Making connections

True to form, I have taken this life turn as an opportunity to connect with people. By that I mean I have made some efforts - calling about support groups, doing my research - and it has returned to me ten-fold. I've already got 2-3 meetings with people set up for this weekend, including attending a "Young Survivors Soiree" that is held four times a year or so for young survivors of breast cancer (sponsored by the Breast Cancer Coalition of Rochester). I'm eager to meet some other "young" survivors in the area and get their unique perspective on this journey! A couple days ago I got a call from someone I've never met, a parishioner of one of my seminary classmates who found my church's number online and cold called me. He is also a Hodgkin's survivor, and his sister is going in for her reconstructive surgery today (prayers for her!). He said, "I spent the morning talking to Pastor A. about Hodgkin's Disease and breast cancer, and I think you should call my sister," who is an advocate for breast cancer and has done a lot of work bringing people together. So yesterday, I did, and we had a lovely talk, maybe 30 minutes long - just two strangers, telling their stories, sharing a piece of themselves, and growing closer to each other through our commonalities and, dare I say, closer to our God who a God of relationship.

When I picture God at work right now, I picture an active breeze, blowing through the leaves, rustling things and making itself known, pushing things together that otherwise had no reason to be so close. In these late days of summer/early days of fall, when the sun is still warm but the breeze is just cool enough to take off the edge, I feel enveloped by this glorious God-breeze, soothed, refreshed, encouraged. God is certainly doing God's work these days (and every day!).