August 7, 2020
Just before 5:30 on Monday morning, in the pitch dark, my son and his partner headed out of our driveway with the canoe on the roof of the car and their camping gear carefully stowed. I am thinking about them now, paddling between campsites in Algonquin Park. I am worrying about all the normal things you worry about with a camping trip this time of year. Will they get some good weather after the wind and rain we have had? Did they take enough food? Warm enough jackets? Were the portages too challenging? Will they remember to bring the paddles home this year?  It feels good to worry about the normal things. Not much has been normal this year. It was also good to have them planning for this trip over the past weeks, carefully plotting the route and the menu and organizing the gear. This summer canoe trip has become an annual tradition, so the planning and preparation were not something new… but that was part of the joy of it this year. In a year when the usual visits with family from the States cannot happen, and so many summertime activities are restricted in one way or another, the camping trip could still happen. I so look forward to hearing the news of all the adventures they are having… and even to the big appetites, damp gear, and loads of laundry that come home later this week. I wonder what things you are finding joy in this summer. What things have NOT been cancelled? What things have you had time for that you sometimes have been too busy for? What have you found time to appreciate in new ways this year? Are there habits that you have continued, or new ones that you have begun, that are helping these times feel “normal”? Is there particular wisdom from scripture that you turn to in these times? Here is a passage that I share with you, from 1 Peter 5: "Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, so that he may exalt you in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him, because he cares for you… And after you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, support, strengthen, and establish you."Peace and grace to you, in all that is normal, and all that is new, this summer. Find some fun and share some fun.
Blessings, Nora Nora Sanders is General Secretary of The United Church of Canada.
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