Pastor Annette's Blog
"OF ALL THE THINGS GOD HAS SHOWN ME, I CAN SPEAK BUT A LITTLE WORD NOT MORE THAN A HONEYBEE CAN CARRY AWAY ON ITS FOOT FROM AN OVERFLOWING JAR."
~ MECHTHILD OF MAGDEBURG, 13TH CENTURY MYSTIC |
"OF ALL THE THINGS GOD HAS SHOWN ME, I CAN SPEAK BUT A LITTLE WORD NOT MORE THAN A HONEYBEE CAN CARRY AWAY ON ITS FOOT FROM AN OVERFLOWING JAR."
~ MECHTHILD OF MAGDEBURG, 13TH CENTURY MYSTIC |
October 9, 2024
Beloved: Today is my first day to dress in a sweater and socks. I almost turned on the heat but decided I can wait at least one more day. Now that the light is gone so much earlier, knitting, sewing and puzzles keep my hands busy when my brain is too tired to read. My garden is going to sleep anyway. While every plant around her is crackling dry, one bearded yellow iris has her silky second bloom. Yesterday I washed and put away the hummingbird feeders, and raccoons are nightly raiding my last two tomato plants. There’s nothing left to do but some cleanup after the first hard frost. I love fall and winter too, cozy being one of the best words I know. Instead of bingeing on tv or social media, I find a YouTube fireplace in some pretty mountain cabin, the next best thing to a real fire.* Next best thing – there’s a phrase, don't you know: the attempt to recover something lost, or to be satisfied with some lesser version of what we really want. I fall into the habit half a dozen times a day, then remember this new life is precisely that – new – and there are at least a half a dozen new ways to do it. There is no particular way life or faith must be done to add up as faithful; but, how old habits seek to convince me otherwise! I sometimes wonder if what I call anxiety is actually their pulling against my heart’s readiness to change, to move into this new life before me. Could be it’s just the changing of the seasons pulling at me now, as I look out the window where my hummingbird feeder was all summer. I’ll hang some suet instead. The tiny, achy sadness is more pleasant than not, knowing that soon it will be so very, very cozy indoors, with lots of projects and books and recipes to work on. In the midst of all of it, welcoming the change of another year of new life folded within a whole life of being loved, healed and sustained by the Spirit of the Christ who deemed us beloved – a picture of this life I may spend the rest of my life trying to comprehend. I pray this gorgeous day** is kind to you and you are kind in it. ~ peace & prayers, pastor annette * I enjoy this feature of YouTube so much. There are probably hundreds of similar videos with lots of scenery and scenes. It’s very good for my mental health. ** Many prayers for neighbors in central Florida enduring Hurricane Milton today. Danger and damage is expected to be severe.
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I write a Tuesday morning devotional to members and friends of UBC. It is also posted here.
Enjoy! Pastor Annette Copyright
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February 2025
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