All
Public events are on hold
until further notice.
_________________________
Marg
Black
Tri-Churches
Parish Nurse
As our Parish
Nursing office
is closed at
this time,
please reach out
to us by phone
at (416)
494-5364
or contact any
of the agencies
below:
Toronto Mental
Health Support -
211
Seniors Help
Line - (416)
217-2077
Seniors Safety
Line - (416)
899-1011
Crisis Help -
crisisservicescanada.ca
______________________________
The
Spectrum of
His Love
by
Lydia Williams
Farrell
"We laugh and
we cry
We feel and we
go numb
We succeed and
we fail
We stand
strong and we
crumble
And God loves
us
We help others
and we hurt
them
We protect and
we cause harm
We promote
goodness and
we’re
selfishly
ambitious
We love deeply
and we hate
fiercely
And God loves
us
We give
generously and
we become
greedy
We nurture and
we abuse
We trust and
we manipulate
We cherish and
we waste
And God loves
us
We open our
hearts and we
harden it in
fear
We dream and
we become
bitter
We heal and we
break into
pieces
We find peace
and our
thoughts
spiral with
anxiety
And God loves
us
We are honest
and we are
deceptive
We are
authentic and
we betray
ourselves
We are
courageous and
we are cowards
We give life
and we end
lives
And God loves
us"
My theme
this week is Unsung
Heroes.
I love this
poem because
it so
beautifully
captures the
heights and
depths of
human
experience
while
reminding us
of God’s
steadfast,
unfathomable
love for us.
Also because
the author,
Lydia Williams
Farrell, is
like one of my
own children.
I first
met Lydia when
she & her
family moved
to Canada from
South Africa
and came to
Iona.
The Williams
family became
like an
extension of
my own family
as I learned
from them how
challenging it
is to leave
everything you
know behind
and start over
again in a new
country. They
are one of the
hardest
working
(William,
Emsie, Will
Jr., Lydia
& Michelle
Williams) and
highest
achieving
families I
have ever
known.
They all had
their
specialties
and Lydia’s
was
gymnastics.
According to
her mother,
she was
climbing
everything in
the house by
the time she
was a year
old. Lydia was
still in
elementary
school when
they came here
and she soon
was accepted
into the
Seneca College
Elite
Gymnastics
Program for
talented
preteen
athletes.
There she
spent hours a
day on
gymnastic
routines in
addition to
the regular
school
curriculum.
Lydia excelled
in this sport
and in 2003,
as part of the
Canadian
Women’s
Gymnastics
Team, they won
a silver medal
at the
PanAmerican
Games in the
Dominican
Republic for
Canada.
Elite athletes
are at high
risk for
injuries and
Lydia was no
exception, but
she soldiered
on when things
healed and
continued to
work towards
her goal - to
compete at the
Olympic
Games.
The big year
was 2004, when
the Olympics
were held in
Athens,
Greece. In
April, Lydia
and her
teammates
competed in
Athens at a
test event to
see the venue
that they
would be
competing in.
All was going
well until
early June
when a
previous back
injury
suddenly
reasserted
itself,
sending her
into terrible
muscle spasms.
And so, less
than two
months before
they were to
leave for the
Olympics,
Lydia was
taken off the
team.
Her lifelong
dream was
gone. Talk
about
experiencing
the highs and
lows of life!
No matter how
hard it was
for her, she
still cheered
her teammates
on as they
performed.
Lydia did her
best to find
new ways to
move forward.
Not giving up,
she got the
opportunity to
go to the
University of
California at
Berkeley on an
athletic
scholarship.
After
graduating,
she began
working in
various jobs.
One
opportunity
that really
used her
talents well
was helping
people with
mobility
challenges
learn to cope
with everyday
tasks, such as
using the
public transit
system
independently
- an everyday
task that we
take for
granted, not
realizing how
challenging it
can be for
many people.
Through this
experience,
she gradually
started to aim
at her
ultimate goal
- to qualify
as an
Occupational
Therapist.
In the
meantime,
Lydia married
a wonderful
man, a U.S.
citizen, and
she will
complete her
degree within
the coming
year.
However, she
is hoping that
pending hip
surgery (a
legacy from
gymnastic
days) will not
interfere too
much with her
remaining
practicum
placements,
which all are
postponed due
to the
Covid-19
pandemic
restrictions.
With her
experience of
dealing with
the challenge
of injuries
and
disappointments,
combined with
her caring
nature, I am
sure she will
be an awesome
OT. And
throughout
this
challenging
journey, Lydia
has ever more
come to
appreciate
God’s love,
support, and
ongoing
presence in
her life. I am
so proud of
Lydia! Why do
I tell you
this
story?
It is because
I believe we
have many Unsung
Heroes
among us that
we fail to
notice and
appreciate. We
so easily take
our friends,
family
members, and
neighbours for
granted, not
really looking
closely.
God has many
surprises for
us, if we just
open our eyes,
and they can
be such
powerful
examples.
So, my
challenge to
you this week
is to think
about all the
people you
know, and see
how many Unsung
Heroes you
can find.
And, at the
same time,
remember that
you might also
be an Unsung
Hero to
someone
else.
We are all
here on this
earth to help
each other
through our
lifetime
experiences
and each new
day brings us
more
opportunities.
Symptoms?
fever, cough,
difficulty breathing,
pneumonia in both
lungs. How does it
spread?
Through respiratory
droplets spread when
you cough/sneeze;
close personal contact
(e.g. touching or
shaking hands);
touching something
with the virus on it,
then touching your
mouth, nose or eyes
before washing your
hands. Protection of
yourself and others?
Wash your hands often
(after coughing,
sneezing, blowing your
nose,
touching common-use
areas,
such as door handles,
elevator buttons,
etc.)
with soap and water
for at least 20
seconds
(back and front,
special attention to
nail areas);
use hand sanitizer if
soap and water are not
available;
avoid touching your
eyes, nose or mouth
with unwashed hands
avoid close contact
with people who are
sick;
cough or sneeze into
your sleeve instead of
into your hands;
and
stay home to avoid
spreading the illness
to others.
________________________ St Cyprian Announcements
All public
events
are on hold
until further
notice.
See the latest
COVID-19
updates from
Bishop Andrew
Asbil,
the College of
Bishops and
the diocesan
leadership, here:
_________________________
Iona
Announcements
All public events are on hold
until further notice. Reaching Out
As before, God is still there for us
throughout these challenging times.
We are encouraging everyone to keep praying
for each other,
and to keep supporting each other.
Practice physical distancing, but please
stay socially connected
by means of a phone call, an email message
or a social media message.
Lenten Book Study in Self-study Format
This season the Lenten book study is based
on
British theologian, N. T. Wright's book:
"Lent for Everyone",
an inspirational guide,
leading us through the Lenten season,
from Ash Wednesday through the week after
Easter.
This
guide
provides a brief
reflection and a prayer for each day
of the season helping us ponder how the
scripture is relevant to our lives.
By the end of the study, we
will have been through the entirety of
Matthew,
along with Psalm readings for each Sunday.
This Lenten devotional will make our journey
through Lent
a period of discovery and growth.
Please contact Rev. Robert Reid with any
comments and questions.
