I spent Memorial Day weekend in Ohio helping my father and step-mother settle into their new assisted living apartment. Moving and downsizing is a lot of work: the sorting and discarding, the packing and unpacking, arranging the new space. I counted my progress by the number of boxes emptied and put away. A move like this, for two people in their eighties, has other challenges: allowing nursing staff to administer medications, eating in a common dining room instead of preparing your own food—and the mobility and cognitive struggles that make this move to assisted living necessary. At some point in the weekend it dawned on me that other work was happening besides moving boxes and organizing closets, and I had the presence of mind to ask my step-mother: What is the spiritual task for you around this move and this transition in your life? I guess that’s what you get when you have a minister in the family. Yesterday, returning to work after the long weekend, I was still thinking about progress and how we measure it. Sometimes I literally count the emails in my inbox at the beginning and end of the day to measure my progress. Sort of like counting the boxes unpacked in a move. The concrete things and the concrete tasks in our lives are usually how we measure progress. But I also like to measure progress in my day by songs sung; by poems read and reflected upon; by the quality of friendly greeting I give to strangers on the sidewalk; by the connections I am able to make, giving and receiving love in large and small ways. I’m blessed to have a vocation where poems, prayers, songs, and offering love to people are part of my job. On my list of personal intentions yesterday I wrote “walk at sunset,” and after a long day of juggling many things I was able to do that. I parked the car in the Mill Pond parking lot, walked on the river path for a few minutes, greeted the family with the adorable toddler on the bridge, and stood knee-deep in the water with the moon bright above me. After a minute, a voice told me to get home as twilight was coming on--the car was full of stuff from after-dinner errands to be put away at home, and today’s email count had been pretty low. And another voice told me to stay. The extra five minutes spent with my feet in the water and my prayers to the moon made all the difference. What a productive day. PRAYER: Spirit of the Moon and of the River; Spirit of Life within us and around us, be here now. May we be reminded of what is important in our days. May we resist to temptation to count progress by buying and hoarding, earning and spending, doing and accomplishing. May we spend our time being and loving, breathing and feeling, knowing that we are enough just as we are. Blessed be. Rev. Andrew Frantz |
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Rev. Andrew FrantzUUFCM Minister Office hours:
In-person and via Zoom: Tuesday 10-noon Wednesday 1-3 & 8-9pm Office Hours Zoom Link Outside of Office Hours, Drew is reachable at any time via text, phone, or email. Day off: Monday Contact for emergencies only minister@uufcm.org Phone/text: 440-935-0129 Pastoral Care Concerns
For support with life’s challenges, please contact Drew during his office hours or make an appointment with him. For specific needs such as rides to medical appointments or meals for people recovering from illness or surgery, please contact the Caring Team (formerly Arms Around) via Jen Prout at 989-400-3130 or poutyprouty66@gmail.com. Every effort will be made to lessen the burden on the individual or family who is dealing with a difficult circumstance. Archives
April 2024
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