Moving fences – Idaho State Journal

Growing up in the west and especially Idaho, fences are something we understand! Theyre integral to the success of farms and ranches. Fences keep in what they need to keep in and keep out what they need to keep out! They help set boundaries, provide a sense of place and often help keep the peace between neighbors. They provide a vital service but when they become cemented and inflexible and immovable in purpose and intent, problems may arise. Fences, just like us, when we become cemented, inflexible and immovable, problems arise. Weve seen it time and time again. Been a problem for as long as fences have been around and equally as long as we, those who choose to build fences, lose sight of the purpose of that fence in the first place! Maybe this time of year, its good to keep our Fences flexible. September is one of those months of transition. School begins again, work can shift in focus, the weather begins to change and we often meet new folks in new situations. Summer vacations become a pleasant memory and its time to get back to planning life as we know it. Maybe September is a good month to not only take stock of what is but also what might be? A story comes to mind..

Many years ago, there was a woman who lived in a small village in France.

Trained as a nurse, she devoted her life to caring for the sick and needy. After many years of kind and selfless service to the villages families, the woman died.

She had no family of her own, so the townsfolk planned a beautiful funeral for her, a fitting tribute to the woman to whom so many owed their lives.

The parish priest, however, pointed out that, because she was a Protestant, she could not be buried in the towns Catholic cemetery.

The villagers protested, but the priest held firm. It was not easy for the priest either, because he too had been cared for by the woman during a serious illness. But the canons of the Church were very clear; she would have to buried outside the fence of the cemetery.

The day of the funeral arrived, and the whole village accompanied the woman s casket to

the cemetery, where she was buried--outside the fence.

But that night, a group of villagers, armed with shovels, sneaked into the cemetery.

They then quietly set to work. Moving the Fence.

Fences are something we understand. They set boundaries and provide a sense of place and purpose. They keep in what needs to be kept in and keep out what they needs to be kept out. Maybe we just need to consider what it is that needs to be kept in and what it is that needs to be kept out. You just never know the impression youll leave and the difference you might make in a persons life by Moving Fences. Isnt that what Changing Seasons is all about? The opportunity for growth and new directions in a place you never dreamed possible! All through the simple act of moving a fence.

And by moving that Fence, who knows whom you just might include! May the Lord richly bless you and yours as we eagerly anticipate cooler temperatures and the colors of change to come.

Bob Stone is pastor of Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd in Pocatello.

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Moving fences - Idaho State Journal