Passing the Peace - September 25, 2026

Peace be with you Glen Morris United Church, 

It is Reverend Michiko and I have returned from sabbatical. Let me tell you, it was not as easy as I thought it would be to simply rest. 

I made the initial mistake of telling myself “you can get to that when you’re on sabbatical” and it probably took me the greater part of a week or so just to effectively tie up loose ends and sort through all the tasks/shores/plans I had pushed off. 

But slowly, I found a rhythm of carrying a book with me and moving through my days balancing ongoing learning, enjoying nature, and preparing for bursts of adventure throughout these past 3 months. One of the highlights of course was my time spent in Europe. An invitation to perform at the Basel Tattoo inspired a longer stay enjoying parts of Switzerland, France, and Spain I had never seen before. I loved the incredible community building that came from being part of the tattoo - hours of hard work learning and rehearsing translated into a full week of performances. I have a lot of admiration for my fellow highland dancers who showed so much dedication and discipline and all performed at an incredibly high caliber. I also walked away from the experience with a new sense of my own inner strength and capacity to persevere through 15 hour rehearsal days in 30+ degree weather. 

Paris and Barcelona were opportunities for me to practice my very mediocre French and Spanish while learning through long walks, museums, eating the local cuisine, and a few guided tours. It was surreal to know France was experiencing massive forest fires, unprecedented heatwaves while I happily wandered air conditioned art galleries between sampling crepes and croissants. My experiences have helped inspire more learning about the history of the places I visited - the opulence of Versaille, the revolutionary and bohemian spirit, the unique architecture, and so much more. 

My passion for land-based skills, folk dance, music, and art, and its ability to cultivate a grounded spirituality continues to find roots. This sabbatical was a time of planting seeds through making connections with people and communities who are bringing people together in ways that I believe can greatly bless the church. Unfortunately, some of my intentions for the sabbatical did not pan out which I believe is also part of the learning. Visiting my shepherding friends wasn’t possible amidst a hectic season on the farm - building relationships takes time and the closer to the land people are, the more likely their schedules are tied to the seasons and weather. 

Many of the details and stories are being worked into my worship planning for this fall where I will be able to weave together experience, theological reflection, and the readings I’ve engaged in. Looking forward to further sharing! 

As for the sabbath part of sabbatical: it’s hard to slow down when the impulse is to make the best of this very precious time during such a beautiful time of the year but it was very helpful to pay attention to what life looks like for me beyond my regularly scheduled ministry. I’m returning to work with deep gratitude for the opportunity to move slowly for the first time in what feels like ages. It gave me the opportunity to show up for my friends and family in ways I wouldn’t have been able to otherwise - especially in terms of spending quality time with my nieces and nephew who are only going to be this little once. I had the chance to visit Toronto a couple of times for a bit of fun in the city, learned more about the nature trails and hikes in the area (and saw a record number of turtles). 

Thank you for supporting my ministry in enabling this sabbatical to happen. I imagine that there are still many blessings and lessons from this time that are still emerging but for now, I remain grateful to be back in community - I’ve missed you all dearly!

Yours in Christ, 

Rev Michiko