The BellringerThe Bellringer

A monthly update from St. Luke's Episcopal Church, Sequim

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A MESSAGEA MESSAGEabout COVID-19about COVID-19

NEWSNEWSand NOTESand NOTES

PRAYER LISTPRAYER LIST

Day Hiking the Olympicsby Diane Grove

In the February 2020 Bellringer, Mtr ClayOla wrote an article about

Sabbath and defined it as being “unhooked”. Each time I venture on a

hike into the forest it was Sabbath for me. I am surrounded by God’s

creation in all of its beauty and awesomeness. Whether I am hiking alone

or sharing it with friends, being in nature rejuvenates me. Many times, I

have been known to say as I look around that I must “pinch myself to

make sure I’m not dreaming”. To live on the Olympic Peninsula and

consider the Olympic Mountains to be our backyard is amazing. You can

take a lower elevation hike along a river and listen to the water as it

crashes against the rocks. You can climb high into the mountains to vista

peaks and mountain lakes or meander along a trail soaking in the beauty

of the wildflowers that God has so graciously scattered. Sometimes the

energy exerted or pain in your legs and lungs may cause you to pause

for a rest but looking amongst the beauty makes it all worth it for me.

Many of St Luke’s parishioners are or have been hikers and have

enjoyed the many trails we are lucky to choose from. When asked which

trails I recommend it is not a simple answer. It depends on what each

person is looking for. I can only refer the hiker/walker to the many

resources available to us. Here are a few:Book - Day Hiking the Olympic Peninsula, 2nd edition by CraigRomanoWebsite - Washington Trails Association https://www.wta.org/Website – Olympic National Parkhttps://www.nps.gov/olym/index.htmWebsite – Olympic National Foresthttps://www.fs.usda.gov/detailfull/olympic/maps-pubs/?cid=fseprd530772&width=full

I have taken many pictures on many adventures. Here are a few

highlights from hikes this spring and summer.

Click here to see more St. Luke's photos

We have new staff! To see who they are,

click on the "News and Notes" tab above.

Gate A-4by Naomi Shihab Nye, "Gate A-4" from Honeybee.

Copyright © 2008 by Naomi Shihab Nye.

Reprinted with permission.

Wandering around the Albuquerque Airport Terminal, after learning

my flight had been delayed four hours, I heard an announcement:

"If anyone in the vicinity of Gate A-4 understands any Arabic, please

come to the gate immediately."

Well—one pauses these days. Gate A-4 was my own gate. I went there.

An older woman in full traditional Palestinian embroidered dress, just

like my grandma wore, was crumpled to the floor, wailing. "Help,"

said the flight agent. "Talk to her. What is her problem? We

told her the flight was going to be late and she did this."

I stooped to put my arm around the woman and spoke haltingly.

"Shu-dow-a, Shu-bid-uck Habibti? Stani schway, Min fadlick, Shu-bit-

se-wee?" The minute she heard any words she knew, however poorly

used, she stopped crying. She thought the flight had been cancelled

entirely. She needed to be in El Paso for major medical treatment the

next day. I said, "No, we're fine, you'll get there, just later, who is

picking you up? Let's call him."

We called her son, I spoke with him in English. I told him I would stay with his

mother till we got on the plane and ride next to her. She talked to him. Then

we called her other sons just for the fun of it. Then we called my dad and he

and she spoke for a while in Arabic and found out of course they had ten

shared friends.

Then I thought just for the heck of it why not call some Palestinian poets I know

and let them chat with her? This all took up two hours.

She was laughing a lot by then. Telling of her life, patting my knee,

answering questions. She had pulled a sack of homemade mamool

cookies—little powdered sugar crumbly mounds stuffed with dates and

nuts—from her bag—and was offering them to all the women at the gate.

To my amazement, not a single woman declined one. It was like a sacrament.

The traveler from Argentina, the mom from California, the

lovely woman from Laredo—we were all covered with the same powdered

sugar. And smiling. There is no better cookie.

And then the airline broke out free apple juice from huge coolers and two

little girls from our flight ran around serving it and they were covered with

powdered sugar, too. And I noticed my new best friend—

by now we were holding hands—had a potted plant poking out of her bag,

some medicinal thing, with green furry leaves. Such an old country tradition.

Always carry a plant. Always stay rooted to somewhere.

And I looked around that gate of late and weary ones and I thought, This

is the world I want to live in. The shared world. Not a single person in that

gate—once the crying of confusion stopped—seemed apprehensive about any

other person. They took the cookies. I wanted to hug all those other women,

too.

This can still happen anywhere. Not everything is lost.

Daughters of the King Service of Admissionby Barbara Heckard

On June 30, 2020 Linda Dow, Jill Hay, and Beverly La Fay were admitted

to The Order of the Daughters of the King. Mtr. ClayOla, also a Daughter

of the King, conducted the Service of Admission and Candle Lighting

Service. We are eternally grateful that we were able to come together

(six feet apart) for this special occasion, masks and all.

Linda, Jill, and Bev began their discernment process in January, meeting

weekly with members of the Order following the National Study Guide for

Daughters of the King. As Covid-19 restrictions were implemented they

continued with Deb Golwas, Kelly Steward and Barbara Heckard serving

as mentors on a one-to-one basis with weekly discussions by phone or

FaceTime.

We are fortunate at St. Luke’s to have twenty members of the Daughters

of the King. Among our Order are two Daughters that are also members

of clergy; The Reverend ClayOla Gitane and the Rev. Maggie Bourne-

Raiswell.

I Shall Not Wantsubmitted by Stacie Koochek

Can we conceive of a

world without wants? A

world of not wanting? I

don't think so. I believe

we are hardwired to want

to improve our planet and

ourselves.

I wake up every day full of

wants: I want my children

to get with the program

and fly right ( good luck

with that one, right); I

want to swim in a warm

pool in the worst way; I

want my neighbor's dog

to stop barking at every

truck that happens to

drive down the street; I

want to walk the ODT

from Port Angeles to Port

Townsend, just once, by

the end of August. I want

my insomnia to hit the

road for oh, 5 nights out

of 7, maybe? The list is

endless. However, my wants are minor. Frivolous even.

Nonetheless, in Psalm 23, the verb "want" implies conditions that threaten life

itself: no food, clothes, or home. I believe it speaks to those who face physical

and emotional desperation. At times, we have all felt that sense of

hopelessness, fear. Yet, I don't believe that God is an either/ or God. God is a

both/ and God. As I draw closer to God, my wants become few. I have all that I

need.

When I walk into discomfort, I shall not want.When trouble comes, I shall not want.

When I'm rejected or ignored, I shall not want.When the "what if's" of life run through my mind, I shall not want.

When friends don't "get it," I shall not want.When the inevitable disappointments of life happen, I shall not want.

When loving expressions of understanding are sparse, I shall not want.When self-righteousness rears its ugly head, I shall not want,

When the love of comfort is not shared with others, I shall not want.When the world's abundance is kept from those in need, I shall not want.

When nature is destroyed by the greed of others', I shall not want.When the pure of heart are persecuted, I shall not want.

When children in orphanages live a life of scarcity, I shall not want.When greed appears to be taking over our world, I shall not want.

When the peacemakers are falsely accused, I shall not want.

Sam's Anti-Racism Summer Reading List

• Good TalkGood Talk by Mira Jacob

• Little Secrets Little Secrets by Jennifer Hillier

• A Woman is No ManA Woman is No Man by Etaf Rum

• The Other AmericansThe Other Americans by Laila Lalami

• The Vanishing HalfThe Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett

• Such a Fun AgeSuch a Fun Age by Kiley Reid

• UnapologeticUnapologetic by Charlene Carruthers

• Long Live the Tribe of Fatherless GirlsLong Live the Tribe of Fatherless Girls by T Kira Madden

• My Time Among the WhitesMy Time Among the Whites by Jeannine Capo Crucet

• Wow, No Thank YouWow, No Thank You by Samantha Irby

====================================================

Samantha Ladwig is a writer, book reviewer, instructor, and owner of the

Writers' Workshoppe & Imprint Books in Port Townsend, Washington.

Since 2014, her writing has been published by New York Magazine,

Bustle, Real Simple, Vice, Bust Magazine, Huffington Post, Vox, Girls at

Library, Bitch, and others. Her work has landed her spots on podcasts like

Tell Me About Your Mother, Historical Hotties, and KPTZ Radio Port

Townsend, as well as presented her with opportunities to cover and/or

attend events like Telluride Film Festival, AFI Fest, Seattle International

Film Festival, and the Academy Awards, where she worked for three

years as a Moving Image Cataloger. For clips and more information, visit

www.samanthaladwig.com or lnstagram @anonymous.bookseller

We need you...During this time when we are closed, we still have costs related to keeping the

church running. Please remember to continue your giving during this time to

help us continue the work of God that we do at St. Luke's. You can mail your

pledge, drop it by, or go to the Diocesan website at www.eecw.org and click on

the button for St. Luke's there. Watch for a PayPal button soon, as well.