Bittersweet

A word of contradictions

There is not one

Without the other

Sadness and joy

Darkness and light

Endings and beginnings

Bittersweet

A word of contrasts

There is not one

Without the other

Risk and safety

Foreign and familiar

Holding on and letting go

Bittersweet

A word of opposites

There is not one

Without the other

A balancing act

On the scale

In one's life

Tipping bitter

Tipping sweet

Easing to rest

Somewhere

In the middle

And

All is well.

Bittersweet

It's The Simple Things

I got up on the right side of the bed this morning, but quickly jumped to the wrong side when our coffee maker wasn’t working!  Come on, Sunday morning and no coffee to be had!  Then to make matters worse, discovered my cell phone had gone completely dead!  What’s a girl to do but make an appointment at the Genius Bar (at least give me credit for knowing what that is) and look forward to the rigors of a visit to an Apple Store.

There you have it, a Sunday morning with no coffee and no cell phone, could life get much worse?!  Ah, but wait a minute, Bill and I could walk Spud up to Panera for a cup of coffee and a bagel – that would be a great alternative!  I’m learning how to be a problem solver.

 So I’m placing my order, when I notice a teenager that looks familiar.  Yes, I recognize him; he’s a former student.  I tentatively ask if he is who I think he is, and he gets this big smile on his face, which says I haven’t made a completely embarrassing mistake!  Now my first reaction is always to give a hug, but I know for most teenagers that is totally uncool, so I extended my hand instead.  To my delightful surprise, he gave me a big hug and said “Hi Mrs. Wawrychuk”.  I chatted with him and his father for a couple of minutes, caught up on the life of this now 9^th grader and left with my coffee and bagel in the best mood.  Remembering this young man as a little boy in my second grade classroom, not only brought back so many memories, but lifted my spirits as well. 

We headed back home, me feeling much less oppressed than when I set out! While going down our street, we passed a couple walking their two dogs.  The woman stopped me and asked if I was Mrs. Wawrychuk.  When I responded yes, she said,  “Do you remember my daughter ____________?  She was in your second grade class and she still talks about you as her favorite teacher” Of course I remembered this little girl, who was in the same class as the boy I had just seen at Panera!  

Isn’t that just amazing?  Seven years later two kids come along and out of the blue change my mindset from “Oh, woe is me; to ain’t life grand?’  And if the coffeemaker had been working, I would have missed the whole experience.

It’s the simple things!

Angel Networks aka Community

I attend an early morning weekly bible study at the church down the street.  By early I mean 6:05AM (come to think of it, I’ve never asked why 6:05 and not 6:00!)  I was invited to give it a try almost a year ago and have been rousing myself at that hour ever since.  As this is a Presbyterian church, I jokingly call myself their token Episcopalian!  They haven’t kicked me out yet!

The number of women on any given Thursday can vary from three or four up to a busy day of nine or ten.  It’s a fluid group, not everyone can attend each week, some appear once or twice; unable to make the commitment at this point in their lives and then there is a core of about six to eight ladies who rarely miss a week.  I never thought of these women as my community, but I have come to understand our weekly meetings are more than an educational bible study session.

Last week, the mother of one our regular attendees had a stroke.  We were given email updates on her condition, as the woman from our bible study group traveled to be by her mom’s side.  Soon, a food request came over the Internet, asking if any of us could take a dinner to our friend’s family.  Within a few hours, a meal was offered from every single person in our Thursday morning group.  As I read the exchange of messages, I was struck by the instant generosity, concern, and care these women showed for our friend and her family.  This little group of women, who stumble into the church library before the sun shows its face, hungry to learn more about the life of Jesus, have formed a community – of which I am a part.  And I am extremely grateful.

But, any of you who have read more than one of my posts, know my ponderings didn’t stop there!  I’ve been thinking about the many different communities that bless my life.   They are all around me, from my church, organized groups, friends of many years as well as those who are more recent.  Whether it is lunch with colleagues from my working days, dinner with a friend I see several times a week, or an email conversation with my college roommate whom I haven’t seen in almost thirty years, they all represent some form of community.

  Large or small, frequent or infrequent, they all have one thing in common:

“And when two or three of you are together because of me, you can be sure that I'll be there."  Matthew 18:20    The Message

I believe these various communities with which we are blessed are our “Angel Networks”.  God plants us in one another’s lives and then promises to be there in the midst.   It sure is a good reminder for me that we are not meant to make this journey solo!

Reflect on the communities in your life.  I bet the list is longer than you think!