Hebrew, Hebrew, and Hebrew

I will begin by sending my apologies for not posting sooner, but to be honest it has been one of those weeks. We began Monday morning with a bit of anticipation with learning Hebrew. Okay, well it might not have actually been anticipation, it might have been more like terror. So we went to class, what has proceeded has been 3 days of intense class time and approximately 6 to 8 hours of work after class just to try to keep up. This seems to be the same for all of us in the class. To be honest I don’t know if I am learning anything, I think I am, but my brain feels like mush most of the time……so in some ways, I suppose, it is a normal state of affairs…..hahahaha.

The other thing about this week has been a different type of struggle. As we are all aware the event of Sunday morning in Orlando have had a deep impact on all of us in the “community.” These events have once again demonstrated, graphically, the reality of our lives, never knowing where we might be safe in a society that is still struggling to accept all that we are. What has made this time even more difficult has been the fact that I am thousands of kilometres away from my family and community. I understand that I did not personally know any of those who died or were injured that morning, but the grief and pain is real for all of us in the “community” and many of us don’t have words to express what Sunday morning means to us. I then came across a video of a baptist pastor in Sacramento who praised the shooter. This is the reality of what we live, but the blessed thing about this “community” is that we are resilient and we will continue to work towards acceptance and love. I wanted to share this with you all because it really is important for you all to know how important you are to me and to the world. A community that truly loves and cares for those around. So thank you for being you. To help myself and another member of the “community” process these events we are planning a service for Sunday early evening on the back lawn of the Atlantic School of Theology, so I ask that you keep us, and the entire LGBT2SQ community in your thoughts and prayers.

Peace,

Patrick