As work begins on renovating the tower at 163 Chapel St, and public safety fencing is erected, I’m very conscious of disruption. The space at the front of the church building will not be available for a few months.
The bench will be temporarily inaccessible – where will people sit and watch the world go by? Where will I sit to appreciate the many meaningful little conversations that take place beneath the large white cross that reminds us that suffering, hope and life go hand in hand. Keeping the front area tidy is also going to be a challenge. Temple Beth will need to set up the soup kitchen in a less obvious spot. And what about the pigeons? What will happen to them? They have been roosting in the rafters of the now rotten and unstable tower for decades. No doubt they will relocate and find some other lofty venue for gathering and observing life as it unfolds at the junction of Chapel and Carlisle.
Work on the tower also means that erecting and installing the recently approved electronic signage will also now be put on hold for another few months.
But how symbolic of life in general this all is. Disruption. Change. Inconvenience. Restoration. Disappointment. Patience.
Yet within and above it all hangs an old white plastic cross.
Peace
David
