Connecting Places

It was the last day of the school holidays today. It has been a different sort of holiday as Guy and I have both been working and trying to juggle our time with the kids. The kids went on a camp for part of it and we have had two sets of visitors staying with us. It wasn't until today that I realized we had very little time with our family all together. 

So this afternoon we took off. We drove to Dunsborough for lunch and then on to Canal Rocks. This is a place that all of our family enjoy. We have been visiting Canal Rocks with our children since they were babies. I cannot recall a time when we have not enjoyed our visit. My husband loves watching the wild, unpredictable waves. My son becomes like spiderman clambering with ease over the rocks. My daughter enjoys staying close to someone and exploring the cracks where living creatures might be hiding.

For me, I just love watching my family enjoying being close to nature and being themselves. I love the wildness of the place and the freshness in the wind and the water. There is something about our common love of this place that connects us in a mysterious way. As Harrison climbed higher and higher, his sister called our, "Be careful, Harrison". Only to get the reply, "That proves you love me!". There was lots of laughter and time stood still for a while. On returning to the car, we were somehow more connected than when we arrived. Canal Rocks has invisible threads that link us together as a family.

I guess for other people there are other special places that hold memories and the power to reconnect. For my family that one hour together in this awesome place made up for the disconnection of the holidays. So many cultures have a strong connection to the land that is not just physical, but spiritual. Western cultures are often too busy to be aware of these vital connections. Where are the places that have special significance for you? Are there places that are not only important to you, but to your family or community?

Is there a place for Spirituality in the church?

This afternoon at the Synod/Presbytery meeting we had a session on "Passions". Over lunch some of us had been in conversation with Uniting Church president, Andrew Dutney. One of the topics we talked about was how we can help people identify their passions and their calling rather than boxing people into already existing pigeon holes. So, I was quite excited about the following session and finding some like-minded people with whom to share our ideas and hopes.

At the beginning of the Passions time we were told that there were different topics on the tables from which to choose. I spent some time browsing. I was looking for something that was vaguely around the theme of Spirituality. I couldn't find what I was looking for. There were many important topics, but they were all based on commissions and groupings that already exist within the church. A few people asked me what I was looking for and one person jokingly responded, "Spirituality - what do we want that in the church for?"

I decided to be proactive and move to the table labelled "Other". I called out an invitation for others to join with me in talking about Spirituality. No takers! I was once warned that the area of Spirituality is a lonely one in the church. I certainly felt isolated and alone. I began to search for my second preference and ended up on a table talking about interfaith dialogue.

During my drive home, I reflected on this experience. Is Spirituality something that should be integrated into everything or something to which we should devote special attention? What is a church without spirituality? Are we missing something? So, if Andrew's approach of helping people identify their passions and then developing ministries based on them is more life giving, where will my passion for Spirituality lead me? Who knows?!!