Sunday

I love Sundays. I love going to church, although I must confess it is usually for the socializing. Today I got more out of church than meeting my friends. First of all, I needed to attend the "child safe" workshop, which is an annual course that everyone who works with underage children in our church needs to take. It is an unsettling hour every year, as you talk about preventing and recognizing child abuse. However, we followed this class with the worship service where we had communion that included everyone. I found it particularly meaningful to have communion around a table surrounded by families. I was sharing the Lord's Supper with the very children I had just promised to keep safe. What a holy time. Church is about inclusion...everyone is invited to the table. To stand there, offering grapes and pretzels to the children, my own included, was a great privilege.

Also during the worship service, an opportunity was given to a young couple from our church who have very deliberately chosen to live in the Downtown Eastside of Vancouver. They are befriending the people that live there, hoping to share the love of Jesus with the very real people that are there. As Jordan shared stories with us, I was struck by the way he introduced us to his friends, with real names and stories. May I be just as careful to realize that the people I meet on the street or in the store or at church are real people who need the love of Jesus just as much as I do. Check out Jordan and Carlye's blogs at http://faithandfrustration.wordpress.com/ and http://carlyemarie.blogspot.ca/ .

Every Sunday afternoon, my husband and I both very deliberately call our parents. It is a time to connect with them. Both sets of parents have often said how they look forward to our calls. I know that now as my children are starting to leave the nest, I look forward to hearing from them, as well. We often cover the same ground in our conversations, but every call is a blessing to me. Our parents still love us, worry about us, and are so interested in our lives. They ask about each of the children. We know it is a great privilege to still have both of our parents and we are grateful for their longevity!

A climax of the day came when we met with our church care group in the evening for a potluck supper. We all come bearing some kind of food that we share with everyone. We are a very diverse group around the table, from young children to almost seniors. We are calling ourselves the "Group in the Middle," as we don't belong with young adults anymore and don't want to admit that some of us could attend the seniors' group. (Can you believe they used to call the seniors' group in our church 50+? I am so glad my late friend Hildegard insisted that the name change when she turned 50.) I love our care group. We don't plan anything specific, but instead take the time to really talk with each other. As we went home after the evening, my husband and I compared conversations we had each had. We were both able to talk with folks on a deeper level than just Sunday morning greetings and also with people we don't always get to talk with on a Sunday morning.

So all in all, a great day! Oh, and my flowers are still blooming, my mini-tomatoes are ripening faster than I can eat and the sun was shining.