The days shorten, the air chills – time to settle in

Turkeys most surely take a hit in October. What with Thanksgiving and churches everywhere having turkey suppers it’s a wonder there are enough left over for Christmas.

We have gathered around the table as family and friends to express our thanks in the bosom of those we love. Now we gather as communities to enjoy this fall custom of the turkey suppers. There is something about a communal meal that nourishes body and soul. We need that as the days shorten, the air chills and we settle in for the dark and cold of winter.

Nature is completing her annual cycle. And she ends it in a blaze of glory. We recently had reason to drive to Wallace. The hills sloping up from the Wentworth Valley were a montage of orange, yellow and red. And the road from Wentworth to Wallace was lined with the same magnificence.

Nature is announcing these leaves have done their life- sustaining work and will return to the earth to nourish the next cycle of life.

The fall is the time for reaping nature’s lifesustaining bounty. Most of us do not store all the fruit and vegetables we will need for the winter; it’s available in the local grocery stores.

In my childhood, we dug the potatoes and stored them in a large bin in the basement. We pulled the turnips, chopped off the tops and stored them in an even larger bin in the barn. One of the tasks of winter was to pile a bushel or so of turnips into the turnip- cutter, slice them up and feed them to the cows. And we would rescue a good one for use in the house. Then there were all the other vegetables.

By now the school year is well underway and students at our colleges and universities are busy at the books. Well, I guess it is computers in this age.

I remember when I was minister with a local church, September was the month to get the great train of programs and Sunday school and everything else rolling again. By October, tiredness had set in but then one got one’s second wind and was ready for the long year ahead.

Many of us as adults are into training and courses and study groups and things that interest us and expand our knowledge and skills. Church groups are involved in Bible studies and social issues, when not overcome by financial concerns and keeping the doors open. Some very good things happen.

For example, the John Calvin Reformed Church with Pastor Dan Brown is hosting a showing of The Reforming Relationships Art Tour for the month of November.

The purpose of the cross- Canada tour is to create space for listening, learning, dialogue, and building relationships between Aboriginal and non- Aboriginal people in Canada.

There will be open house times as well as guided tours. Church groups and any interested individuals or groups would do well to use this opportunity to deepen their understanding of Aboriginal culture and the justice issues involved. The reforming relationships art tour website is www. reformingrelationships. ca.

For viewing information, to schedule a session or for general inquiries, contact Brown at pastordanbrown@ hotmail. com or at 843- 0072.

It is worth remembering that although various traditions of the Christian faith will not always agree on the fine points of doctrine, or even on the major ones, we have a common concern for the welfare of the Earth and all people.

And, of course, all traditions, and those of no special faith, share the desire for a world of justice, compassion and peace. We are all human beings before we are anything else.