And it is in individual relationships and in community we find the strength, support and wisdom to do this. Thanks be to God!
The remainder of my time away will be largely taken up with a trip up the coast to Washington and the Northern Cascades. I will stop in and see more family and a dear friend outside Seattle on my way up to Holden Village, a Lutheran retreat center on Lake Chelan. Once there, I will join the housekeeping staff for two weeks in exchange for the opportunity to soak in the spirit and rugged beauty of this very special place, where “people of goodwill of all ages…come and experience its rhythms, which inspire and equip travelers for a sustainable life of faith outside the Village” (that’s from the website). I am anticipating a deeply meaningful time there. Upon my return to southern CA, I will still have a few days to catch up before rejoining you all on September 6.
Once again, I want to thank you all for this time away. What a gift - to be able to rest, recreate, and renew! And come fall, I will be so glad to be back for the startup of another program year, and our continuing journey into God’s future.
Blessings and love to you all!
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