Yesterday I had the privilege to gather for the majority of the day with my female colleagues in ministry. We came together from around the state for one purpose and one purpose only: to be together. We shared food, laughter, good stories, concerns, prayer and a common understanding of what it means to have given the lion's share of your life to work in the church. There were stories that made us double over in laughter and some that broke our hearts. While some of us have always been in ministry in an urban setting, others find themselves in small towns where the ability to have a truly good friend is problematic. You are always 'the preacher' and that can often be a very lonely place. Still others have found their calling not in a parish setting but as counselors, chaplains, and on university and seminary campuses.

I believe there is great value in having the opportunity to gather in single gender settings. While the fullness of what it means to be community contains all, so much can be shared in the times when women come together with women, men come together with men. The anecdotal evidence was clear yesterday as hugs were given, compassion shared, electrifying the space There were only about 40 women in a large room and yet, from the sound of conversation and laughter, it sounded like at least twice that number.

Added to the richness of simply being together was the fact that we were several generations gathered in one space. Those in the group who are now retired glowed as they talked about how in retirement 'you get to do everything you've always wanted to do!' The youngest told of being a new mother and juggling the schedule and demands of ministry. Those of us who have older children remembered those days, the difficulty of them, and know how the shifts of parenting have become a part of our work and our life. Sitting on the outer ring of the circle I was struck by the wisdom and energy in the room, how so many of those now retired had been inspiration to me. I now look at those just beginning their work in the church and am blessed by their enthusiasm and their own wisdom for the work to which they feel called.

Throughout time, generations have gathered around fires, in tents, on the front stoops of city apartments. Coming together, young, old, middle-aged, children, infants, we have the opportunity….the gift….of looking forward and looking back while holding our place in the present. We see what might be, what has been, what is……all a blessing. I need the wisdom of those who have retired because they calm my fears and bring me hope. I also need the inspiration and energy of those new to this work I have given my life to because they help me see and reaffirm that younger self that still lives within. Being in their presence helps me remember who I am. Being in their presence fills me with gratitude.

"I know myself linked by chains of fires
To every woman who has kept a hearth.
In the resinous smoke
I smell hut, castle, cave,
Mansion and hovel.
See in the shifting flame my mother
And grandmothers out over the world."
~Elsa Gidlow

Have a blessed weekend…..and if you are a mother, have a beautiful Sunday.