The Birth of our Monkey Mail

 

In 2020 with the advent of Covid, I foolishly thought that within a few weeks it would all be over.  I was newly arrived at my current congregation of St. Paul Fort Garry.  Little did any of us know just how long the pandemic would last, how the shutdown would affect everyone and how we would get through the whole thing with a community still intact and connected during that time.

A conversation with a friend introduced me to the mail chimp.  It would import the parish contact list from an excel file, bonus to not have to type in every name and address.  This made working from home easier to bear. Now add to the dimension that I could never remember the name of the forum, jokingly referred to it as the monkey mail and the moniker stuck.  The monkey mail continues long after the relative safety and return to some semblance of normal life.

During this period my blog did not get added to on a regular basis, in fact it was rarely added to at all.  A period when many people thought, especially clergy, would have lots of time on their hands became a period of being even busier.  So I am now going to attempt to compile the pieces that I wrote to the parish during that time and hopefully you will be as entertained as they were on occasion.

My first few mailings were pretty dismal.  They were very basic to let people know that we were going to use this forum and where people could find services to utilize at home in the comfort and safety of their bubble.  Remember I thought this would be ending quickly.  But the days turned into weeks, months and years! 

That first Holy week the music director, her father and I safely distanced and pre recorded a service for the people of the congregation to share in at home, the message they received:

Happy Easter!
In Newfoundland we'd say "We t'ree be'n at it ag'in"  so here is the link to the Easter Sunday Service, don't forget if you want to prepare a paschal candle (1 Candle, 5 Nails or push pins) then we sort of show you  how in  the service but it is definitely explained in the blog.  

We included a video link here and I am not sure if it is still working

Again the video has been embedded in the blog so that you can also participate in the service but if you just want to sit and listen that is perfectly fine too.  Oh, the address just in case you have forgotten where to find said blog is kjlaldin.blogspot.com.  (Before all this started I had to look that address up every time, but now my fingers just go to the keys!)

And in case you are interested in knowing there really has been only the three of us in the building, Rachel is not just musically talented but shoots all the video and then Doug compiles it into what you receive.  They both do an awesome job with the finished product.

So, with no further a do, have a blessed Easter renewed with the hope and the joy of the Resurrection, and let your candles shine so that they reflect that hope in the world.

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Some of the weekly mailings were simply items about finances, the kitchen renovation (yes we did a campaign to renovate the kitchen at this time), the constant care calling committee updates, tree pruning and such practical things that continued because apparently trees and lawns still needed care and did not get a covid memo to stop growing.

And then other weeks the mailing opened up to this:

It's been two weeks since my... last email, almost seems like the beginning of a confession.  Yes. it has indeed been that long. 

Doug, Rachel and I have made a kind of commitment to have a service recorded for you every two weeks. The bishop offers a live service every Sunday Morning.  (The information for the link was included in the news to know.)  As with previous services you have the option of going on to the blog that I write and having the written service in front of you as you watch from home in a comfy chair.  So without further ado everything can be found on the blog at kjlaldin.blogspot.com or it you prefer just the youtube link it is
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qp_WZ2BbTk8&feature=youtu.be

Happy Watching and "WE T' REE" hope that you enjoy this worship experience
and a word of caution the executive of the parish plan to use this medium to send you an update later this week about the parish, so you won't go so long in hearing from me (and missing me too much)

And before I forget, a big thank you to those who send us notes about the services. We are happy to hear from you and know that not only are you doing ok but that this is helping you with your worship time.

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And so the monkey mail was born and definitely grew in the congregation as we learned to be creative in worship, learned new ways in how we did worship, and learned how to  keep people connected to community.

A matter of perspective

 

Once upon a time there was a Chinese farmer whose horse ran away. That evening, all of his neighbors came around to commiserate. They said, “We are so sorry to hear your horse has run away. This is most unfortunate.” The farmer said, “Maybe.” The next day the horse came back bringing seven wild horses with it, and in the evening everybody came back and said, “Oh, isn’t that lucky. What a great turn of events. You now have eight horses!” The farmer again said, “Maybe.”

The following day his son tried to break one of the horses, and while riding it, he was thrown and broke his leg. The neighbors then said, “Oh dear, that’s too bad,” and the farmer responded, “Maybe.” The next day the conscription officers came around to conscript people into the army, and they rejected his son because he had a broken leg. Again all the neighbors came around and said, “Isn’t that great!” Again, he said, “Maybe.”

The whole process of nature is an integrated process of immense complexity, and it’s really impossible to tell whether anything that happens in it is good or bad — because you never know what will be the consequence of the misfortune; or, you never know what will be the consequences of good fortune.

— Alan Watts

I happened upon a parable this morning that I had never heard before and I was quite intrigued by it and certainly by the point of the story.  One never knows if what happens will be good fortune or not.  I am sure that everyone of us have had something take place in our lives that with the passage of time we reflect upon it differently and how our lives would have been changed or impacted had we experienced the opposite outcome.  This parable was a timely reminder for me today that with a little passage of time an experience, positive or negative, can take a whole new perspective.  And as I try to revive my blog I hope this story brings you some comfort with a new perspective as well.

Weeds or Wishes

 

I have been contemplating the green spaces where I frequently walk with my four-legged companions. There are fields of dandelions and the bright yellow looks quite beautiful. As I walk by and through these fields, I have been considering what I see, other than the obvious sea of yellow gold flowers. As children, and still now, I appreciate when the flower goes to seed, and it looks like a fluffy ball. Picked and then a good deep breath before blowing it to scatter the seeds -- making a wish.

Then there is a person that I encountered several years ago who would harvest dandelions. she explained that you needed to pick them while they were still "young and tender", adding leaves to salads, making tea from another part, wine from something else. Every part was good to consume but pick them early before they become "strong and bitter."  I admit I was a poor recipient of her wisdom!

This all took my mind to another place. A philosophy professor assigned me the task of writing a paper on "What is Truth?" I have no idea what I wrote all those years ago. But when I think about it now, I realize that each of us have our own truth. We can talk about the same experience, but we will all have our own take on it, our own truth.

And that brings me full circle to the humble dandelion. Is it a weed or is it a wish? Each of us will have our own opinion. And even if we see it as a weed, we can not deny the strength and the resiliency of the dandelion, nor can we deny the beauty when we see a field of yellow gold. And when it goes to seed tell me that you are not tempted to pick it, blow on the seeds, and make a wish.

Pearl Harbour

The Lone Sailor

We arrived back in Honolulu early this morning disembarked the ship, dropped off the luggage and we were off to Pearl Harbour.  We felt that to be so close and not go would just not be the thing.  So we went and visited all the free offerings that were available here.  I was not interested in the submarine that you could walk on!

Pearl Harbour, while hot and sunny, is also a very peaceful place despite the hordes of people.  You were constantly reminded that this is a memorial and to be respectful. 

The memorial is a beautiful tribute to the horrors this place experienced December 7, 1941.  

The Memorial Park begins with the Lone Sailor as the greeter.  The plaque gave the following description.

"The Lone Sailor signifies the men and women who have served, are serving, or will serve in the Navy. He’s called the Lone Sailor, yet he is hardly ever alone. He is about 25 years old, a senior second class petty officer who is fast becoming a seagoing veteran. He has done it all -- fired weapons in war, provided humanitarian assistance in far-away lands, been attacked by the enemy, and defended our freedom. He has made liberty calls in great cities and tiny villages where he was a tourist, ambassador, adventurer, friend, and missionary to those less fortunate. His shipmates remember him with pride and look up to him with respect"

 As we meandered around we found many monuments that told the stories of ships and submarines and the bravery of the sailors.

As you walked along this water front memorial there were many stories of the submarine sailors and their many missions. 

The Bowman submarine in the background

of the waterfront memorial to the submarine missions and their sailors.

Partial view of the Harbour

There are a number of these "platforms" all named and numbered with the ship that was moored there during the attack

Partially submerged bits of the Arizona can still be seen.  The watery grave for over 1000 sailors.  A special bomb made to penetrate her armour hit in the armory where all of her ammunition was stored.  The explosion sent her 30 feet into to air, her sailors on board had no chance of survival.   She burned at 8000 degrees over three days.  These bits protrude the water and have a beautiful monument built around her

The wall of names of all the sailors lost with the Arizona.  A somber place to stand knowing that just underneath they are entombed in the remnants of the ship.

All I know as I stand here today is that there are no winners in war and the human cost is far too high.  This only tells part of the story.  There is also the cost to locals,  civilians and communities.  History is our great teacher but somehow we never seem to grasp some of those lessons.

Hang loose on Kauai

 

For the last two days we were on the island of Kauai.  The last island of the tour.  Free range has a whole new meaning on the island where you found poultry running around the streets, parking lots and under growth.  Our tour guide said there are no natural predators and even the cats don't bother them.    So I could not resist snapping a picture of this handsome rooster.

Our tour was supposed to take place in an old fashioned trolley, but alas it rained and we were driven in a lovely modern van.  Two local indigenous guides provided us with fabulous information,  legends and even some political insight!  

This tour took us to what was the original port, the falls, the river, ancient fish ponds and sacred sanctuary sites.  The guide was a wealth of information as well as super entertaining.  She tried to teach us the Hawaiian equivalent of the ABC song, but with the Hawaiian phonetics.   She taught us Hang loose in Hawaii (with the hand gesture) sang the song from Gilligan's Island and told us us several movies that had been filmed on this island.  It wasn't all seriousness and history.

Enjoy a few of the pictures of our sites on beautiful Kauai. 

These sacred sites are highly respected still.  They provided sanctuary for people who managed to make it to them and saved them from their punishment.   The catch,  however, if you made it here you were never allowed to leave.   

Opkeaa Falls

Which refers to the once abundant shrimp that used to tumble over the falls

Wailua River

Valued for its fertile soil, fresh water, abundance of fish and sandy beaches for launching and landing the canoes

The fish ponds.  

Constructed years ago, early fish farms, are being rebuilt.  

These mountains overlook the fish ponds.  Legend has it when the people were working on the fish farms you were not supposed to look.  The prince and princess did not listen to the elders and watched anyway.  The result they were turned to stone and you can see their form here in the mountain.

Just hang loose, just have fun
Sippin' on a drink or lying in the sun.
Don't try to fight it, there ain't no use.
When you're in Hawaii you should just hang loose.            (Written by Ron Tish)

Paradise in Hawaii

Hawaii-five-0, Jake and the Fat man, Magnum PI (the one with Tom Selleck not the new version), all watched more years ago than I like to think about.  The scenery was always beautiful in the shows and of course growing up in a small town it seemed like a whole other world away.  

Fast forward many years later and my DH and I thought if we were going to try a cruise then perhaps it should be Hawaii.  This would give us a chance to see several islands and cities as opposed to being in one place for a week.  It is beautiful here, just like in the shows!  

We have taken in a few of the sites.  Hilo being our busiest day when we hopped in with a local tour guide and got more than he advertised. He was entertaining,  knowledgeable and most giving of his time adding the extra stop of the beach with the black and green sand.  We had a hoot with him as we whizzed along in his van. Tried fresh farmed pineapple and checked out the BIG chocolate store.  

These beautiful pictures are of the Japanese Gardens in Hilo. The first stop on the tour of the day.  From here we headed to the old town, basically buildings that survived the tidal wave in the 1940s.  And if the waves are not enough to cause concern then this island also boasts an active volcano, those pictures will follow shortly!

On we traveled to Rainbow falls, beautiful but for most Canadians hardly impressive.  The legend attached to Rainbow Falls however, was quite fascinating.  Nothing I like more than a good story.

The flowers were beautifully placed as a Thanksgiving. 

And after about fifteen minutes we were off again.  This time on to the site of the volcano.   It was puffing a bit but no ashes and because it was during the day you could not see the red glow of the hot lava.  However, you sure could smell the sulphur.  The place was fascinating.   Of course some tourists,  much to the dismay of the tour guide, were away from the rails taking selfies and given the holes along the rim, the potential unsteadiness of the rim I had to agree it was not a wise move on the part of the tourists there.  We managed to get some equally nice pictures and no rule breaking or danger involved!

It looks like Mordor, from the Lord of the Rings!!

And onwards we went again to where the steam vents from the volcano were letting off...well steam!  At a mere 1400 degrees Fahrenheit there was no problem getting your glasses fogged up!  We all had partial facials for a few seconds at a time!

The Lava Tunnels were a highlight.   Walking through what is essentially a cave of lava was fascinating.  

From here we were off to the chocolate factory and I managed to snag a stocking stuffer for my DH as well as some peppermint rocky road to bring home.  YUM, the sample should have been bigger!!!

Back into the city we had a chance to check out the local market before heading on to our final stop of the beach.  Here we saw black sand which consists of the lava and it is course on the feet!  And there was green sand as well which results from the minerals in the lava. And yes these feet have been in the cold north Atlantic,  the Atlantic in the south, the Caribbean sea, the Mediterranean Sea and now the Pacific Ocean. (I expected it to be warmer!)

And last but not least the fresh picked pineapple.   According to Elwood, our tour guide, there is a way to prepare that pineapple and it is like undressing a woman.  Ok, he has a salty sense of humour, perfect for a Newfoundlander!!

First you take off the top

And then the bottom!!!!

Have a great day with this tour.  We sure enjoyed ourselves and all that this guide had to offer on the Big Island.

What lies beneath

 

Have you ever been told that you are so lucky you only work one day a week?  I am certain that many clergy have heard this statement at one time or another.  Sometimes offered in jest but with an underlying sense that there is some truth and other times meant quite seriously.  The work of the clergy is what I would compare to an iceberg.  Ninety per cent of what we do is below the surface and the ten per cent (also known as Sunday morning worship) is what is most visible.  I am sure that you are wondering where is she going with this? 

I have had a few interesting conversations lately and it strikes me that since the pandemic began just over two years ago the above sentiment has become more prevalent amongst a very few people.  Only a very few but just enough to add to the increased uncertainty and anxiety that many pastors live and deal with on a daily basis and which most keep well hidden.  There is the sentiment that clergy have not worked as hard in the last two years, have had an easy time of it, have not been with parishioners or if you were newly matched with a parish have not gotten to know parishioners.  All assumptions!  Yes, I speak of what I know, sadly.  That said then the sentiment spreads that since we have had two easy years then why do we need holidays for renewal and refreshment or family obligations or whatever reason?  An unhealthy response for those not in sync with either their parish, parish leadership or their clergy.

Let's add another piece to the mix where an article that I read said that 38 % of pastors are not alright and have or are leaving the ministry. [1]  That is not an insignificant number.  The stress of the pandemic, the many deaths that resulted, the overwhelming grief and the inability to minister in the traditional or time-honoured way added to workloads that were already nearing 60 hours a week has caused many to re-think this vocation.  The responsibilities of the job have increased, and the rewards have decreased. The small, spontaneous and positive interactions with church members that previously kept clergy going disappeared from the work over the past two years. And if you add to that a lack of understanding from a member(s) of the congregation then you have a mixture for disaster.

Clergy have been expected to do more with fewer resources and people and yet to keep the same momentum going. [2]  And if it was only the ten per cent that is visible that we actually do then perhaps and only perhaps the criticism might have some basis.  But there is this ninety per cent that you can not see that is beneath the surface, likely highly confidential and certainly of a pastoral nature.  There is the necessary preparation for the liturgy and the sermon since the majority of us can not pull them out of thin air.  There are the calls for emergency care in the middle of the night that are responded to in a timely manner.  These are but a few of the things that happen beneath the surface because they affect those that we respond to and are not readily visible to the larger numbers that gather on a Sunday morning.  

So many misconceptions abound about what it is clergy do on a daily basis.  Since the nature of the position is largely autonomous let me assure you dear readers that few have time to sit around playing games or twiddling their thumbs.  If there is nothing else there are telephone calls to check in on members to see how they are doing (sarcasm at work here--to my knowledge that instrument did not break in the last two years!)  So perhaps those who waver and wonder and threaten financial withdrawal should consider looking beneath the surface to see what really lies underneath before piling additional stress on already overburdened clergy. Perhaps instead of making assumptions, it would be more beneficial to do a check-in to see if your pastor is okay, to ask questions and offer support and understanding instead of adding to the ever-increasing concerns.  A priesthood of all believers is also a priesthood of partners in service to God.

Icebergs and pastors, are an unlikely analogy and yet in these times more appropriate than ever as we go forward and slowly emerge from our bubbles and cautiously enter back into relationships, community and caring for one another.  The pastor will be there to pick up as many pieces as possible, to listen and be present for your cares and concerns but conversely who will help the pastor manage the same?  What lies beneath, behoves all of us to take a closer look. 

1.     https://www.christianitytoday.com/news/2021/november/pastor-burnout-pandemic-barna-consider-leaving-ministry.html
2.   https://freerangepriest.org/clergy-burnout/

Additional Sources

https://www.deseret.com/faith/2022/5/11/23058739/religious-leaders-struggle-with-burnout-depression-and-anxiety-pastor-mental-health-worker-shortage

https://www.christiancentury.org/article/recommendations/whose-problem-clergy-burnout

http://thesurprisinggodblog.gci.org/2015/11/avoiding-clergy-burnout.html

https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=6356&context=dissertations

https://gravityleadership.com/pastor-burnout/