It’s been an unusual week in the Chapman household. In the wee hours of Friday morning, my daughter came down with a fever that lingered for until Tuesday. On one afternoon when she was still home from school but well enough, I asked if she wanted to go for a walk at Whitewater State Park, one of my favorite places in this part of the world. She decided that she did.

 

At the park, as we walked along the river, she occasionally paused to throw sticks into the water. The fly-fisherman slowly walking upstream and casting his brightly colored line was cause for studious examination. She questioned the engineering of a simple bridge, declaring of the two-by-twelve beam, “This is too tall!” Noticing algae in the stream, she was shocked to see plants growing under the water. On top of inspiration point she found the perfect rock on which to sit for a snack—not too tall, not too windy, and with a nice view. She looked out over the sea of leafless trees, waves of gray under gloomy skies, and observed that they were green and yellow; splotches of lichen decorated their bark. On the way down, we counted all 293 steps. She decided that was more stairs than she had ever seen in her whole life.

 

For all the stress of juggling meetings, a sick child, and what felt like the world’s least-productive week, I’m really grateful for the little nudge that maybe productivity isn’t the be-all and end-all of life. It was wonderful to move through the world with my beloved child and getting caught up in her curiosity about things which have become just normal and expected. For all of its faults and challenges, this world God has given us is an amazing place, full of wonder.

 

I’d do well to remember and reconnect with that more often.

Yours in Christ,

Justin

We need your voice! If you'd like to sing, please meet in the worship space Sunday mornings at 8:45 to rehearse the hymns and service music. We're also planning monthly rehearsals for more involved pieces; watch this space for more information

The St. Luke's Handbell choir practices weekly on Wednesday night from 7:30 to 8:30 PM downstairs in the St. Luke's church building. Anyone interested in having fun while making a joyful noise is welcome. For more information, contact Harold Solbrig / harold@solbrigs.us / 507-319-2628

The time we spend together in conversation and fellowship is as important to the life of our community as our worship. We need your help to make it happen! We particularly need coffee hour hosts: People who are willing to provide some treats, make the coffee, and get things cleaned up afterward. Take it on as a solo exercise or pair up with friends. Either way, your help is needed and appreciated. If you have questions about any of it, from setup to coffee making to clean up, Harold Solbrig is the one to talk to (harold@solbrigs.us / 507-319-2628)

The selected locations are Friday, November 18th, Andy's Liquor Crossroads and Hobby Lobby, Saturday, November 19th and Monday, November 21st, HyVee Crossroads.

If there are questions, comments or need for additional slots, please feel free to contact Martha Mangan at any time: mart188@charter.net or 507-261-3286.

Please check out Calvary's weekly newsletter, The Visitor, published on Wednesdays. Current and archived editions are available here. In addition to a variety of worship services, Calvary regularly has other public events that are sure to be of interest to folks like us.

If you've got something to include in next week's Lifelines, get in touch with Karen (507-288-2469, gouldk@stlukesepiscopal.org). The deadline is Wednesday at noon.