Janet’s Jottings

Dear Friends,

Things are swirling on every level right now. On the national level, two icons — Aretha Franklin and John McCain —are being mourned and memorialized. Aretha Franklin was the Queen of Soul, contributing to our country ’s emotional strength through her incredible voice. John McCain was a public servant, serving in the U.S. Navy during the Vietnam era — including years as a prisoner of war — and then in the U.S. Senate, contributing selflessness and strength to our political life. (The opposite approach to our common life is seen in trials taking place and immunity being granted, in deals being revised and revoked, in ordering how the flag will be flown, and in firings being threatened. The spin on it all is enough to make one ’s head spin.)

Here at the church, we are preparing for Pastor Nathan ’s arrival this coming weekend. While I very much look forward to our time of working together, the prospect of vacating my office is overwhelming. There are many details to wrap up, many files to purge, many books to sort, and many surprises to find in the moving process. In the meantime, there are sermons and Spire articles to write, pastoral care to provide, meetings to attend, and projects to complete. The complexities of it all are enough to make my head spin.

Then, on the personal front, I am engaged in all the details that follow the loss of a close loved one. There are financial matters to be completed, personal effects to be distributed, paperwork to be shredded, and photos to be sorted. And, there are memories to be treasured, notes to be written, tears to be shed, and love to be shared.

It’s easy to feel overwhelmed. Several things are helping me to mitigate that sense: contact from family and friends and church family, time for rest and reflection and recreation, deep breaths and deeper prayers, and the reminder that Christ offers both strength and peace. I know that many others are as overwhelmed as I.

May we be overwhelmed by the love and grace of God and by the power of the Holy Spirit to move us forward into a future of hope and promise and possibilities …

Love,

Pastor Janet