Sunday 30 June 2019

What will your verse be?

I've been away this weekend. A friend of mine who has been a minister for 37 years was retiring and I wanted to lend my support.
Amanda's most recent posting was to Glen Innes, 570km north of Sydney and though she won't be retiring in Glen Innes, that is where her retirement service was held.


I was up at 6am to catch an 8am flight but fog had rolled in over the Sydney basin, stopping landings and delaying flights. We finally took off close to 10am. I haven't been on a regional flight before so it was something different. We were bussed from the terminal to the plane, the captain met us at the bottom of the steps and there were only five on the flight.
I watched the landscape for the whole flight, it gave me a different perspective on my state and is one of the reasons I love flying. We landed in Armidale where Amanda picked me up for the hour drive north to her town. The countryside was brown and dams were near empty. There were cattle standing on the railway line and a few 'roo carcasses on the road. The area is known as a pretty part of Australia and I can see the attraction but frost damage and ( more so) drought,  is hitting hard and I had to use some imagination to envision it at it's best.
Amanda's house was cosy with a log fire and her precious plants placed indoors for protection from the cold made it feel like a conservatory. We chatted over lunch and I had a small nap on the couch as she wrote her farewell speech.
Hugo the dog amused me. In stark contrast to Harry, who is most definitely a self described  INDOOR DOG, Hugo is very much a self appointed OUTDOOR DOG. He slept on the brown grass and resisted all attempts to let him in by the fire. It was only after we came back from dinner at the Dragon Court Restaurant and temperatures were about equal to a fridge, that he decided to join us indoors and he put himself outside again first thing in the morning.
This morning we went to Amanda's church where the the atmosphere was warm and friendly. Amanda's friend Lillian made the formal recognition of her career and service. Amanda responded with a thoughtful reflection on her vocation and the woman who oversees all of the churches in the area preached. It was a two hour service but it was full of good music and heartfelt reflection so the time passed quickly before the ladies of the local Lions club served a simple lunch of pumpkin soup and sandwiches.
I asked around about who might be travelling south and managed to get a lift back to the airport with the minister from a town two hours away. I have never before made such a bold move as to ask a stranger for a lift (well, there was the time I went to the US to meet my blogging buddies but that story has been told) but there was plenty to chat about and I got out of the car feeling that I had made a new friend.
I arrived at the airport 2 and a half hours before the flight, looking forward to a coffee and something to eat. I had something to learn though, there is nobody at a regional airport so long before the flight. The only people in the terminal were two helicopter pilots. The cafe was shut, there were no passengers, nobody at the check in desk......
the lovely new terminal was mine to enjoy. And so I did, watching the sky and chatting on the phone until there was more life.


A lovely, light filled terminal

Big skies and coffee in the winter sun

Sunset over the airport

A hand written boarding pass!


Let me leave you with the quote Amanda chose for today:

“We don't read and write poetry because it's cute. We read and write poetry because we are members of the human race. And the human race is filled with passion. And medicine, law, business, engineering, these are noble pursuits and necessary to sustain life. But poetry, beauty, romance, love, these are what we stay alive for. To quote from Whitman, "O me! O life!... of the questions of these recurring; of the endless trains of the faithless... of cities filled with the foolish; what good amid these, O me, O life?" Answer. That you are here - that life exists, and identity; that the powerful play goes on and you may contribute a verse. That the powerful play *goes on* and you may contribute a verse. What will your verse be?”

N.H.Kleinbaum Dead Poets Society


Amanda's verse is love, joy & service and I don't see retirement changing that.

35 comments:

  1. Ask and you shall receive - a lift to the airport. Five people on the flight to Armidale, nearly as good as having your own private plane!
    And the quote Amanda chose - excellent.
    Alphie.


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    1. In a private plane I might have been able to have two snacks :)

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  2. Beautiful quote. Sounds like an enjoyable trip. I love your photos of the empty airport. Where did you get that coffee?

    XO
    WWW

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    1. The cafe eventually opened as people started arriving for their flights

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  3. How splendid that you were able to be there at your friend's retirement. What will my verse be? It will be - "Be glad for the song has no ending" - though I did not write this line myself.

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    1. The Incredible String Band. I bet you do well at the music questions at trivia!

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  4. How lovely that you could attend her farewell. And make a new friend as well. The drought is hitting hard, and makes my heart ache.
    My own verse? I suspect that like the soap bubbles I have been blowing this morning it will pop and disappear quickly. While it lasts I hope it is filled with beauty, appreciation and kindness.

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    1. Your whole song is beauty, appreciation and kindness!

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  5. Regional flights can sometimes be a tolerance test. Congratulations to your friend. she has been recognized for helping many people in need.

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    1. You must be very familiar with regional flights, Red

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    2. I've never been on a British equivalent of your regional flight. I daresay there are flights like that to Shetland or the Orkneys or the Scilly Isles. I did once go up on a private plane with just two other people - much more fun than being in a crowded jumbo jet!

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    3. Shetland has a ferry, I know cos I watched the show!

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  6. All in all, a day worth spending to extend support to someone that you admire despite the hunger and solitude at the end of it all!

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    1. A little hunger and solitude was probably good for me in those moments!

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  7. Back when I stopped coding and testing computer programs for IBM for a living and began writing their technical manuals instead, one particularly frustrating period made me ask myself this question:

    At the end of life, how important will putting books together for IBM have been in my long list of accomplishments?

    I now know the answer to that question.

    Not very.

    I have been blogging now for nearly 12 years and the answer about that particular endeavor is probably the same. Not very.

    Nowadays I am grateful to see that my children's lives and accomplishments and my grandchildren's lives and accomplishments are the verse that I have contributed, and to know that the powerful play does, indeed, go on and on. And I am grateful to have been a part of it.

    P.S. -It is interesting to see so much female leadership in the Salvation Army.

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    1. This is an interesting idea, that our children are our greatest accomplishment...because they are but they in turn will think their own activities quite insignificant.
      The Salvation Army is way ahead of many churches on the issue of women in leadership. I'd like to see us more progressive in other areas....

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  8. What a lovely post. If I had a verse of my own I think I would want it to come from A Psalm of Life
    In the world’s broad field of battle,
    In the bivouac of Life,
    Be not like dumb, driven cattle!
    Be a hero in the strife!
    Not a hero in the traditional sense, but knowing myself well enough to form and act on my own thoughts without being driven by other's opinions.

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    1. This is a lovely verse. The idea of being a hero in the strife is very appealing

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  9. That sounds like a very, very long day. How lovely of you to be there for Amanda, and glad you enjoyed yourself as well.

    I think my verse would be "she came, she found something to laugh about, and tried to make others smile too" which is not really deep but it's true.

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    1. Helping people to laugh is a mission and a service and people earn loads of money doing it because we like to laugh so much!

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  10. And what will your verse be, kylie?

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    1. Great question, why do you think I posed it without answering????

      :)

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  11. I wonder if flying is as much of a hassle there as it is here. Ever since 9/11, security has gotten so tight that flying is tedious and humiliating. It's also true that the airlines here no longer even make a pretense of good customer service.

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    1. i find airports a bit daunting because of the walking involved but the flying process itself isn't really a lot of hassle. Bags and people go through a scanner but it's streamlined and fairly painless ( I have the advantage of going through the special assistance line with no queue but the queues are fast moving)

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  12. I am still thinking about the question.

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    1. I'll be interested if you figure out an answer! It's tough, eh?

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  13. The new church I new attend, which I enjoy very much, doesn't allow women to preach or become elders. At first it didn't bother me as it didn't affect me, but now as time goes on and my daughters are attending again too, I'm thinking what message is this sending to them? I'm not sure I can attend a church that holds this view, however friendly everyone is.

    I love flying, but find security a hassle.

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    1. I'm disappointed that your otherwise lovely church won't allow women to preach. They all seem to have some kind of blindspot and it's not representative of the real message.
      How good that your daughters are attending again: someone has done something right!

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  14. Empty public spaces are a luxury!
    I've never done an internal flight before - I am not keen on flying.
    Sx

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    1. It's amazing how nice they've managed to make a shed on the edge of town, truly a luxury to have to one's self

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  15. Mine will be "she never saw a trail that she didn't explore."

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    1. Literally and metaphorically a good idea

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  16. Nothing like going down memory lane. Reminders are good. It was a pleasure to have you come stay with me, support and celebrate this special occasion over the week-end. Now, out with pen and paper to write a new verse for the poem of my life.

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