TRUE PEACE

The past week was a typical, busy week. However, I now realize that I have acquired some underlying sense of peace and renewal. I'm not dismissing the ongoing undercurrent of my failed marriage; it's still there. But it seems like my main focus isn't on that. Perhaps it was experiencing true community along with the joys of serving others. A brief recap of events over the past week:

Handing out hot chocolate to street people on a cold night - how amazing it was that all the change I had in my glove compartments bought exactly 4 hot chocolates from Timmy's. It was pretty cold; even the usually energetic panhandlers were slumped up against the ACC in discouragement, beaten by indifference and the weather.

Dinner with a friend who shared with me real life in Cuba - how sad it is that most people that visit there don't see the real culture of this beautiful people: their amazing sense of family and community! True joy in a life of simplicity. Relationships that are transparent. A reminder that the creature comforts of our North American society have made us a cold people.

Habitat For Humanity 101 - learned about the desperate and discouraging housing situation that exists in TO. The number flew by me, but I think I heard that there are 60,000 families that are on a waiting list for social housing. Often times, the city refers these people to Habitat. It's so easy for this disparity to get hidden because, for reasons related to the weather, we don't often see tarp-covered huts. But many families are living in places (well hidden from public view) that are well below humane levels.

Brief chat with Lynn afterwards - her enthusiasm and passion for serving is so contagious. She just came back from Africa doing a Global Village build and will be going again this summer. In the morning, she goes for a walk and collects pop cans for Habitat. She also serves with me on the Faith Relations committee. She likes it, but feels that it's a little too administrative, and would prefer it to be more personal, with more sharing of our experiences.
Dinner with my sister and her husband at Cafe Margaux - nice food, nice wine, nice conversation. It's awesome seeing how things are developing in my sister's law career. Got "slept" on by their Yellow lab Nina afterwards, but I think that it was just her way of thanking me for bringing her a new stash of Wilson US Open tennis balls!

Hiking at Kelso - with winds howling at 40 km/h and an evil mixture of rain/snow pelting down on us, one would think that we were crazy for going on a hike. But the moment we got under the cover of the trees, it was like being in a different world! The diffused wind became a gentle breeze. I didn't even notice the snow or rain coming down, except for the occasional snow pile that was knocked off a tree branch and splatted on my head. At one point, I saw a few naked trees swaying in unison with the wind. I thought that the trees were having worship! I, too, had my own quite worship, taking in the beauty of creation.

Sunday's message on the groaning of creation - never realized it, but Paul's letter to the Romans mentions how creation is like a cheerleader, groaning for us as we continue to reach our full potential. In fact, I believe that God will not return until reconciliation has been achieved: both of people AND of creation. It just reminded me of how much we have abused creation and that there is so much work to do!

Somewhere in all of this, a hand was gently comforting me, giving me much need spiritual first aid. Perhaps my idea of healing equated with the resolution of a crisis. Maybe that not how it's supposed to be. Perhaps healing is the consoling and comforting that comes when you realize that you can't think your way to it, or buy it, or manipulate it, or even demand it. It comes when you resign to the fact that being self-centred doesn't solve anything.