Last weekend with Labor Day we celebrated the official end of summer here in the United States. When I first moved to California 30+ years ago, schools used to start their first day of school after this weekend but now we start school earlier in August. I’m not sure if this is a good thing and not all parts of the country do this. In either case, it is worth reflecting on the gifts of summer and time spent with family and friends and hopefully time rejuvenating your souls with a little rest.
I am a huge believer in vacations even if we only stay at home which is now called a “staycation” and spend time resting in our homes and engaging with our families! The danger in our modern economy is for each of us to just become cogs in the machinery of economic productivity in which we measure our own “success” solely on how productive we are every day or every year. Leisure in this worldview is a useless waste of time and not “productive.”
I beg to differ and see leisure and especially hobbies to be great ways to counterbalance our “productive” worlds. Maybe that is why I love to read books because one cannot speed up the reading process. One has read the pages and let the words come to us as they do, even if we have the words read to us on audible.com through audible books. Rest, leisure, and vacations are good for the soul.
It seems so apt then that Jimmy Buffet died on Labor Day. Buffet grew up a Roman Catholic and remained part of the Church all his life even if there were strains in the relationship at times. Once I heard that he was Catholic I realized why his music and lyrics resonated with me. He spoke so often about the need to slow down and take in life in all its beauty. The beach bard was most famous for his song “Margaritaville” and turned the simple things of everyday life into something to reflect upon like a boat at sea or a lost shaker of salt or a beef patty with all its condiments. He was a master of challenging us to slow down and take in the gift of life and see the beauty in ordinary things and ordinary moments whether at the beach or BBQ. He had the gift of captivating his audience with ease and transporting them into a hum of humility. I invite you to listen to some of the more explicitly religious reflections in “Coastal Confession,” “Saltwater Gospel,” and “Breathe In, Breathe Out, Move On,” where he calls us to forgive and move on. He had a flair for the preacher in his music and I always loved his easy way. He will be missed but his music lives on.
May we know and experience the importance of embracing the ordinary and simple everyday events: a meal shared around our kitchen table with family, the aroma of a freshly brewed coffee, the fragrance of a rose or a bunch of basil, the easy sound of a familiar song that transports us to where we first met our spouse, the cheeky laugh of our child as they ‘steal’ a cookie that makes us smile from ear to ear, the rustle of the leaves as they wave in the wind or the bright blue sky of a sunny day. Take in all the moments of life and treasure all the ordinary moments as gifts from a gracious God who loves us and showers us with a bounty of blissful moments every day.
Speaking of ordinary moments that create memory dividends, the Parish BBQ is on Saturday night from 6:00 to 8:00 pm. I hope to see you there to enjoy music, great conversations, and a meal. I love this event as it gives us an excuse to gather and share time together. What better way to treasure each other than to simply waste time with each other in the afternoon sun with music filling the air. I encourage you to smile at everyone, greet one another and have a conversation with at least one other person who you have never met before. Ask a few questions and try to remember their names for another occasion. The value of community cannot be overstated, and smiling is the great way to engage. I know you will come to connect with your friends and so you should, but please reach out to one new person.
This weekend will be Angela Schaufler’s last official event as Chair of the Parish Life Group (PLG). She has been amazing for these last three years as PLG Chair. It has been arguably the toughest three years to be the Chair as we transitioned in and out of covid restrictions and events were postponed, canceled, or modified. She has done this all with grace and always a smile. She has been truly an amazing partner to work with and a gift to our staff and community. She remains active in many other ministries including teaching art at the school, leading the Pack 103 Scouts program amongst many others. Angela, thank you for your dedication and passion for the community. You are an amazing witness to the gospel in action. We welcome Deanne Bligh as she takes up the mantle for the year ahead and I ask you to volunteer with her and support her for the many events the PLG hosts.
Speaking of volunteers, we are desperately in need of volunteers to get ready for the Rummage Sale. All the items have been received and now we need to sort through them and place them for sale. Pattie Sharrow and Nancy Perkins need a ton of volunteers to make this work. If you can just do a few hours, no problem as we will take every hour we can get. Please sign up here or just stop by the gym this Sunday afternoon and coming week and ask how you can help. Next Saturday afternoon, they will need help packing up the items for the local charities we support and putting tables away to prepare the gym for the school week.
Please mark your calendar for our EcoFair next weekend and our guest speaker Dr. Paul Schultz who will help us understand the Pope’s challenge for the environment and what simple steps we can all take to care for our common home of God’s creation. Please join us next Saturday at 2:00 – 5:00 pm. It will be another great community event. More information here.
Finally, this weekend, we celebrate grandparents and the elderly with a special blessing them at all Masses. In 2021, Pope Francis established the celebration of the World Day for Grandparents and Elderly. The theme for the 2023 celebration selected by the pope is “His mercy is from age to age” (Lk 1:50). The U.S. bishops approved the transfer of the celebration of World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly in the U.S. to the first weekend after Labor Day in September to coincide with National Grandparents (and the Elderly) Day in the United States. St. Simon Parish School celebrates grandparents and friends at their Generations Day celebration during Catholic Schools Week in January.
This weekend we ask our St. Simon Parish community to bless grandparents and the elderly with long life, happiness, and health. May they remain constant in God’s love and be living signs of God’s presence to their children and grandchildren.
God Bless,
Fr. Brendan