Checking in
Dear Friends,
Though I’ve been away from all of you these past months, I’ve remained close in spirit—joining online worship, reading our weekly newsletter, and staying in touch through conversations with our staff. Hearing all that continues to unfold within our congregation fills me with deep joy and gratitude. I’m so proud of the ways you have worked together to keep our shared ministry moving forward with grace, creativity, and care.
My heartfelt thanks go to the Rev. Dr. Mary Thorpe for her parish and pastoral oversight during this season, to the Rev. Anthony Gaboton for his ongoing support of our worship and other ministries, to Patty Duffy for her steady attention to our administrative functions, and to Curt Sydnor for the beauty he brings through music. I am also deeply grateful to our wardens and vestry, whose steady guidance has mobilized so many of you in fellowship and service. Truly, as Paul wrote to the Ephesians, “I do not cease to give thanks for you as I remember you in my prayers.”
This coming Sunday, as we celebrate the Feast of All Saints, we are reminded that we are bound together - across time and space - in what our Collect for the Day calls “one communion and fellowship in the mystical body of Christ.” I feel that communion deeply these days. Though I am not yet able to be physically present, I sense your prayers surrounding me like the “great cloud of witnesses” that holds us all. This shared love and faith continue to sustain me through a long and uncertain season of healing.
I remain under the care of specialists at the Cleveland Clinic. My lead physician has prescribed a new medication and supplement regimen, along with a specialized physical therapy program that will begin locally in the coming weeks. Progress is slower than I had hoped, and symptoms remain challenging, but I am learning patience and gratitude in new ways each day. I’ll return to Cleveland on November 10 for additional evaluation with a neurobiological specialist who will help integrate biofeedback, nutrition, and other physiological strategies into my treatment plan.
For those who wish to follow updates or continue to hold me in prayer, I’ve been posting periodic reflections and health updates on my CaringBridge site, which you can access by clicking here. Your prayers, notes, and encouragement mean more than I can say.
As we celebrate the communion of saints this Sunday, may we remember that the same Spirit who knit them together continues to knit us together—in prayer, in love, and in the promise of healing and new life.
With love and gratitude,
Amelie+
