LIFE REVIEW ROAD TRIP ENDS

Rev. Dr. Kate Winters, “Dwelling in Presence,” October 23, 2023

Before we leave tiny Haskins, Ohio, on this road trip life review something more must be said. I have lived in big cities much of my life, New York, Boston, Chicago, to name a few, but no place has had the powerful inpact in the short two years we lived there as that town. Two major events happened there. First, both Joel and I joined the small community church, a Federated American Baptist / United Church of Christ congregation. Both of us chose to enter the UCC denomination known for its strong stances on justice and inclusion and thanks to the many UCC clergy in Wisconsin who invited me to “come on over.” And it didn’t hurt that that denomination does not have any bishops!

That little church got to work doing its healing magic on us, inviting us to be fully a part of its faith life. By the end of those years, with the guidance of their wonderful pastor, the Rev. Dr. Mary Wood, they supported and encouraged my going on to seminary, which I did. A few years later, we returned and on September 17, 2000, I was ordained amidst these loving people and set on a new path. Gifted with the blessing of a quilt with squares for each member of the church, we were sent on to my first call as pastor. I will always be grateful to Haskins Federated Church for the lesson of how strongly the Spirit can work through a smal church. They healed and changed our lives.

My first call was actually our next stop on the road trip – Osseo, Wisconsin. I can always tell by the relaxation of Joel’s body when we cross the border into Wisconsin. It means we have gotten through the Chicago traffic unscathed and that he is truly in home territory. His family and most of his close friends live there as does a good part of his memory cache. It was in the area of Osseo, western part of the state, that I learned to love the colors and the textures of farmland through the seasons. Making pastoral calls would take me past bales of hay, herds of cows, and Amish farms. The land is not as flat as in Ohio and the sun shining on the hills often fell on deer playing at the edge of the fields. The land enchanted me.

I am grateful that Joel would make sure our first stop would be at our friend Julie’s for an extended stay. Here I would have my heart filled and my energy gathered to keep up with the hectic schedule Joel had planned for the last week. One of the last times we were here, we helped to plant Julie’s husband Brad’s ashes under the tree he had planted just for that purpose. It adds the final blessing to what is already holy ground. It was there that a deep friendship grew and where I first dared to truly mourn my mother, aided by the evening calls of the barred owl and the gentle presence of my dear friend. Here is where circles of women, friends, and family gather and are nourished in body and spirit. I still daydream occasionally about building a cabin on that land, but the way has never been clear.

I realized on this trip that once a work place, Wisconsin, has for me become a land of friends. We were lifted and fed by so many from the UCC church Joel and I served in Osseo, feeling closer to them than we did in 2004 when we left. Perhaps freedom from the role of “pastor” enables that closeness to further develop. Next we went to Steven’s Point, home to Joel’s brother Scott and his wife Lisa. Not only was I floored by Lisa’s beautiful quilts, but moved by the friendship that continues to develop between us. Then on to Joel’s cousin Sarah’s for a few nights, another friend within the family. A strong voice for justice, Sarah and Joel are more like brother and sister than cousins and take great interest in each other’s work and art. From here we got to have a pizza dinner with some of Joel’s childhood friends and singing buddies in Oshkosh.

Then on to Madison, another one of my city home bases. I’ve already writtten in a past post of the traumatic events encountered there, but now it is simply full of the peoplel who loved us through them. We enjoyed a Japanese meal with Marian and Greg, who stood up for us at our wedding. David and Alison took us in and fed us good Indian food ad good memories. Elsa and Margi arranged a reunion of friends over a Friday Fish Fry where Joel was finally able to have his most desired lake perch! I hadn’t seen some of these people for over 25 years, but the love and joy exchanged at the gathering was palpable. Sadly the rain kept us from a walk in the autumn hued Arboretum, but we closed down the Botanical Gardens instead. We enjoyed an anniversary lunch at a Cheesecake Factory (yummm) provided by Father Ken, beloved pastor, who went through a lot with us at St. Paul’s. Thank heavens our friendship remained unscathed.

Leaving Madison to begin our journey home, I was exhausted but my heart was full. Wisconsin is overflowing with friends! Good food! Stunning landscape! Grateful for a final evening with my sister Sue and family in upstate New York, my geographical life review comes to an end. The only question – where to from here?