Tea ceremony

This afternoon the Canada Bay Council hosted a tea party. It was nice to meet my favourite Fair Trade tea suppliers Kenteco in person on a lovely autumn afternoon. After a busy weekend writing questions for the Australian Medical Council examinations, I caught the train home and arrived at McIlwaine Park just in time for the last Chinese tea ceremony of the day. This was so professionally performed. Juxtaposed with two of the audience volunteers being young girls who responded so well to the formality of the occasion. It was a joy to see. The blessing - how something so apparrently simple as a cup of tea can be provided with such care, respect and attention to detail. New discipline for this next week of Lent: seek to attend fully to each person in daily interactions. And remember the importance of enlivening the tea before brewing it. I didn't take a camera - so pic below is from Google but looks similar to today's experience.

Ladybirds and other summer blessings

What a blest day we have had. A call at 8.30 a.m. signaled that friends from NZ were passing through Sydney (en route to Denver) with a day to spare. So out to the airport, drive into town and walk around Mrs MacQuaries's chair with tired but keen on climbing three-year-old who made the most of all the sandstone steps. Then home to our 'empty nest' for a great time of catching up and renewing friendship.

After several 30 degrees plus days, and 43 degrees again yesterday. today's cooler 24 made a late afternoon in the garden very pleasant. Hibiscus trimmed back strongly and all the paths swept and clean. It's time for our six-monthly massive rubbish collection and there is now a pile of tree branches on the kerb. Plus various other unfixable items cleared from the garage.

I hadn't realised that the hibiscus provided a home for so many ladybirds. They were flying everywhere as I pruned. I have never really seen them airborne before. Very beautiful! A very tiny one I relocated by hand. But the others seemed to find new (attached) branches quite easily. Although I was aware of the asault I was making on their territory.

So carried away with the gardening we were late for church. But not too late for the blessing of Matt Redman and Beth Redman's song:

Blessed be your name in the land that is plentiful
Where streams of abundance flow, Blessed be your name
And blessed be your name when I'm found in the desert place
Though I walk through the wilderness, Blessed be your name

It was the high point for me. Amid contextless pleas for change and a meander through the failure of the congregation to embrace the 'change' (undefined) recommended by a review in 2001. I was a bit lost in the sermon, and some of the other music, but this song does give me a sense of linking with the varieties of experience of life, and the hope and praise that can come forth in those diverse circumstances.

It made sense of the call from our partner churches in Fiji for additional aid as they face the aftermath of severe flooding. Of course the political instability and denial of democracy means that nations like Australia and New Zealand are not providing aid through government channels.

This comes after a solid and productive week at work, orientation with fellow tutors for 2009, movies on Friday and Saturday nights that were well worth seeing. Valkyrie for (limited) insight into a period of German history - and I was pleasantly surprised by Cruise's performance. Doubt for intriguing glimpses at the intricacies of human relationships, gender power imbalances, trust and justice.

And that empty nest. A sense of rightness rather than bereavement. One child celebrating 21st with friends interstate (due home on Tuesday). One still serving ice cream to deserving (or at least paying) customers in the Great Barrier Reef region, and taking a dinghy to a neighbouring island to celebrate Australia Day tomorrow. And one safe with a host family in the USA central time zone experiencing temperatures below zero and where quite possibly no one knows that it is Australia Day weekend!

Mind you I don't think anyone here noticed my careful selection of gold and green flowers for the church arrangement! It's kind of time we started engaging with the community around us rather than continuing the 8-year-plus conversation about how we must so engage.

Stepping out

Inspired by Ruth's disciplined dieting, and Lutheran Chick's brilliant post on Why my Church should be more like my Gym I completed my first workout at GFitness this arvo. Like LC I have been totally impressed by the accepting welcome I received. Sure, I know there's money in it for them. But still they have been patient and gentle and non-embarrassing. All the personal details were recorded patiently without any comment or outward sign of censure. The exercise machines explained patiently without exasperation. The routine written down seriously despite being at the lowest levels and speeds. My daughter laughed when I told her my cross-trainer speed. My trainer didn't. And then today a friendly welcome and encouraging words in passing. Looking around I feel as if I single-handedly significantly raise the average age of attendees. And the weight. No matter. We are all on a path to improved fitness and wellbeing. Reminds me of the apostle Paul when he said there is no Jew or Greek, slave or free. I need to see that bigger picture as easily in the Church as I do in the Gym.

Women's talk

For the past few months a group of women in West Epping have offered a Friday evening worship event Amazing Space. A creative space for women to meet in faith. Messages have included mention of some matters very close to the heart. Followed by free time with opportunity for a hand massage, reading, candle lighting, writing, finger labyrinth. One of the real blessings for me has been the mix of women who attend. From within our church community people from 8 am, 9.30 am and 6 pm congregations. From neighbouring churches. And from our local community. All ages from teens to great aunts (and a few great-greats). Last night I felt so privileged to have a very 'close to the heart' conversation with a marvellous woman a few years older than me. It has been so good to have a safe space to speak of the losses and hurts and joys we have experienced. And to be still. A worship space not filled with words. Amazing space.

Changing allegiance

I remember the day I became an Elizabeth Arden girl. Working in my first real job, a junior doctor in a rural hospital, I had time for a bit of a bushwalk between the end of my shift and the bible study group I attended. Drove to the park boundary, enjoyed a quick tramp, got back to the car and pulled out from the parking spot to discover I had a flat tyre. Which I changed as any resourceful woman five miles from anywhere and anyone would. But I had no time for a shower and felt grimy and dirty from all that manual work. So I called in at the local pharmacy - tried all the perfumes - and settled on a large bottle of EA. It was an amber colour but I don't remember the name. I know that when it was going out of production I bought up three bottles which lasted me a good while. And as I got older, and used make-up more regularly, I always gravitated to the Elizabeth Arden stands. Friendly knowledgeable staff. Good products. Until this year. Twice I went to the EA stand in our local department store (moderately upmarket). The first time the attendant was talking on a mobile phone, saw I was waiting but continued her conversation regardless. The second time there was no one there for an extended period of time. Irrationally I walked back toward the entrance and responded to the friendly overtures of the Clinique staff. It kind of surprised me that after nearly 30 years I could be so fickle and abandon an entrenched retail habit. For irrational reasons. Which are basically self-centred (she didn't pay adaequate attention to me ...) But it makes me wonder what it is like for people coming into our churches and health services. How well do we attend to them? Interrupt our routines or conversations to address a question or concern? Value each person-presence? Take notice and respond?