Applewood United Church
2067 Stanfield Rd. L4Y 1R4 Mississauga, ON, Canada

The next Apple Jam Online is coming up on Sunday March 14th! Submit your video clip to [email protected] to be included in the upcoming Apple Jam Online by March 10, 2021

Minister’s Musing Both of my sons went to their jobs in downtown Toronto today, in anticipation of a possible easing of restrictions next week. Like many others, their employment has been impacted by the lock down. That is never more obvious to me than when I drop them at our local GO station for their commute into the city. Parking lots that were once packed with vehicles are mostly empty, and there is no line up of cars in the ‘kiss and ride’ with passengers spilling int...o the stream of pedestrian traffic to the platforms. We are one of two or three vehicles dropping off GO riders, and I am told that each passenger sits alone in their grouping of seats unless they are travelling with family. The GO trains themselves are much shorter, carrying fewer travellers. We know that this reduction in ridership is in part due to lost jobs, but that far more people are working from their homes rather than commuting into offices. After all these months, it is still eerie for me to see those empty parking spaces, like a scene from a futuristic science fiction movie. Instead of a story being told though, we are living the story of pandemic life. These are stories that should be remembered the touching anecdotes, the heroic tales of sacrifice and service, the chronicles of loneliness and isolation, the observations about change, the reports on vaccines and vaccinations. We each have our own ‘pandemic tales’ to share. Some, like Applewood member Carol Culbert, might choose to write and publish aspects of their journey; others of us might be journaling, or more simply sharing our experiences with friends and family. I encourage you all to share and even record your thoughts, feelings and experiences through this pandemic. They are important, they can be the brush-strokes that will make up the picture we paint as we look back on this time and we will reach a time when we move beyond restrictions and social distancing, fear and separation. Like God’s people throughout history, let’s share the story of our faith told through the lens of our particular time in history. I am sure it will be a rich and moving story full of tears and also resilience, drama and uncertainty, humour and love.You share those stories with me every day on the phone or in emails or over ZOOM and they are worth remembering, retelling, and cherishing. May you find the words you need to share your own story. Rev. Joanne Hedge Applewood United Church #faith #encouragement Photo: Scott Rushton