Clergy from left, Deacon Amy Schmuck, Deacon Cynthia Biddlecomb, retired, The Rev. Mary Ann Hill and The Rev. Lynn Finnegan. Photo by Nate Limback/ladailypost.com

By The Rev. Mary Ann Hill
Rector
Trinity on the Hill

October 31-November 2 is what the Church sometimes calls “Allhallowtide.” These three days include All Saints/Hallows’ Eve on October 31, All Saints’ Day on November 1, and All Souls’ Day on November 2. This is the time of year when we intentionally remember that “great cloud of witnesses” of which St. Paul speaks.

Besides the official Saints of the Church, we also remember the ordinary people who have graced our lives. Many people have contributed to the warp and weft of who we are, and we have opportunities every day to do the same for others. Sometimes what we do makes a big impact. At other times, there are small interactions that we think no one will remember. But kindness is cumulative, and what we do adds up.

My church is located across the street from the high school. About a year ago, some of the students who park nearby started asking to use our bathrooms. We said yes, but please stop and say hello and pet Cuthbert the Corgi. It turns out that they are almost always friendly and well-mannered. Of course, they ARE teens and occasionally we have to ask them to stop revving their engines or be careful where they skateboard, but by and large, we all get along pretty well.

Could we get more work done without the regular foot traffic? Sure. Would our water bill be cheaper? Yes. But then we wouldn’t be the people Christ calls us to be. I’m not assuming that we are making a huge difference in the lives of these young people, but kindness is cumulative. Maybe by treating them like people who matter, they’ll remember one day that there were grown-ups who were happy to see them. And if they are ever in trouble, they’ll remember that there is somewhere to go for help.

Earlier this year, a young woman named Libby wrote a letter to The Post and The Reporter about the challenges of being a teen in Los Alamos. I’ve met Libby, and she is an impressive young woman. It was appalling that any adult would feel the need to belittle her concerns, but that happened. Fortunately, Libby wasn’t deterred. Thanks to her letters, there are now regular teen movie nights at SALA.

The generations coming after us are inheriting a world that is going to be vastly different than what we’re used to. The way things are shaping up, it looks like it’s going to be much harder than anything we can imagine. Isolation and nihilism are swiftly becoming the norm for today’s young people. We ignore that at our peril and theirs. Because like the aspens growing on the mountains around us, we are all connected, at a root level, whether we want to be or not. It’s easy to tell kids to get off our lawns. But callousness is cumulative just like kindness is.

So what will it be: kindness or callousness? What will be the sum total of the traces we leave behind?

Editor’s note: ‘All Shall Be Well’ is a column written by local women clergy including The Rev. Mary Ann Hill, Rector, Trinity on the Hill Episcopal Church (momaryannhill@gmail.com); The Rev. Lynn Finnegan, Associate Rector, The Episcopal Church of the Holy Faith, Santa Fe (rev.lynn@holyfaithchurchsf.org); Deacon Amy Schmuck, Bethlehem Evangelical Lutheran Church (deaconamy@bethluth.com); and ELCA Deacon Cynthia Biddlecomb, M.Div., retired (czoebidd@gmail.com).