Thursday I arrived at the Dublin airport, loaded my rental car with bicycle and baggage, and, with a short stop to visit a friend at Adelaide Road, made my way to Carlow. I was greeted graciously by one of the church members and ushered into my home for the next two months, the manse (pastor’s house). Tomorrow (Tuesday) I will pick Nancy up at the airport in Dublin, return here and we will be together for the adventure of the summer. In the next days/weeks/months I will fill this blog with the doings, joys and challenges of ministry and life in this Irish town, but first a P.S. to the month I spent in Greensboro between Mexico and here.

I have already written about the church Nancy and I have started attending, and the wonderful spirit and attitude which we have found there—in the whole church and in particular in the young adults’ class. I had the privilege of leading the class for a month, and I thoroughly enjoyed the experience. I have mentioned their Stimulus Movement initiative, challenging people to use the money received from the government in the form of an economic stimulus check for needs beyond their own family. In regards to that a potluck was held and about a dozen people and organizations presented their rationale for receiving some of the funds donated—it was quite an evening of committed people and valuable organizations. The congregation is now voting on which of these needs to support, and the money collected will be distributed accordingly. What a great idea!

Another blessing to Nancy and me was to be called forward my last Sunday and prayed for. New members were being welcomed into the church, and we were asked the same questions that they were asked, and then commissioned to go and serve. A very high percentage of the people at Oak Ridge Presbyterian Church have gone on mission trips, mostly to Chiapas, Mexico, and to each is given a bandana as a symbol of the sending church and the mission they are doing. Nancy and I received bandanas along with prayer, and I wore the bandana this past Sunday here in Carlow, and told them of the prayers for us and for them from Oak Ridge, North Carolina. A tangible expression of the universality and connectionalism of the body of Christ!

One more note. Nancy often walks from our house in Greensboro to the local supermarket in order to buy a few small things. The journey to the market and back usually takes her about 20 minutes. Last week I took our granddaughter Colette on the same walk—it took 2 ½ hours. Along the way we looked at bugs and leaves and goose droppings and rocks and dogs and airplanes and construction equipment and much more. To her every sound and every sight was a wonder, something worth stopping for and examining. The journey was slow but not boring…And it made me think once again about life and time. It made me wonder whether or not in the rush to get from one place to another and to do just one more thing in the seconds we can eke out of a day, we do not miss the wonder along the way—the wonder of people and places and things. The wonder of little things and big things. The wonder of life itself. Life in Carlow will probably be much slower than life in Shoreline or Clarkston or even in Greensboro. And that can either be frustrating if we measure our worth by what we do and how much we accomplish. Or it can be a blessing, a time to listen and watch and learn—from the little things and the slow things.

Years ago Nancy and I were visiting the National Art Gallery in Washington, DC. I have been in some of the great art galleries and museums in the western world, and this is one of them. But usually I have gone from hall to hall, with a guide or a book, and looked for a few seconds at some great masterpiece. This time I did something different. I chose one painting, a Monet, and sat in front of it for nearly the whole time in the museum. Because I did this I can not say that I saw certain paintings that educated people long to see, but I can say that I saw one great one. And I more than glanced at it, I saw details and nuances in it, I absorbed it. And this experience mirrors a walk with a child.
Psalm 46:10 says, Be still, and know that I am God. The journey of a small child is not still, it is filled with motion, but it is a reminder of how we are to live—perhaps not all the time but at least some of the time. It is a reminder of the importance of slowing down and looking, listening and feeling the world in which we live but so often do not notice. It is a reminder of the importance of being in a place, not just passing through it. It is a reminder of our connection with a place, a reality check on our desire to control and shape. And if we take the time it may just change how we feel about and value the times of rushing and running and achieving…