All Are Welcome, All Are Included, All Are One
Submitted by Brad Inglis
This morning I woke up and chose gratitude. I chose to be grateful for everything. Nothing is perfect, we live in an un-perfect world. As a little village, we know there are those who do without, struggle with their own demons, have times of brokenness. Sometimes in a little village, it is more obvious because there are smaller numbers of people and those who stand out, are that much more obvious; it’s not as easy to hide.
However, I am grateful that folks do pitch in, lift one another up and do what they can, when they can. All we can do, is our best. And yes, there are those times of being cynical, feeling impatient, wanting to throw up our arms or roll our eyes, but I’m grateful that more often than not, we brush each other off and carry on.
My gratitude list overflows and could fill this entire paper. Speaking of which, this little paper that works to be a common thread tying together Tobermory, Lion’s Head, Stokes Bay, Pike Bay, Miller Lake and everything in between; a paper that is an outlet for opinions, municipal news and even lets a silly old minister at the tip of the peninsula drivel on about the intricacies of the changing seasons and what the jackpot is at bingo….
Which by the way – did you know that Trivia Night at the Legion has started again! The first was September 10th so keep an eye out for further details, pull together your own team or come on your own because everyone will make you feel welcome.
I’m grateful for Peacock’s, The Meeting Place, the Food Bank, the harbour board walk, for the “peeing wall” under the Harbourside Motel that my dog Hubbell loves with a buffet of smells from every other dog in town, Dan Welsh’s passion for the Dawn Light, Legion Meat Draws, Kathryn Forbes’s passion for our little Library, Judy Willson who steals my Airmiles, Cora Wyonch’s mass of daffodils and poppies in the spring, that the Wyonch Boys still sell firewood, Verna’s has found the next generation, the friendly banter at dominoes at the Bradley Davis building, the Anglican Church still overlooks The Gap, the beautiful grin of Moe McPhatter in his four wheeler and the robes that Jo Lane made for me, Craigie’s has found a new way to do business and that Noelle has buckets of coffee to drink every morning so she doesn’t kill someone, Martin Hogarth and his technical wizardry, the Thrift Shop and all who support it, that people walk through the downtown parking lot in scuba suits, that local familiar faces are driving the tour boats and that the Princess lets us have the breakfast special after 11:30 on Sundays, that Ev Gibbons still fills her entire garage right to the door solid with fire wood and that Al Rydall wears a path to his wood lot everyday even though he has more than enough wood at home.
I’m also grateful to Marianne Wood who allows me to fill the paper with run-on sentences!
The list can go on and on and I am sure you also have your own running list of the people and beauty and uniqueness of this place. But what I am most grateful for, is that the folks from Tobermory United allowed me to be out and about in the community, representing them as what faith is really supposed to be about – making sure that all are welcome, all are included, all are one.
That is how this crazy little place accepted me. I have always felt like I belong and have been accepted in all of my quirky, un-perfectness – you folks have blessed me and given me more than I could ever return. And now I need to take that love and share it in a new place, having been empowered by you.
John Francis has been very gracious in allowing me this space to blather on and in appreciation I try to respect the parameters and don’t make this about religion, but rather about our humanness. But at the end of the day, it’s my faith that has brought me here. And for all of the damage that religion has caused throughout history and the world, I do hold on to one passage that does speak to us all as our call to humanity – clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience (Colossians 3:12).
As I move forward and room is made for a new minister, the United Church of Canada has a policy that they highly recommend in an age of social media. They ask that departing ministers take a leave from platforms like Facebook and Instagram for a year. So, out of respect, I will be stepping back and let my screen go black when I finish Sunday September 19th.
I am off to Central United Church in Weston/Toronto and I go energized by this place I have been fortunate enough to call home and people who have made me feel like family.
Thank you!
Brad Inglis is the minister at Tobermory United Church. He can be reached at binglis2@me.com
www.tobermoryunited.ca
