Prayer for Families- reposted

 This is a prayer I wrote and then spoke about 12 years ago for a special prayer service at the local church I attend.  If you choose to pray it, I encourage you to think of specific people you know that fit the various categories.

Heavenly Father,

   We acknowledge your loving design in placing us within families.  Thank you for the secure environment many of us have experienced in childhood as our parents raised us with an awareness that You are Lord of all.  We praise you for the memories built in our homes and for the everyday conversation we can have over meals and chores.  We are grateful for ways to keep in contact with our loved ones who live far away.

   We confess, Lord God, that our homes do not always exemplify the harmony we long for because we are broken people.  So many pressures threaten to pull us apart, and our selfishness often makes us insensitive to the needs of others.  Guide us by Jesus’ humility and giving nature to care for one another.  Please make us quick to admit our faults and willing to forgive.

   We ask for your nearness on behalf of those who live alone.  May their friends and communities and church families be attuned to their needs.  Make yourself known as their constant companion.

   We pray for parents caring for their young children day and night and through illnesses that require extra care.  Grant them loving endurance and needed rest.

   Please be with families facing worries about the future and finances.  Provide peace of mind and wisdom to move forward in faith, we pray.

   Merciful Father, please give Your special strength to families where there is a heavy burden of care giving.  Please give loving patience to the caregivers and needed support so that they will not be overwhelmed by the task.

   We ask for your grace to be given to single parents.  Their task is enormous, so please show us how we can support and encourage them.

   We pray for couples experiencing the pain of infertility.  Please make a way for them to receive the desire of their hearts.

   Please guide couples who are growing apart.  Give them the courage to seek help and the willingness to work at their relationship.

   For the sake of our witness in the world, Heavenly Father, please strengthen all our homes and families.

   In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.

Inspired Word for 2025: Ubuntu

It has been eight years since I've formally chosen a word to act as a guide for the upcoming year. For 2025, I've chosen a word that does not have an exact English equivalent. This word UBUNTU originates from South Africa, specifically the Nguni and Bantu languages. Statesman Nelson Mandela and Clergyman Desmond Tutu helped spread this word into more common speech.

Simply said, Ubuntu is defined as "I am because of who we all are" [1]. It's an acknowledgement of the reality that a human being is one in relationship with others. We are born into families and communities, and they are part of defining us. As a British poet has said, "No man is an island." When people become isolated or lonely, they lose some of their humanity. We see them become more suspicious, more bitter and less able to have simple, respectful conversations.

I've been thinking about ubuntu in an era of polarization.

I've been thinking about ubuntu when I see more signs posted in retail and service industry spaces letting people know that abusive and harassing language and behavior will not be tolerated. Apparently, customers and clients are letting loose with verbal volleys.

I've been thinking about ubuntu because of what American physician Sheryl Heron has written about social determinants of health [2]. She says that every individual needs three things and five communities to thrive and experience physical and mental wellbeing. She says the three things are something meaningful to do, someone to love, and something to look forward to. Furthermore, the five stable communities needed include one's family of origin, one's work or volunteer community, one's neighborhood, one's faith community, and one's current family or household.

And yet we see social ties eroding on every front .There are people we don't or won't talk to anymore. We perceive others as hostile if they are not "like us."

I've been thinking about ubuntu because it is compatible with the second great commandment that Jesus highlighted. Answering the call to self-giving love will help build and rebuild community and relationships.

During my year of ubuntu, I will endeavor to be more intentional about fostering community and respect with the people I encounter, day after day. And I'm not waiting until January 1st.

------------

[1] This definition is given on the website of an open source software initiative of the same name: https://ubuntu.com/about

[2] To read her full article, see https://harvardmacy.org/blog/the-heron-8

[3] Photo by Shane Rounce on Unsplash

Finding Kinship in Unexpected Places

I am an admitted introvert. There's a stereotype that many of those who blog are not the most social people around. But introverts do like people, if not crowds of people at once. As a child, I could not believe my father's ability to make conversation with strangers in elevators and sometimes find an unexpected connection.

I've been reflecting on some of the times that this has happened to me, in spite of my reserved nature. Yes, in our current society where people are zooming around in cars and wearing earbuds while walking in the neighbourhood, it's harder to make a connection. We may also need to overcome cultural hurdles as our towns and cities become more ethnically diverse. In such situations, even a head nod or a smile or a simple greeting can remind ourselves and others that strangers are human just like us. I share these brief anecdotes to spur you on to seizing the moments to connect with people you don't know. You might just find kinship in an unexpected place.

Teacher's College

After more than a decade of attending schools where everyone came from a family that believed the same basic tenets of Christianity, I went to a university far from home to begin my teacher training. I sat in classes with others who wanted to make a difference with young people, and we explored different pedagogies and discussed topics in groups.

I noticed for the first month that not one of my cohort of about 25 budding educators said one word about church, God or faith. In a rare moment of boldness, I made low-key mention of attending church on the weekend. Suddenly, I found out that a significant contingent of my class had a church affliliation. One classmate decided to organize a time when anyone interested could visit the parish he attended in the town of Callender. Three of us were given the honor of carrying what were called "the gifts" to the front table.

At a Longhouse

After I had children, our family took a trip to a reconstructed Indigenous village and were been guided by an Indigenous woman through a longhouse. One of my younger children, age 4 or 5, in a moment of silence blurted out a spontaneous word of praise, "I really do love Jesus." I was taken aback when the guide responded in kind. Despite all that her people had suffered at the hands of those who bore this name, she said, "So do I."

Letters from Prison

About twelve years ago, I joined a ministry that writes letters of encouragement to inmates across Canada. As I receive Bible studies from women and men, I'm able to make small connections to each one of them. Things that gave us kinship were sometimes geographical, where I had previously travelled to that province or was familiar with something historical to that place. Other times, we were drawn together by the fact that we were both parents and had concerns about our children and caring for them well. For still others, the common human experiences of rejection, disappointment, loneliness and desire for hope and forgiveness, made it possible to write heart-felt letters to precious individuals I had never met.

Engineering

Freelance copyediting dropped into my lap many years ago when a friend asked me to read an engineering paper for a friend, who was not a native English speaker. Happy to help out, I gave feedback about the grammar and sentence structure, even when I had no grasp of the academic content. One thing led to another, and I helped a number of engineering students in my city with the form and style of their Master's and PhD theses.

One of these students went on to start a business, and he consulted with me to check over press releases or web content from time to time. After returning some material to him in the springtime, I dared to add a personal connection in my email by tentatively saying, "If you celebrate Easter, I hope you have a blessed weekend. If not, I hope you enjoy extra time off with your family."

To my surprise, he replied that he did celebrate Easter. A year or two later, he asked me to collaborate on two faith-based writing projects on behalf of his friend, a Lebanese-born Maronite priest living in France.

Nurse

My mother lives in a retirement home, which provides a level of nursing oversight for its residents. A few months ago, one of the nurses had a conversation with her, during which it came up that my mom is a follower of Jesus. This nurse, born in Ghana, explained that he also shared this faith. In fact, he now often reads some Scripture or prays with my mother while checking on her or after taking her blood pressure.

Church Guest

I'm as guilty as most in that I gravitate to those I already know before and after a church service. One Sunday recently, though, I went up to a guest and introduced myself. In our short but meaningful conversation, we had a geographical connection because I had attended a conference in the town where he lives. Then, we discovered that we each either translate or edit sermons for Korean speakers in North America. Finally, he was related to someone who would be working with me in the fall.

Front Yard Concert

In our city, one Saturday in June has been set aside for one-hour outdoor concerts. These concerts are organized and financed by the city, but homeowners are invited to offer a power source and space on their porch or front lawn or driveway for the musicians and spectators. 

This year we offered our driveway, and for that hour we had dozens of guests stop by to listen and to enjoy a frozen treat. The vehicle of live music was a way to bring together people of different ages and walks of life. One neighbor commented, "We should do this every month!" because it created a sense of belonging for all those who attended.

I encourage you to look beyond the external things that make someone you meet "different" in your eyes. Humans have become experts in putting each other into categories and groups, taking just split seconds to determine if someone should be classified with "us" or with "them." However, human kinship is real. Seek it, and you will find it, even in unexpected places.

A Learning Journey: Science

    A book entitled Flourishing Together: A Christian Vision for Students, Educators and Schools contains questions for reflection at the close of each short section or chapter. One of these questions caught my imagination when I read it during the summer months: 

"Have you ever shared your learning journey with your students? What effect might that have?"

   I decided to share my learning journey of science with my students on the first day of classes this past September. To simplify it a little and provide a framework for the students to reflect on their own learning journey of science, I told of my journey in four parts.

1. 

   My dad attentive to a creature

   A person who sparked my interest in science.  For me, that was my father. As a farmer, he cared about living things in the fields and barns. He also took me on many walks in the woods where he pointed out different trees and plants. Although he did not have much formal education, he had interesting facts to share about the past and present uses of each plant or tree.

 

2. An early experience with science. When I was in elementary school, we sometimes had special elective classes in the winter time. The elective that captured my attention was not my own, but my sister's. She was part of a small group led by an embryologist who taught at the University of Toronto. He led the students in creating individual science fair projects. My sister worked on hers at home. Her topic was "blue babies" and a life saving operation developed to make their hearts work properly. She made models of the heart out of blue and pink playdough, and I can still picture her display board.

3. A more recent experience with science. During the second COVID school lockdown I was also teaching science. One of the remote lessons I developed was for students to spend an hour outdoors and record all their observations of living and non-living things and their interactions. To provide a "sample" observation record, I spent time beside a storm pond close to my home. This experience stands out to me as a peaceful time of connection with nature and with God, during a turbulent period in history.

4. Recent interest. I shared with my students some things I had recently learned about the Great Lakes from an audiobook I had finished a couple of weeks earlier. The Death and Life of the Great Lakes by Dan Egan further developed my understanding of the effects of human innovations like industrialization, canals, waterways, sewage systems, and international trade on the five freshwater lakes at the border of Canada and the United States. The plants, fish and other living things in these lakes have been affected by pollution and invasive species. Living near the Great Lakes gives me a responsibility to know and care about their well being as a habitat.

Even if you are not a student, this post may give you time to reflect on your learning journey in science or some other area of study. People, events and experiences all contribute to our learning, and I am grateful for them.

Getting to Know the Trees

 

One of the legacies my father has left me is a knowledge of trees. He was neither an arborist nor a lumberjack nor a craftsman who worked extensively with wood. Rather, he was a farmer alert to the beauty around him in the natural world. When I was a young child, he started to teach me the unique traits of different trees as we walked along roads and trails, wherever we might be. I marvel at the diversity within the "mixed forest" ecosystem in which I live, where evergreens and deciduous trees live side by side.

I no longer live in a rural area, and I notice that students raised in the city have very limited vocabularies when it comes to trees. They know "bark" and "tree" and "pine cone" and "Christmas tree." Why might it be valuable to know the trees by name? 

When we see human beings just as "people" in general, we don't feel related to them much. Yet, those we've met and gotten to know by name are the ones we begin to care about and pay attention to. In the same way, knowing a birch, a spruce, a mulberry bush, and an oak focuses our attention on a particular tree as a thing of beauty. Each one brings something glorious into our lives--the story of Indigenous people and the ways they turned birches into canoes, the awareness that spruce wood is used in pianos and violins, the mulberries we can pick and sample in July, and the vast oak that provides shade from a blazing sun.

Some new trees I've gotten to know this summer are known either as the service berry or the Saskatoon berry or the June berry. They can be found as bushes or trees that grow to about three times the height of a human. They have a special place in Indigenous culture, as highlighted in this article by Robin Wall Kimmerer.  I noticed the berries on one of my neighbourhood walks; these trees had been planted by the city on the boulevards of a subdivision built perhaps 30 years ago. 

Other than the birds, nobody else seems to be interested in them. Now that I know the service berry, I pay attention to it and am grateful for it in a more specific way than just "Thank you, God, for making the trees." In my suburban setting, my walks and bike rides are enriched by knowing the trees I pass by, one at a time.

Inspiring people during the Pandemic

The current pandemic has brought much disruption and hardship. Lamenting the people and routines we have lost are a healthy part of coping with this pain and suffering.  This blog post will be sharing some stories of people who have inspired me during the pandemic.  Perhaps their stories will also encourage and inspire you.

Connectors

When meeting with people outside of our households became impossible, three seniors I know decided to reach out in original and inspiring ways.

HANK

This man has the gift of singing and story telling.  He is a retired teacher and principal who lives alone, but he has grown a ministry during the pandemic that has continues to grow.  Each week, he telephones a roster of 60 people who live alone or are isolated in some other way.  He calls to make a personal connection and to sing a song for them over the telephone. Most of the time, these songs are hymns. He researches the story that led to the writing of the song and shares this background with the person he is calling.  Then, acapella, he sings the song.  One song he has sung for people is "One Day at a Time."  I am not on his phone list, but I heard him sing it at an anniversary party in 2019. The words and the conviction with which he shared them still stand out in my mind.

DENNIS

Another retired gentleman decided last spring to open up his paper address book and pick up the phone to call someone he might not have spoken with for some time.  He called someone different every day. People who received his call expressed gratitude, and they shared together what has been going on in their lives lately.  In a world of text and email, the sound of a human voice is still a treat. The boldness and determination to call these contacts is inspiring.

NEL

This retired woman comes from a large family.  Eight of her siblings are still alive, and one passed away a few years ago.  She and her late husband used to own a successful business, and they had no children. At Christmas time, she wanted to bless each of her sisters and brothers with a generous financial gift. The most inspiring part of this story is that she included her widowed sister-in-law in the disbursement.  She had no obligation to do so, and she had to insist to her accountant that this was what she wanted to do, regardless of what the accountant advised.  The ripple effects of her gift extended far beyond what Nel imagined, since one of her sisters also shared the windfall with her children and grandchildren.

Physical Fitness

For many people, the disruptions of pandemic life meant less activity and exercise.  Two individuals did not let the pandemic stop them from continuing to strive for lofty goals of fitness.

MARJORIE

I am not sure how long this woman who lives on my street has had her current walking regimen.  She walks ten kilometers every day, no matter the weather.  Now, she did not announce this to me.  Rather, as I picked up the habit of walking every day when I started working from home in March 2020, I would sometimes encounter her on various streets.  She moved with purpose and was dressed for exercise. I would greet her and carry on with my own walk or errand on foot.  Finally, I stopped her and asked how far she walks.  I was floored when she said she walks ten kilometers every day.  Her job has recently become permanently a "work from home" position.  She loves that, and it does not stop her from being active every day.

CHRIS

When I heard about the achievement Chris had made on the radio in November 2020, I was so excited.  Chris is a 21 year old young man who lives in Florida.  He completed an ironman race that included cycling, swimming and running.  He is the first person with Down Syndrome to accomplish this feat.  In the interview with his father, it was stated that Chris trained for more than a year to prepare for this event. To spare Chris unneccesary pain or hardship, his father and trainer set out a goal of 1% improvement each day. The length of time in the water, on a bike or on the track was increased gradually.  This principle of gradual, 1% improvement in even one area of life is inspiring for me.  It is something achievable and can become a part of a sustainable lifestyle!

I'd love to hear about people in your life who have inspired you during the pandemic.  There is plenty of gloomy news out there, but as the Apostle Paul encourages, "Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable, if anything is excellent or praiseworthy, think about such things" [Philippians 4:8, NIV].

Tickets to add to a Summer Fun Jar- most relevant to Kitchener-Waterloo

Listen to an episode of Adventures in Odyssey

7 pm weeknights 93.7FM

Or whitsend.org and click on “LISTEN NOW.”

Go to a farmer’s market and buy a fruit or vegetable you never tried before.

Put a movie on hold at the public library.

With a parent’s permission, take apart something that is broken to see its hidden parts.


Count the coins in your family coin jar and together decide on a charity to give it to.

Surprise someone with a tea or hot chocolate.

Make pizza using Naan or other flat bread as your base.

Go outside and take pictures of 6 different kinds of flowers.


Make a smoothie.

Make an ice cream cone

Make your own popsicles

Make a fruit salad.


Ask your parent or caregiver to tell you a story about their childhood

Write a note or card to one of your cousins and put it in the mail with a stamp.

Offer to do yard work for one of your neighbours.

Send Mrs. Mostert a postcard to the school’s address.  She will get it.


What would a cameleopard look like? Try to draw one.

Visit the KW Art Gallery at 101 Queen St. N in Kitchener.  It’s free. Kwag.ca 

Make a robot using supplies in your blue box.

Find the oldest book in your house and read 3 pages of it.


Reread one of your favourite books.

Visit a little library close to you. Find them at llkw.ca/honour-roll.

Go to a community centre and find out about their programs

Write in your journal or notebook.


Take a hike and notice different birds and plants

Wash your bicycle.

Ride your bike around the block.

Call a grandparent on the phone, with permission


Create an outdoor obstacle course.

Make an indoor treasure hunt for someone else that has at least 7 clues and hiding places.

Think of 5 different exercises and stretches.  Do them to some music that you like.

Learn a new song on the recorder, piano, ukulele, drums or some other instrument.


Play a game of UNO.

Plan a playdate with a friend, including the snacks you will share.

Walk to the park or playground close to your house.  

Plan your own small yard sale or bake sale.


What day of the month is it?  Read the Psalm in the Bible that has the same number.

Write out a line from a song that you like using an ERASABLE marker on the mirror. When someone notices it, offer to clean the mirror. 

Learn to count to 10 in a new language.  Teach someone else to do it too.

Sign out a musical instrument from the central branch of the Kitchener Public Library.  Have fun with it, while taking good care of it


Read the chapter from Proverbs that matches the date today.  Which proverb sticks in your mind?

After checking the weather forecast, set up a tent in your backyard and make plans to sleep in it that night.

Take a city bus to a park you like.

Take the ION train with an adult.






Blow bubbles outside.

Visit a farm.

Write in a journal.

Play catch with a tennis ball outside.


Plan a picnic.

Trampoline.

Organize a baseball game in a park near your house

Follow a Bob Ross painting tutorial.


Make paper airplanes.

Draw a cell and label 8 parts.

Go on a walk and bring a plastic bag to pick up garbage with.

Do a walk around the block and pay attention to one God made thing.


Draw a map of a room of the house that suggests a way to rearrange the furniture in it.

Make a cootie catcher.

Make a menu, using food already in the fridge, for tomorrow that you will help make.

Walk around your house and look closely at the framed photos and artwork. Which do you like best and why?


Read part of a newspaper.

Lay on the ground outside and watch the clouds.

Return an abandoned shopping cart to the store.

Go into your backyard and identify 10 different sounds you can hear.


Do a word search.

Stargaze.

Start a jigsaw puzzle.

Play Scrabble.


Make popcorn.

Sing a song you remember from music class.

Make an encouraging card or note for someone in your house.

Play with Lego.


Get out your skipping rope to skip and learn some new skipping techniques.

Make a recipe for the perfect sandwich. Add the ingredients you don’t have to the shopping list and make it soon.

Make cartoon creatures using fingerprints.

Find toys you no longer use and decide who to give them to.


Colour with crayons.

Go to the library. Visit an aisle you have never looked in before.

Choose a song to play after dinner.

Colour with pencil crayons.


DANCE!

Make hopscotch on your sidewalk or driveway.

Climb a tree.

Read a comic book.


Create a no-bake dessert you can make for your family.

Do a chore secretly.

Put a movie on hold at the public library.

Catch insects and examine them.






Find a map of Ontario and look for a town with an interesting name and write a short story explaining how you think it got its name.

Read a chapter of a non-fiction book.

Learn how to sign your name in American Sign Language.

Go up and down your street and look at the mailboxes people have. Make your own mailbox awards for the nicest ones (1st, 2nd, 3rd) and leave them in the winners’ mailbox.


Make biscuits.

Record your voice reading a poem. Play it at dinner.

Research a tropical fruit on computer. (Ideas: dragon fruit, durian, bread fruit, pineapple)

Make a reusable HAPPY BIRTHDAY poster for your family to hang up every time there is a birthday.


Read a chapter of a book in your room.

Organize the pantry.

Go swimming

Make your own slime.


If you got a new pet, what would you name it and why? Draw a picture of it.

Hide a penny somewhere in your house and see who will find it.

Look through an old photo album or your baby photos.

Write a story based on something that happened to you this summer.


Decorate a cardboard box.

Create a crossword puzzle and give it to a family member for them to try.

Take pictures of six insects and try to find out their names.

Plan and host a bake sale on your street. Make posters or flyers.


Play a song on the recorder.

Learn to count to 10 in a different language.

Test out all the markers in your house. Take the “dead” ones to STAPLES for Terracycling.

Sign out a drawing book from the library and sharpen your pencil.



Tell jokes.


Make fruit salad.


Visit a cemetery. Notice designs of headstones.


Plan a sleepover.


Make a note or card for someone and mail it with a stamp.

Make your own drum set using household items.

Go on a hike.

Take a bubble bath.


Build a blanket fort inside.

Invent a new sport. What equipment do you need? What are the rules? Who can you teach it to?

Set a reading goal and surpass it.

Sort your books into alphabetical order.


Write a kind message with sidewalk chalk.

Think of 5 acts of kindness and do them all.

Research how to make shadow animals with your hand and make a shadow show.

Find an interesting word in the dictionary and make a fun drawing about it.


Bake some cookies with a parent’s help.

Make a video based on a story you like.

Learn how to make a friendship bracelet.

Have a nap outside in the shade.

The Party Pig: a story to break the scarcity mindset

 

When I was a child, I did not have as many books as many of my peers.  Perhaps that is what makes each one of them memorable.  My sister and I shared a set of four "Golden Books," which were each written in Dutch.  Their English titles were "The Taxi that Hurried," "The Saggy Baggy Elephant," "The Poky Little Puppy," and "The Party Pig."  We heard and eventually read these books over and over as any child enjoys hearing a favorite story again.
   It was only recently that I discovered the English title for "The Party Pig."  In Dutch, the title "Het Feestvarken" matches an idiom used in the Netherlands for anyone who is celebrating a birthday, quite apart from any reference to the story.
   In "The Party Pig," a young pig is left at home while his mother gets some last minute supplies for his birthday party to take place later that day.  When a series of hungry animals come to the door asking for something to eat, the party pig gives away cheese, lettuce, milk and more, not thinking about himself at all.  As he says farewell, he invites them to come back for his party that evening.
   When the pig's mother returns, she is dismayed that the cupboards are bare.  She cannot imagine how any kind of birthday party can take place under these conditions.
   However, at party time the same procession of animals comes with practical gifts.  Each of them has made some of the raw ingredients given by the party pig into something new to be shared once again.  Instead of the party being ruined, the party pig's generosity brings joy to each of the characters, not least the party pig himself.
   The scarcity mindset of the pig's mother afflicts us all at times.  We hesitate to invite someone over because we think our dwelling or our limited selection of foods might not be enough for a guest.  We want to make sure we have enough for ourselves before we give to charity.  We approach things from an economics point of view and see limitations rather than abundance.
   First published in 1954, this Little Golden Book is coming back into print in May 2019 to celebrate the 100th birthday of its illustrator, Richard Scarry.  It's a title worth sharing with the children in your life, because a child's inclination to help others needs to be nurtured rather than dampened by stories and experiences with adults who care about them.