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Kathy's Blog
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Written by Kathy Platt
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Wednesday, 01 September 2010 11:55 |
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It has been interesting this week to start to put things in place for the fall - what that has involved has been setting many meeting dates. I know that it is important to be linked to the community and not to just be shooting off in all kinds of directions without anyone knowing what it is that we are doing, but it is also a little mind-boggling trying to sort out how to fit all these meetings in without tying up every single night of the week. Sigh. Sitting in a canoe out in the middle of a lake is starting to feel like a very long ways away! So, this weekend, as we head into "labour day", I want to be intentional about sorting through the balance of work and rest; the balance of silent reflection and verbal articulation; the balance of meeting with committees and simply doing the work. And more than anything, I want to sort out how to do this "job" - how to offer ministry - with integrity and with heart. It is both a joy and a challenge to offer ministry in a congregation where there are so many different understandings and visions of what it means to be the church. I keep returning to the words which one of my mentors in life said to me: "all you can do is speak your truth with integrity and how the words are received by others is not up to you - the Spirit is at work in ways you could never predict or control". As we head into this fall season, may we walk gently, one step at a time, open to relationship, and trusting that together we will discover how best to be the church that God is calling us to be - a church where all are welcome and where we truly honor diverse opinions and opportunities.
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Written by Kathy Platt
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Friday, 27 August 2010 16:10 |
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Walter Farquaharson wrote a hymn entitled "Give to us laughter", and the first 2 lines are: "Give to us laughter, O Source of our life. Laughter can banish so much of our strife". That hymn came to mind as I was reflecting on this past week. Our worship committee came to the church one evening so that we could meet with the families who are having their babies baptised this Sunday. Harlow is 7 months old and Mason is 6 months old. Harlow was feeling a bit out of sorts and was fussing a little bit, so her mom sat on the floor and was holding Harlow in a standing position. Mason's grandmother then held Mason in a standing position so that the two babies were eye to eye. Well, Mason started grinning and bouncing as though he was going to run right over and invite her to play. Harlow stopped fussing, and her face lit up as she began to grin right back at him. Soon all nine of the adults in the circle were grinning right along - in fact, I think we started giggling out loud. It was one of those contagious moments sparked by the laughter of these two little people in our midst. I read once that the way to world peace would be for the world leaders to hold each other's grandchildren - that if they looked into the eyes of the grandchildren of their neighbours, they would be less likely to send a bomb in that direction. Children can indeed be an inspiration if we learn to really see them. I hope and I pray that this Sunday we will take seriously the promises that we make to these two families - that we will care for their children by our actions and by our prayers - that we will surround them with our love and our support - and that we will strive to commit ourselves as a community to love as Jesus loved. Hearing the giggles of children can inspire a zest for life and a rebirth of hope - may we listen for the laughter and give thanks for the gift of life and of love.
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Written by Kathy Platt
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Tuesday, 17 August 2010 14:22 |
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I can't quite believe that I am back at my desk - I have had such a wonderfully long and full holiday, but it flew by in many ways. I figured out that between July 1st and Augusut 15th, I spent 26 nights in a tent - that is rather amazing! I spent time climbing mountains, and paddling for many kilometres in Quetico Provincial Park in Ontario, and enjoying the solitude and beauty of the property we own in Manitoba. I must admit it feels rather wonderful to be back in my own bed, but I feel incredibly blessed to have had the opportunity to be so close to the ground for so many nights. Paul Tillich wrote a book called "on the boundary", where he described what it was like to have your feet in two worlds - to not define yourself as belonging solely to one world, but recognize that you are a part of both. For example, he defines himself as being both a philosopher and a theologian, finding either description to be too confining on its own, so he uses both. Another of those examples is that he wrote that he lives in the city but that he is from the country. He explains that he deeply enjoys the vitality and stimulation of city living, but that he needs to return to the country to allow the land and silence to restore his soul and to ground him. I found that a very helpful way to explain how this summer holiday has restored me - to listen to the call of the loons, to watch a couple of deer checking us out, to breathe in the smell of the trees and the earth - all those things were vital to my well-being this summer. But it does feel good to be back in the land where I can easily find a good cup of coffee! I am really glad to be back and am looking forward to preparing worship for this Sunday - that is the sign of a good holiday - when it just feels right to be back. We'll see if I am still feeling that way at the end of this week!
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Written by Kathy Platt
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Friday, 16 July 2010 11:38 |
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Today is Friday - one week ago today we were hiking up a trail called the Ptarmigan Cirque in the Peter Lougheed Park at Kananaskis. I bathed my toes in the beautiful, clear, icy waters of a mountain stream and could not believe how blessed I felt to be able to be in that holiest of places. Saturday we hiked into Chester Lake and the picture I have of that place is Janet forging her own path on a hill of stones - finding her way safely across where, for those of us watching her from across the lake, there was no evident path. On Sunday we began our hike into Three Isle Lake - a hike that pushed all of us far beyond our comfort zone. It was exhausting and terrifying and exhiliarating, all at the same time! At one point, just before we literally hit the wall where we had to climb straight up, we looked back across the valley which we had just climbed our way through, and saw the most incredible rainbow. It arched from one side of the valley clear across to the other - and as we watched it became a double rainbow. The colors and the beauty of that rainbow gave each one of us the strength we needed to keep on climbing. After we rested for all of Monday (except for Daniel who re-gained his energy by doing a flying trip back down the mountain to get food and then back up to us again!) we began the trek back down the mountain on Tuesday. We woke up to snow - sang Christmas carols in fact. Luckily we all had toques and mits and most of us wore every layer of clothing we had brought - we all made it down safely in one piece, heart and soul changed forever by the beauty and strength and challenge and blessing of that climb. I know that I will be continuing for quite some time to process all that I experienced and learned over this past week. What I do know is that we began as a collective of individuals and we clearly ended our journey as a community, bound together heart and soul. The integrity with which each person spoke of their own personal experience deeply touched my heart, and I am so looking forward to this next year as we find ways to draw the circle wide - to enable the rest of our Sunset community to come on the journey as we speak about where we found the Holy on this trek up and down the mountain.
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Written by Kathy Platt
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Wednesday, 30 June 2010 08:59 |
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Later today I am heading to Manitoba to go camping on our piece of property which is just south of Riding Mountain National Park. It is definitely our place of retreat. Art and I will spend the 4 days there, likely without seeing another person. We have a pile of books and can hardly wait for the luxury of time and space to immerse ourselves in reading, we have our lawn chairs where we can sit and watch the finches flit around in the branches of the many poplar trees that surround our living space, and if we look out across the valley we can watch the every changing cloud formations above the Riding Mountains. Just to be there is enough to soothe those tired and worn out places in my soul. I remember our youngest son telling me that one of the reasons he loved going there was that he never had to think about what he was wearing or how his hair looked - and that is also one of the reasons I love being there. We all wear our ball caps and trust no unexpected guests will arrive to make any judgment on our wardrobe choices! It somehow seems fitting that I will be in such a beloved place on Canada Day - we are oh so lucky to have such places in this country of ours. When so many around the world live in such crowded and dusty landscapes, I will most definitely look at the trees and the birds and wide open skies and give thanks for the gift of space and for the gift of the land upon which we stand. I hope that wherever you are on Canada Day this year, that you will be able to pause and to give thanks for this amazing country that we live in - for the earth, the air, the water, and the life that surrounds us - thanks be to God!
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Sunset United Church is located in Regina, and belongs to the 
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