From Linda Anderson, Director
April has arrived
and soon we will be seeing green grass, tender plants rising
from the cool earth, birds returning from the south and all life
beginning a new cycle. This year we wait with growing impatience
for the new life and growth to become obvious.
It’s easy to talk
about new life and to wish for that life to come to us. However,
the rhythm of the universe is one of loss/death/grief/struggle
as well as growth/new life/joy. Even as we wait for nature’s
signs of new life, we still experience the remnants of the death
and loss that winter always brings. Every gardener knows that
abundant life in this year’s garden will not happen without
cleaning the old plants away, making choices about new plants
and then carefully nurturing the new life into abundance.
Margaret Wheatley reminds us, "Destroying is a necessary
function in life. Everything has its season and all things
eventually lose their effectiveness and die."
In our lives, as
individuals or as community, we learn that moving from death or
loss to new life does not happen without struggle. There are
critical choices to be made and risks to be taken in order to
move from the old to the new. I think that most of us who are
active in the church at this time in its life have some
experience of death, loss and grief. May the message of the
Easter season offer hope to us and encourage us to look beyond
the habitual and the expected, to catch a glimpse of new life
that beckons us into the unknown.
It seems to us
that the spirit here at Calling Lakes Centre has indeed been
calling us toward new life in many ways, from the mundane and
practical to significant spiritual changes. For example:
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The physical surroundings continue to be improved. Some
of these improvements may not be immediately noticeable but
others are. Dennis has installed shelves in many of the guest
rooms, replacing the old desks and making the rooms more
spacious. We have bought several comfy lounge chairs that
encourage people to form comfortable conversational groupings.
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The planning team for the new Ministry with Youth
Certificate program has met once and ideas flowed freely.
Everyone involved is very excited about making this new
opportunity available in the prairies.
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Joanne Laslo has joined us as lead staff in
housekeeping and food services. She is a super hard worker and
already has offered suggestions that have helped us to work more
effectively.
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Marg
Janick-Grayston will be joining us in September as Program
Coordinator/Program Staff. I know that her presence will offer
much to the Centre and to the people who come here.
None of these
changes came without the need for making choices, working hard
and taking risks. There is also loss involved. While new shelves
in the bedrooms may be lovely, it is hard to remove the old
desks that have so many memories under the layers of paint.
Starting a new Ministry with Youth program could not happen
without several people making a choice to work with us, giving
time, energy and vision, offering this gift over and above their
usual work. While Marleen and Chris are grateful for a new
energetic person with whom to work, they also have to adjust to
some new ways of doing things.
Saying hello to
Marg also means saying good-bye to Jim Von Riesen. That is
definitely loss and grief for us. Jim has been such a steady,
caring, sensitive member of the staff and leader, mentor and
facilitator for many people who have participated in programs.
May we all remember that there will be new life for the Centre
with the energy, spirit and creativity that Marg brings and that
for Jim there will be new life in retirement with time for rest,
play and exploration of new possibilities.
As always, I
invite you to come along on this life-giving journey with
Calling Lakes. We appreciate the resources that you share with
us in order to make our vision a reality. We especially
appreciate the creativity, courage and determination that
Friends of the Centre have offered in the past, in the present
and into the future.
