My earworm is still replaying some of the beautiful songs that were so heartfully shared yesterday at our Taizé meditation service. Thanks so much to Neal Klassen, Rev. Barb Samuel and Dr. Nadene Rogers for your musical gifts to us all. Special thanks to Rev. Barb for creating and producing the Taizé service. What a wonderful opportunity to spend extended time in that place of deep and moving Thanksgiving and gratitude for all that we have, all that we are, and for all that is yet to come.
As I mentioned yesterday, that service marked the last Thanksgiving service for me as Senior Minister of this beloved community. As I love to say, “I drink from my saucer, because my cup runneth over” for all the gifts I’ve been given by virtue of being founder, along with Dr. Kenn of course, and Senior Minister for these many years. Actually, when we first began, I wasn’t yet a licensed minister. I was a practitioner and a devoted, committed volunteer. I’d taken all the required classes in tandem with Kenn, but when the time came to do the last required pieces, I didn’t complete at the same time as he did for two reasons; at that time we really couldn’t afford it; and at that time, a community needed to have 150 members to have two licensed ministers. I’m grateful to say that times have changed greatly, and that is no longer the case.
Anyway, it didn’t matter to me at all, whether I was officially licensed or not, I just knew that together, Kenn and I wanted to share the Science of Mind teaching (which had totally changed our lives for the better) and create a place of belonging for as many people as we could. We packed up all our belongings from what had been our home in Southern California for 10 years, along with our two kids, age 13 and 8, and our big golden lab dog, Buddy. We crossed the border back home to Canada on October 3rd, 1993. Kenn went out right away with his credit card in hand and found us a Sunday location at the Kinsmen Field House, a small building that held 50 people. We invited all Kenn’s family, some friends who were familiar with the Science of Mind through Rev. Lloyd Klein, who ministered to the CSL in Vernon, and our kids. (We left the dog at home! LOL!) We’d also invited a friend who could play a mean guitar and sing, to join us for our first service on October 17th, 1993.
As I look back, what a brave and somewhat scary thing that was. We’d only been back in Canada for 2 weeks, and besides Kenn’s family, we hadn’t been in connection with anyone and there we stood, with our doors wide open, hoping beyond hope that SOMEONE would show up! Well, thanks to Kenn’s family, and our own, and our musician, we had 8 people there! And it didn’t matter because we knew we’d started… and the rest, as they say, is history! Margaret Timuss, our current Board of Trustees Secretary, joined us around week 2 or 3. She told some friends, and they told some friends and so on and so on. I don’t know if I ever really thought we’d still be here, in our 30th year. I think back then it was pretty much one Sunday service, one Science of Mind class at a time; and now here we are.
Now these many years later, our trajectory that led to much growth and eventually meeting at the Kelowna Community Theatre, has somewhat changed, and that’s evolution. It changed when Kenn moved into upper leadership with the greater organization, Centers for Spiritual Living, and when he resigned from being co-Senior Minister of our Centre. It changed through time, as we added beautiful Board members, practitioners and ministers. As we’re all aware, it has changed quite dramatically due to the pandemic.
It’ll change again when I retire at the end of this year. For me, there’s a perfection in that. I know deep in my heart that our Centre is right now being created anew. We are still here and hanging in there; we’ve developed agility and flexibility; we’re united together; we bring hope to individuals and the world; our faith is growing; our trust is deepening; together we are growing and stretching. I know that all, all, all of that is creating a wonderful community for each of us and it’s creating a wonderful resonance that is already helping to attract the CSL Kelowna’s next right and perfect Senior Minister/Spiritual Director. Although this thought still feels very surreal to me, I invite you to join me in consciousness trusting that that next ‘right person’ is being drawn to us with ease and grace in Divine right time and space order.
In the meantime, Happy Anniversary to us on October 17th!
With love,
Deborah
If you missed yesterday’s service, titled A Taizé Thanksgiving, you can watch the replay and other past services on the CSLK YouTube channel.
MIND-FULL MOMENT
“Gratitude opens the door, the power, the wisdom, the creativity of the universe. You open the door through gratitude.”
— Deepak Chopra
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