I Went to Church

I Went To Church

John Paul Derryberry

We kicked off from the stone bridge, and as my paddle touched the water for the first stroke, I could feel the weight of all that we carry with us lighten just a little. I'm in Northern Wisconsin, canoeing-- on one of the best-kept secrets that I know of, a barely-touched-by-modern-times gem of a river to paddle. It's such hallowed water for me, and I don't dare share its name with you. Not because I want to keep it just for me selfishly, but because it's a place for a live audience to understand. I could write that it's a beautiful, peaceful place, but unless you see my body language and hear the tone of my voice when I utter those words, it won't do this place justice.

It's a place best learned about from a friend who has been there, to hear about it in person. To have a place you long thought couldn't exist in our commercialized world, live as it did 100s of years ago is surreal. Anything added to this place has somehow added to the charm, swallowed up the area's aura, and stitched it into its state of being. This place-- that river-- my friends, is my church, my holy pilgrimage to renew my faith in humanity, to understand the fantastic picture, to remind me it's about something bigger than me. To feel both small and large simultaneously, to have the excitement of rush and peacefulness of calm encircling me, is a reminder there is always more to life than my small corner of the world.

And if I remember anything from my Sunday school days, it is that faith is supposed to make you believe in a life that is bigger than any one person. Maybe you clicked on this link thinking I was writing about finding myself drawn back to a religious world, yet the more I find myself involved with the real world, the more I find that world lacking compassion from every so-called spiritual corner. For some reason, every religion is yielded as a weapon to deem others less than. Suddenly believing is an excuse for the poor behavior of its less than faithful followers. Lastly, ignoring facts is more chaste than embracing overwhelming evidence of what is true, even though every religion I know condemns lying.

On our journey, we encountered another group. I wore my mask in the van ride. It was a full van and I didn't want a chance to expose my girls to COVID. Their group didn't. We still chatted about the upcoming paddling. There was no yelling; there was no eye-rolling at my mask. It's almost as if what we see on the TV and social media is just 1% of the interaction between people with differing views. And that's why places like this renew my faith in humanity. When I crossed paths with this group, our interactions were friendly. We helped each other with our kayaks and canoes when we finished.

It was groups of people with differing views on the world, sharing a place and being friendly. It's what exists in the world more than we will never know and way more than will ever be reported, highlighted, or shared on social media. So I returned to a place I consider spiritual and it renewed my hope for the world. That sounds a lot like a place that restores faith to me. If your place of worship-- a mosque, temple, cathedral, etc.,-- doesn't mend your heart but teaches you to hate, loathe, look down upon, and/or judge, I have breaking news for you. You aren't attending anything remotely close to a house of worship.

So I'll bask in my secret place and remind myself of my purpose: to practice compassion. I hope you find a place where you can do the same. We need more people looking at other people, talking with them, sharing their space, and learning about each other's stories. It's the only way out of this mess! We need to listen, hear each different tone, see the excitement on each other's faces. We must take in their body language and learn its origin. We must realize that the world is a better place because, with less hate, people are attending worship houses that push us to reach the best version of ourselves. This little slice of northern Wisconsin does it for me; I can't wait to learn about what place does it for you!