Take only memories; leave only footprints
In late July, Jill and I loaded up the car and drove cross country, responsibly mask-wearing and social distancing all along the way, to the mountains of Western North Carolina. I served one Sunday as the chaplain for All Saints Episcopal Church in Linville, North Carolina, but we mostly relaxed, enjoyed cool mountain air, and strenuously hiked.
Jill and I fell in love with the Appalachians and with day hiking during the years we lived in Roanoke, Virginia. I grew up in the delta of Eastern Arkansas, and we now live in lovely but flat Houston, so the rise of the ancient Blue Ridge holds a kind of grace for me. Whether hiking up to an overlook to gaze at an awesome vista or down to a waterfall to watch the powerful flow of eons over smoothed rock, for me the presence of God is palpable in that milieu.
This time in the mountains, I was reminded of a comment a former parishioner once made to me. He said, “While hiking the Appalachian Trail, we would often encounter a rustic wooden sign on which was scrawled the motto of the trail: ‘Take only memories; leave only footprints.’ Those words taught us how to behave in the wilderness.”
This seems to me also to teach us how to live always in the world. Each of us is here only a little while, and we have the God-given power, especially in times of collective stress and strain such as the days in which we are living, to make our impact on the world positive and leave no scars through our actions, words, or passive neglect.
When I was researching the background of the Appalachian Trail motto, I came across a quote from a blogger who goes by Visar. She asks and answers, “Angels: Why do they fly? It’s because they travel lightly, not disturbing but beautifying their paths and the places they visit.” I love that. Psalm 8 says to God, “What are human beings that you are mindful of them, that you care for them? You have made them but a little lower than the angels and crowned them with glory and honor.” Surely, we can follow the lead of our cousins the angels and seek to add grace and beauty to the lives and places we visit.
Such living requires attention, commitment, and—most of all—a will to love before all else. Retired priest and my friend, the Rev. Tom Mustard, composed a blessing that he pronounces at the end of every Holy Eucharist. It sums up perfectly the spiritual practices necessary to live lightly and with grace in the world:
“Be careful as you go into God’s creation, for it does not belong to you. Be gentle with yourself and others, for we are the dwelling place of the Most High. Be alert and be silent, for God is a whisper. And the blessing of God Almighty, the Father, the Son, the Holy Ghost be amongst you and remain with you always. Amen.”
Grace and Peace,
The Very Reverend Barkley Thompson, Dean
Dean’s Hour Matinee August 9
“Honoring the Image of God:
Self-Care in Times of Intense Stress”
Join Dean Barkley Thompson for a webinar featuring psychiatrist and Cathedral parishioner Dr. Laura Marsh. Dean Thompson and Dr. Marsh will discuss the importance of caring for our mental well-being in times of stress, ambiguity, and public unrest.
This conversation will take place via Zoom webinar and will be streamed live to our Facebook page. For the full event experience, register to attend the webinar, where participants will be invited to ask questions.
Register here.
Worship Schedule for Sunday, August 9
This Sunday, August 9, our worship services will be live-streamed. Please join us from your home for Holy Eucharist, Rite I, at 11 a.m.; La Santa Eucaristía, Rito II, a la 1:00 p.m.; and The Well, Celtic Eucharist, at 5 p.m. We will not worship in-person this week due to COVID-19 conditions in Houston.
We also encourage parishioners to watch together on Facebook Live, where a Cathedral priest will be available to communicate with you during the service and take prayer requests, or on our website at the links above. Our Sunday formation offerings for kids and adults continue as scheduled with “This is My Story, This is My Song” at 10 a.m. on Zoom, and “Dean’s Hour Matinee” at 2 p.m. on Facebook Live. We will monitor conditions weekly, and as soon as we are able to return to in-person worship, we will do so.
Supporting the Cathedral
Even as we worship from home, the Cathedral is engaged in ministry. Our pastoral care, outreach, worship, and program ministries of the Cathedral carry on, and supporting Cathedral ministries is as important as ever. You can make your offering in any of these ways:
· Visit the Cathedral Give page to find out the many ways you can support our church.
· Make an offering or give in other ways using PayPal.
· Text the word “Give” to 888-998-1634.
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