“They are to do good, to be rich in good works, generous, and ready to share… so that they may take hold of the life that really is life.” -1 Timothy 6:19
 
It’s been a life-filled week at St. Aidan’s. 
 
Last Sunday after our 8 and 10am worship services, we held our monthly baby diaper distribution, Diamond Diapers. Word seems to be getting out about it: this distribution was by far our best attended one, with families arriving throughout the 1-2pm time block. At one point just as we were running out of size six diapers, a woman arrived with a box of several unopened packages of-- you guessed it-- size six (as well as five). They had been stashed in her garage, waiting to be donated somewhere when she heard about our distribution. Thank you! We’re headed back for more supplies this month, given how many we gave away, thanks to a small grant we recently received for a second year in a row from the Glen Park Festival. It is exciting to experience this little project progressing to its next level. The next distribution will be Sunday, November 24 from 1-2pm.
 
On Monday I headed to Bishop’s Ranch in Healdsberg for the annual retreat for the clergy of the Diocese of California. The retreat was anchored by a series of reflections by former Episcopal Church Presiding Bishop Frank Griswold. We had space to reflect and talk, hike or read, and we ate amazing food. I had no access to the news (what a relief!). The retreat ended Wednesday afternoon.
 
Meanwhile, as I drove back, Diamond Diners was taking place. This was the first month in which one of our several new cooking volunteers contributed lunch: a delicious baked pasta made by Ray, Pam, and Elena Wong. Many thanks to them and to Martha Olmstead, Susan Spencer and Patricia Brown who set up in my absence (and I’m imagining also helped to serve the food), as well as to Grace King for her work on clean up. There were no doubt many other things done by this group and others-- I’m likely missing people and contributions because I could not be there! But I want to express gratitude to all who were there, for their commitment and can-do spirit as we continue this nurturing communal meal that is so important to us at St. Aidan’s. 
 
I was able to be at our  Wednesday 6 PM Communion service, and it especially moved me this week. There we were, a group of about ten people gathered for reflection and spiritual nourishment. We represented a varied range of ages, races and ethnicities, genders and sexualities, countries of origin, economic and housing circumstances. During the reflection time, inspired by a combination of Nehemiah 2:1-8 and Luke 9:57-62, we talked about the idea of home, of displacement and exile, of being away from home and of searching for home. We talked about Christ being with us wherever we may find ourselves.
 
Tomorrow, as it does every week, our Friday Food Pantry will take place from 1-2pm. I look forward to seeing everyone, to sharing food and being in community. 

Saturday morning, as noted below, several of us will gather in the parish hall (where the preschool is located) to make soup. We store it in the freezer to be available for when people need it -- an illness, a death in the family, an especially hard time. 
 
Then on Sunday, also noted below, we will celebrate the Feast of St. Francis. This is a day to bring your companion animal to church for a blessing (8am or 10am), or perhaps to bring your dog to the Upper Douglas Dog Park at noon for a blessing there (or both! we usually have a few dogs at St. Aidan’s every Sunday). It is also a day to celebrate the life of a companion animal who has died: our inter-religious Companion Animal Memorial service begins at 2:30 PM. Our family actually just went through this: a week ago Monday we had to say goodbye to our beloved, nearly twenty-year-old cat, Miss Morgan. She had been through so much life with us! We were so sad to let her go, even as we were clear the time had come. We will bring a photo of her to the service on Sunday afternoon. For the earlier blessing, we will also bring a photo of our very much still living, twenty-plus year-old cat Sophie. 
 
Much is afoot in the life of St. Aidan’s. It all makes me think of the last part of our passage from 1^stTimothy, assigned last Sunday. The flow of service and generosity shared in these moments feels to me like “tak[ing] hold of the life that really is life,” as the letter puts it. Deep life, real life, is about people being together, sharing not simply what they may have but who they are, in some sense making a home in community. I am grateful to be taking hold of that life with you.