Washed Out – Not Quite

            It has been a particularly wet summer.  Regular violent storms have left rivers near flood stage ready to spill over into highways and byways at a moment’s notice.  Threats of storms have worked as a deterrent to be on the road because when they have rolled through visibility is extremely limited.  Basements that do not regularly flood need constant monitoring and plenty of electric fan power.  According to the National Weather Service our area has averaged 10-15 inches of rain above average.  When you add high humidity and temperatures, this summer has taken its toll.  It is my sincere hope that we can consider the implications of Climate Change to our earth instead of considering such talk a threat to our economy or our religious beliefs.

            Summer is often a time for vacations.  It is a time when we easily can be out in creation, renewing ourselves through the gifts of sunlight and fresh air.  On my one brief trip to the mountains of West Virginia I was able to enjoy my morning walk along the canyon rim.  During that mile down the road in the early moments of the day, I was conscious of breath. I was particularly aware of the many trees and dense vegetation around me.  I was thankful that the very act of breathing that morning was a gift, oxygen and carbon dioxide exchanged freely for mutual benefit.  

            Although I am quite “done” with scheduling my days around rain, I am also very aware that the rain that has inundated my yard has also meant that the source for my well is full and prepared for the months ahead.  Creation is an ever-changing palate as we move from season to season. Creation invites us to be aware of these moods and learn to appreciate them for what they teach us and what they give us.  Creation itself is an ever-flowing well of life and possibility.

            During my “inside” time this summer I have been stitching our planet earth as part of a series of the universe.  

It has been a form of prayer as I have taken each stitch as a way of thinking of our earth as a whole.  I  remembered when I first saw the photographs from space of the amazing blue marble that is our planet earth.  I  thought of all the ways our earth has been, and is being  harmed by some of the deregulations designed to protect our air and our water.  I looked at the swirling clouds over our whole planet  giving us glimpses of the beauty that is there.  I thought of the power of the volcanic eruptions over the big island of Hawaii, the force of the hurricanes that ravished Puerto Rico last summer and that is taking aim on Hawaii as I write.  I was aware, stitch by stitch, of the beauty of the earth.

            I was also aware of those who live on this planet alongside me.  My prayer was often for the healing of the divisions that assail us. My prayer was for children separated at a border that is not even prominent when looking at our planet as a whole.  My prayer was that we could find ways to stitch up the broken places around us.

            The stitching is complete now.  The needlework will be framed and will join the competed stitching of Jupiter and Saturn. In time the other planets will follow. Together they will remind me of the immensity of the universe.  They will cause me to wonder how any of us, including and especially myself, are so blessed to receive the gift of life itself.  They will be a source of wonder and awe and a reminder of grace.

Grace and Peace

Rev. Clara