Monday was Labor Day. My husband and I were in Granville spending a couple of days of rest and relaxation over the long weekend. We got up Monday morning to attend mass at St. Edward the Confessor, a beautiful Catholic Church just on the edge of town.
If you have never visited Granville, might I suggest that you make a point to do so. It is a quaint little town about an hour east of Columbus. It’s like a little piece of New England nestled in the heart of Ohio. It was settled by transplants from Connecticut and Massachusetts in the early 1800’s. It is home to Denison University, a couple of breweries, antique stores, inns, coffee shops, restaurants, boutique shops, museums, and pubs.
We have been visiting Granville for over 20 years, always staying at the Buxton Inn. It started many years ago as a romantic weekend getaway when I lived in Columbus. We continued to visit every year for several years, and then life got in the way. We realized that it been over a decade since we had last stayed at the Buxton Inn. That was far too long. So Labor Day weekend was the perfect time for us to revisit Granville.
We drove out on Saturday afternoon, stopping along the way to try a brewery in Newark. When we arrived in Granville, it was as if we had stepped back in time, the period homes, the tree lined streets, the American flags, the shops, the churches, everything. I had forgotten just how much I like that town. Walking the streets of the town is like stepping into a Hallmark movie. And while some things have changed – The Village Coffee Company has moved, a bar that we liked which had every beer imaginable is no more, and the Buxton Inn has changed owners – much is still the same. The courtyard and gardens at the Buxton Inn are just as we remembered, as was the garden dining room and the tavern – only brighter.
On this trip, we sampled local craft beer, and ate some delicious food. We toured the Old Colony Cemetery and we learned about the Buxton Inn being a stop on the underground railroad. The bartender in the tavern even showed us the passage where they hid slaves fleeing the south. Our visit over the Labor Day weekend was a relaxing trip and visit that taught us a lot about the history of Granville.
And while most people simply look at Labor Day as along 3-day weekend, the priest at the Monday morning mass reminded us of the reason we celebrate Labor Day. Labor Day honors the American labor movement and the power of collective action by laborers, those who toiled under extreme conditions to form and advance our great society. Father talked about labor, about work and careers. He talked about how in many instances, what we do helps define who we are. That inevitably in conversations with people, particularly when meeting new people, the question arises, “What do you do?”.
While that is important in its own right, Father reminded us of the labor that each of us is called to regardless of our careers as teachers, doctors, welders, housewives, lawyers, plumbers, etc. or even in retirement. We are all called to build of God’s Kingdom. And that the building of God’s kingdom can happen in many ways, by volunteering in our community, by serving your church, by helping a friend, by visiting the sick, by simply listening when someone needs to talk, by taking communion to a shut in, by helping the elderly, essentially by sharing the gospel and being an example of Christ’s love. Sharing the gospel and being an example of Christ to others occurs in so many ways, that sometime we forget that we are spreading the love of God to the world through those small actions.
We are all called to build God’s kingdom regardless of our denomination, that calling is part of the universal Christian church – Catholic, Protestant, Anglican, etc. – it doesn’t matter. We are all called to share the gospel, be witnesses of Christ’s love, to share that love with others and to ultimately build the Kingdom of God.
“What do you do?” How will you build God’s kingdom today? Today I invite you to be a witness of Christ’s love by visiting an elderly neighbor, inviting the friend who lives alone for dinner, helping a child with homework, doing that one chore that someone in your house dislikes doing, bringing coffee and donuts for the teachers at your child’s school, volunteering at the soup kitchen, or any other random act of kindness. With every act of kindness, the world changes for the better. Today, change the world. Please pray for me and I will continue to pray for you.
Tattoos, Motorcycles, Beer, Bourbon and Faith 