I was invited by the Chesley & Area Ministerial (a pastors & lay assistants group who meet monthly to share ideas & support each other in ministry) to write an article for the “Clergy Column” in the weekly Hanover Post. Below is what I wrote for the January 18th issue. I hope these words are a blessing in your journey.
P.S. – It was to be 500 words or less … mine is exactly 500 words (which took some effort to achieve in the editing process!)
Vicar Kristin Soveran
St. James’, Williamsford and St. Peter’s, Sullivan Lutheran Parish
We know our homes intimately. We can walk around in the dark and not stub our toes. Squeaks and wind noises keep our guests awake, but we sleep soundly. Family stories are hinged to ‘that spot … right there on the kitchen floor.’ The records of children’s growth are marked on the archway. You look out the window and the familiar landscape reassures that you are in the right place.
I arrived in Ontario on September 1st for a nine month ministry internship. I did not believe the beautiful stone parsonage could become my home. Surrounded by a few family photos and memorabilia, my sense of ‘home’ was memories and phone calls. My husband, young-adult children, family and friends are back in Regina. It was my choice to come to a ‘far off land’ but I miss my people, my pets … and my house. I trusted that this move, this training opportunity, was God’s plan for my life, but I miss home.
Do you remember the ache you felt when you left your home? Our houses breathe memories. We can take our memories with us, but there is something about the structure – the physical presence of a building – that connects to our spirit. I wonder what God is teaching us about that sense of stability, which all too often can change with little notice.
Many of you had little choice about leaving your home. Possibly declining health precipitated the need for a move. For others it may be the breakdown of a relationship or the death of your partner. The loss of employment or weakening in the farm economy may force a decision to leave a place you love. For many people, moving to a new residence is not an exciting adventure. It’s tough to see God’s grace in bleak times.
Imagine my surprise when about five weeks into my internship I began to feel like I was at home. I had failed to remember that God had gone before me to prepare my new home. God was working through the congregational members and neighbours who welcomed me and extended their caring arms in so many different ways. I came to realize that God would make a home for me wherever I lived. It’s a different feeling than the home where I’ve lived for 26 years and raised a family with my husband. But I feel like I’m home in Ontario.
I realize my circumstance is not the same for you. At the end of May I will return to Regina. We do have one thing in common. On the days that it is difficult for you to trust that God is making a home for you, remember that God is teaching us that our foundation is in Jesus. It is God’s desire for us to rely on God’s strength – not our own. Give your aching heart over to Jesus and your spirit will find its true home. Your address won’t seem quite so important.
Like I said on the phone, Kristin, WELL DONE!!
Writing a newspaper column isn’t easy – especially trying to express thoughts so as to not be misunderstood – so we who appreciate fine work comment on it! What about the rest of you????
This is an excellent column, Kristin. (And I’m not just saying that because my mom told me to either!)
I’m glad that you feel at home here. I do recognize that it is a different sort of home, but know that you are a part of the community here nonetheless.
That’s pretty good mom. I think there might be some poet in you.
A poet?
And I didn’t know it!
(Yeah, it’s an old line, but I couldn’t resist.)
Maybe there’s a bit of a writer in me, but I don’t think there’s a poet in me. But I’d like to be a “Rockstar”!