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All Things Considered...

 

Apologies for the quality of the attached.
This was in the Sunday Times Colonist.
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In recent weeks, we have seen some amazing pictures of our skyline.
Everything from the stunning: pictures of Orca, Northern Lights (even on Vancouver Island), prairie landscapes of diamond-filled snow,
to the unusual: snow-buried houses in California.
Reminders of our changing climate. 

At the same time, recent headlines in the “Islander” have caught my eye: Pairing Up for A Mission’, and ‘Thirty-Five Years and Still Running Strong

The former article highlights a “Cop-Nurse Team”as they tackle mental-health calls on the streets of Victoria. The article speaks of how an alternative to handcuffs, ‘handshakes and hugs’, is a winning positive responses. 

The latter article shares a winning (running strong) business after, 35 years in the making.  
When I saw the picture of business-man Rob Reid (“Still Running Strong” article) from 35 years ago, I was reminded of a picture of me from that same time frame, 1989. 

image No Grecian Formula!

Now, I reflect on what has transpired since.

35 years ago, I made my first trip to Alert Bay, Vancouver Island, to visit my friend, the late David Dingwall, in his first parish.
Later that year, Flo and I were engaged to be married a year following.
That same year, 1989, I convocated from college, and was ordained Deacon in the Church of God.

Those three events took place in the space of a little over one month!  And, that summer, we moved to Prince Albert, as I began a curacy at St. Alban’s Cathedral!

Now, I maintain weekly contact with a parish that continues to serve after one hundred years+! This parish continues to evolve in new ways with each generation.
It was once known as a parish relegated to the  “Annals of an Unimportant Parish”. 

On Sunday, millions of viewers were enthralled by the televised Annual Oscar Awards.

The children in the Family Circus cartoon above are enthralled by the sunrise/sunset out their window.  They are captured by the beauty of creation.
They are aware of how God plays an important part in our lives.

Similarly, we have seen many media postings of Vancouver Island landscapes: reminders of how God plays a part in our lives.  

The motivation which carries each of us into the new day takes many forms.

For businessman Reid, motivation was the death of his father at an early age.
For me, motivation was a community of believers who believed in me.

For the forebearers of this parish, motivations were belief and faith. 
We are blessed by their motivations.           

Businessman Reid commented, ‘all things considered, everything appears to be running well, all things considered’. 

All things considered, this unimportant parish continues to hum along.

Blessings,
Archdeacon Brian+