American flags wave in the breeze in our cemeteries marking the graves of those who served in the armed forces of our country. We honor those who have served who are no longer with us and today, Veterans Day, we also honor those of you who are with us. If we were in our churches this coming Sunday, you who are veterans would be asked to come forward for us to specially recognize you as a blessing to us, to our country and to our American way of life. We would also give thanks to the family members who supported you. We offer thanksgiving for your service and for you and your family’s commitment to the cause of freedom our Armed Services serve to protect.

Our way of life has been so disrupted this year. Whether we wanted it or not, the dis-order of this time, has impacted our way of life. Our freedom of movement has been limited as the pandemic threatened our and everyone else’s health and safety. We sheltered in place, cancelled trips and when going out marked our distance from one another in six-foot intervals. We gave “air” hugs instead of actual hugs. We learned to recognize people faces by their eyes alone. But then, of course, has it not been said, “The eyes are windows to the soul!”

It was also a time of confronting realities that the promise of equal justice, opportunity, respect, and dignity to be available to all in this great country is a tarnished value. And one of the most divisive elections in our nation’s recent history has cracked the “united” adjective in the name of our country.

It is time to repair, restore, and move forward. We must do this for the good of the whole.

I watch the little flags lift in the wind then drop draped against their slender post. I remember my grandson Dean’s stunning picture of the flag that unfurled its splendor over the Irvington 4^th of July parade in 2019. (here) I reflect on the red, white, and blue, the stars and stripes, and the field upon which they rest. When our flag unfurls and moves with the wind it is stunningly beautiful. Its design is alive, every star shining as all elements move together, individual and distinct and yet in unison.

Mother Teresa said, “If you want peace, go home and love your family.” The bottom line is that peace starts with each of us, one by one. Respect, love, listening, sharing, turning from face to face confrontation to face forward towards a new ordering of the future is hard work. Every encounter offers a moment that can diminish our way of life or help it to flourish.  

I remember a moment almost ten years ago when I was on a retreat at Ghost Ranch in the desert of New Mexico with others as John Philip Newell led us on a pilgrimage walk in the Celtic contemplative way. I remember how he paused for a moment and then spoke, “You know, the next moment has never happened before.” I remember my heart fluttering, stunned at this idea – that even just the next moment holds possibility, holds hope. And the idea of just living into each one to come with an open heart. We resumed our pilgrimage walk, more pensive yet more aware of each other and the land upon which we walked.

Torrence

Background Photo by Ben Hendricks on Unsplash (cropped). No permissions necessary.

Bishop Porter Taylor's meditation for the 24^th week after Pentecost.

Let us not wait fifty years or fifty days for the healing to start. Reconciliation is our calling; it's what we promised in baptism and it's time for us to embrace our calling.

The 226^th Annual Convention of the Diocese of Virginia, (formerly known as "Council") is being held this Saturday on-line. The good thing about that is that it is considerably less expensive for the churches than paying for your delegate and clergy to stay in a hotel and eat in restaurants and be charged $40/day to park their cars. Nor do the delegates have to fight the traffic on I95 to get there. The bad thing for them is that they will be spending Saturday from 8:30 a.m. (oh, and please log on early) to 4:00 p.m. glued to their computer screens and participating in Zoom meetings. This is followed by a Zoom service. So, please thank your delegates, Mark Jenkins from St. John's and Ed Marks from Farnham for doing this. Also attending are Torrence, as clergy of course, and Becky Marks, as president of the Region.

The next American Red Cross blood drive will be held on Tuesday, November 17^th, 2020 from 1 - 7 p.m. at the firehouse on Airport Road in Tappahannock. There is also one on Thursday, November 19^th at Warsaw Baptist Church from 1:30 - 6:30 p.m.

• We will not take walk-ins in order to practice social distancing, this way we can control how many people are in the room at once. Appointments only.

• It is a requirement that everyone present at blood drives wear a mask (donors, staff, volunteers etc.) 

You can make an appointment online by clicking here. If you would like to schedule an appointment by phone for the Tappahannock date, call Tom Clark at 445-1668.

Please e-mail any updates to the prayer list to parishchurchnews@gmail.com Replying to this e-mail will send it to Torrence.

This Month's Birthdays & Anniversaries