HELLO!

More than a decade ago a member of the church I then served was selling her crafts at our community Fall Fair. She knew my affection for dogs. Kim, Lucian and I had just adopted Nova. Jean showed me her new creation with pride. I immediately purchased the pillow. It summed up why I love dogs, why I love trees as well. Dogs and trees make me happy. And I assume, in my relational theology, the purpose these gifts, the purpose of humanity, the purpose of all matter, is to love and be loved.

I am not a philosopher or a psychologist. I am perhaps the most dangerous of mindsets, I know a little, which can, with conceit, give one the impression they know than they do. That is why I am so reluctant to give advice or reveal any credentials or specific training. And given how Google has made experts of us all, I try my best to offer my insights with humility, and often with the added grounding of others’ experiences. I rarely say, “this worked for me” because I have been told repeatedly, I am odd. So, I share “this worked for someone who sounds to be in a similar predicament as you”. I make no promises the words will be effective or helpful, only that they may offer the promise of a worthy aspiration and practice. And since I believe God made us all different, I know the other is the only one who will be able to know what will take them to a happy place. And given that we will all die, all live with brokenness of one kind or another, this happiness will not be permanent.

Many live with mental illness, happiness can feel impossible, even a painful taunt, to one who only feels what Churchill famously described as his "black dog", a term he used to convey a persistent, gloomy mood that would appear uninvited. Nonetheless, as the early Baptismal liturgies once declared, “from the moment of our birth, we begin to die”. Thus, it falls to me, in the intended purpose of a beloved community, to wrestle with life, to find happiness, and express thanksgiving. Not to taunt others but to offer possibility, a taste of joy, that may grow in others. These words, written in 1927 by Max Ehrmann, sum up my approach to life.

Desiderata Go placidly amid the noise and remember what peace there may be in silence. As far as possible, without surrender, be on good terms with all persons. Speak your truth clearly; and listen to others. Avoid aggressive persons; they are vexatious to the spirit. If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain or bitter. Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans. Your career, however humble; is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time. Be yourself. Especially do not feign affection. Be gentle with yourself. You are a child of the universe no less than the trees and stars; you have a right to be here. Be at peace with God. Whatever your labours and aspirations, in the noisy confusion of life, keep peace in your soul. With all its sham, drudgery and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Strive to be happy.

Peace, Kevin