It reads like binary or ASCII code – the second full day of the first month of a new year and a new decade – a mystery in the unfolding . Ten years ago I was still in prison and could not imagine that I would ever leave and five years ago this spring my life changed again in ways that I’d never imagined.
Looking back over a significant chunk of time can serve to remind us how little control we have over the unfolding of our lives and of the importance to engage each experience and relationship to the fullest extent possible in each moment.
Of course our choices are important. And yes, setting goals and objectives for our lives is necessary and life giving – but, the older I get (and some days I feel older than I am) the more I am realizing that more important than goals and objectives are our reactions to the situations over which our control is minimal or non-existent. Such wisdom was captured beautifully in an image shared by Catherine Gaw on her Facebook feed:
One of the practical things I am doing in this new year is shuffling my work schedule so as to be more effective with my personal and professional time. It is my intention to be in the office on Monday and Wednesday mornings. Monday and Wednesday afternoons will be set aside for pastoral visits in homes and hospitals – and as needed I will try and schedule meetings and study groups on Monday or Wednesday evenings. Tuesdays and Thursdays will see me working from home: research, reading, writing, liturgies and reflections. Fridays and Saturdays will remain my regular days off and Sunday will of course be devoted to our regular Sunday gatherings and other services and events.
Happy New Year! Lloyd
Looking Ahead Tomorrow, Friday January 3rd I’ll be in the office in the morning catching up with Jennie before heading out to the local hospital to visit some folk who unfortunately spent the holidays there and either Friday afternoon or sometime Saturday I will be meeting with a couple to plan a wedding! On Sunday I look forward to being with you as we gather for our first Sunday Gathering of 2020 – hopefully with something meaningful to say about the prologue to John’s gospel…
Monday I’ll be in the office for the better part of the day and on Tuesday I’ll be working on the liturgy for the Sunday (Baptism of Jesus Sunday or Epiphany), in the midst of which there will be a trip to Moncton to deal with my October traffic infraction.
On Wednesday I’ll be in the office again and look forward to welcoming folk to the Open Sky Coffee Time after which the Lectionary Study will take place. Wednesday afternoon I’ll get to the Drew and visit some folk there and on Wednesday evening there is a regularly scheduled meeting of the Welcome Team.
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