November 2019
Page 30
A matter of perspective so much. Oranges and yellows emerge where once was green. I recently learned those oranges and yellow pigments were there all along waiting for their moment to shine. As the days shorten the green chlorophyll breaks down and fades away and the oranges and yellows have their moment. Perhaps instead of arguing “old vs middle aged” we should be talking about seasons of change and the cycle of life. It seems a more beautiful way to consider what it means to be advancing in years. I like the idea that as my summer days come to an end and the full green of the chlorophyll recedes—(I can feel it taking its leave in my joints)—some part of myself that is bright and beautiful waits to emerge in its full glory. It certainly changes my perspective on whether I am old or middle aged. As I embrace these autumnal days, knowing winter is not far behind, I wonder what new colours will emerge as I move toward my next birthday. What part of who I am will finally have its own moment in the sun? In the beginning, Creator
put this world together and wove wisdom through all parts of it. Wisdom colours the leaves in the fall. Wisdom calls the salmon back to their spawning grounds this time of year. Wisdom proclaims a time of rest for living things through the winter. Wisdom will push new buds out next spring. And wisdom lives in those who are “middle aged.” Take some time each day to seek out wisdom, maybe with a walk in the “wild” world or sitting at the feet of an elder. Or maybe look into yourself to see what new colours are emerging as the days grow shorter. Be wild. Be wise. Rev LeAnn Blackert is in ministry with the new Wild Church in Kamloops (wildchurchbc.org). She works with Michele Walker and Lesly Comrie in this ministry. LeAnn loves creating houses out of piles of leaves, long walks through local parks, connecting with others in the natural world, and the wild hills that surround Kamloops. She also loves growing older with her partner and their two middle-aged cats.
Wings on her shoulder
Continued from page 22
Colouring outside the lines Rev. Leann Blackert, Wild Church
Sacred Heart Cathedral
Weekend Masses Saturday 7 pm Sunday 8:30 am 11:30 am, 6 pm
COMMUNITY CHURCH 344 Poplar
Confession Times Wed 5:15-5:35 pm Saturday 4-5 pm Sunday 5:30-6 pm or by appointment
Weekday Masses Monday 6:30 pm Tuesday - Friday 9 am & 6:30 pm Saturday 9 am
255 Nicola Street • 250-372-2581 www.sacredheartkamloops.org
A Place to Belong!
UNITED CHURCHES OF CANADA
Sunday Service 11:00 am Sunday School 11:45 am
Kamloops United Church
Please check out our website for any upcoming events
250-554-1611 www.kamsa.ca
www.kamloopsunited.ca 421 St. Paul St. • Sundays 10 am Rev. Dr. Michael Caveney
Mt. Paul United Church
www.mtpauluc.ca 140 Laburnum St. • Sundays 10 am
Plura Hills United Church
www.plurahillsunited.com 2090 Pacific Way • Sundays 10 am
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“I’m not old. I’m middle aged.” Grams made this proclamation to her grandchildren on a regular basis. Our response was to laugh and say “well, unless you plan to live to be 120 you aren’t middle aged – you’re OLD!” As I walk through my 60th year of life on this planet, with the big 6-0 looming next summer, I have apologized over and over to Grams. I am not old. I am middle aged. My perspective has changed. In the book of Job, we read: “In old age is wisdom; understanding in a long life.” My Grams was the
perfect example. At her feet, I learned patience and discipline, compassion and justice. She taught my sister and me to sew, crochet, knit, iron clothes, and cook. We used to beg to have sleepovers with Gramps and Grams because it would mean a fishing trip to the creek with Gramps and pre-bedtime back scratches with Grams. Her great wisdom was revealed in these moments as one of us sat in front of her while the timer counted down the minutes as she scratched a back while the other sibling scratched her back. When the timer went off my sister and I traded places and Grams’ never-ending back scratch continued! Grams made work into games. Every fall she would enlist us to rake the cascading oak leaves into neat rows that formed the outline of a house with rooms, windows and doors. We would play in our leaf house, decorating the rooms with sticks and acorns before we had to haul all those leaves over to the burn pile. Maybe this is why I love autumn with its bright colours and falling leaves
Besides, the timing couldn’t be worse; for, he was flying out to his new station that week. Broken emotionally, their good-byes felt permanent when Don left. Milly held a job at the base and made her home nearby. Six months later, she delivered a beautiful baby girl. In a telegraph wire, Don got the happy news and managed a short leave to see his newborn daughter, Danielle. There were no expectations, on Milly’s part, of a ‘father/husband-role’ from Don. They mutually agreed on a reasonable figure for child support—long before the days those words were coined. There had been no engagement, no
wedding… only departures. Don and his beloved Danielle formed a strong loving pen-pal relationship. The day she turned sixteen, she wrote him. “My biggest dream right now is to someday be in the air force.” That goal brought her dad to his knees. When she graduated, it was like deja vu all over again for Milly. Danielle, like her mother and her Grandma Mildred—who had dared to be an air force gal in the ‘Five-foot two crew’—enlisted straight out of high school. The thirdgeneration woman in her family to do so, she joined the RCAF, Women’s Division to serve her country. Her father, recently based permanently in Comox,
KLEO’S PHARMACY
was there and, on a wing and a prayer after the ceremony, got down on one knee and asked both his girls to let him be the husband and father he longed to be. With his plea, he put the sentimental keepsake ring on Danielle’s finger and a sparkling new ring on Milly’s. Wedding photos taken at the Comox Air Force Beach Pavilion show the family of three, and their attendants, in airforce blue tunics. “I may not have wings on my shoulder any more like you two, but ‘la dolcevita’ is mine because I have you both,” Milly whispered to Don after the marriage kiss.
FEEL A LITTLE BLUE AROUND THE HOLIDAYS? Need some quiet space in the midst of “Jingle Bells” and “Joy to the World”? When loss, grief, depression, pain or hopelessness fill Christmas…our churches are offering non-denominational, nontraditional services of hope and healing. All are welcome!
Protect yourself and your family. No appointment necessary. 90B 1967 East Trans Canada Hwy Kamloops, BC V2C 4A4
Mon - Fri: 9am - 6pm Saturday: 9am - 3pm
Blue Christmas Service Wednesday, December 3 at 7:00 pm Kamloops United Church, 421 St Paul St. FMI: 250-372-3020 or www.kamloopsunited.ca