Written as part Lindale Mennonite Church's Longest Night celebration.
December 21 is the Winter Solstice and marks the longest night of the year. It stays dark for more hours tonight than any other night; around 14 and a half hours.
Alignment November 27, 2020
Before Jesus came to bring the light of salvation, and before science, people all over the world were afraid that because the nights kept getting shorter, that the sun would never come up again. And that they would forever live in darkness! It was quite frightening for them! So, they did all sorts of things to drive away the darkness, and to try to bring the sun back again! They put wreaths of candles on their heads, they danced around huge bonfires and prayed to their god not to punish them with darkness. In ancient Mexico, the Aztecs sacrificed human beings to placate their sun god.
Long ago, during one of these dark, dark nights, three Wisemen were looking to the sky for a sign of hope. They saw a very bright star. They followed that star and eventually found Jesus, the true bearer of light and hope for the world of darkness. If you look at the sky on the 21st, and it is not too cloudy, you will see a very bright star to the south. It is so bright because two planets, Jupiter and Saturn, have come together to form that light! The last time this happened was over 800 years ago! Many people believe that the star the Wisemen saw was this same event; two planets coming together to form a bright light. So rare, that indeed it was a sign of hope for the world.
Alignment December 12, 2020
We light candles and put lights in our windows and homes during these dark nights to celebrate the coming of the true light: Jesus! We no longer have to fear that we will forever be in darkness. Neither the darkness of the longest night of the year or the darkness of our sins.
Notice the sequence of the pictures on the dates from the oldest to the newest. You can see the progression of how Saturn slowly moves behind Jupiter until all you can see in the picture below are the rings of Saturn. Jupiter totally eclipses Saturn.
Who are the Mennonites? Are they a sect? Do they believe in Jesus? What do you think of Honduras? What is your opinion of the Vietnam war? Why are you here instead of fighting for your country? Do you like John F. Kennedy? Were a few of their opening questions.
I remember 1968, the year I arrived in Honduras, as being a tumultuous year in the history of the USA. The Vietnam war was continuing with body bags returning to the states on a daily basis. Anti-war protesters poured into the streets causing confusion and frustration on all sides of the issue. Civil Rights marches pushed the country to confront its racist past, if not present. Robert Kennedy and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. were assassinated. It seemed like the USA was being torn apart at the seams. What had been a model of democracy for the world was being exposed as having differing sets of laws for different groups of people and being hypocritical on its foreign policy motives.
This wasn’t lost on Hondurans. The office staff at the hospital peppered me with questions about what was happening in the country of my birth. I was as confused as they were and being thousands of miles away from the turmoil made it difficult for me to form an opinion. I based my responses on my beliefs as a Christian/Mennonite. I belonged to the kingdom of God, not the USA, with Jesus as my leader and my church as my state. I did not participate in the politics of my country and was opposed to armed conflict of any type. My belief in Jesus’ admonition to love my enemies and to “turn the other cheek” defined my politics. My constitution was Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount in Matthew chapter 5.
These views of Christianity were completely new to my listeners since most of them were nominally Catholic and assumed that the church and the state came in one package as it had since the Spanish conquest of the Americas.
So you want some gift ideas for Christmas? How about some reading material? Have I got some ideas for you!
If you like real life stories:
Jolted out of his innocent, isolated and comfortable world, the author confronted the cruel realities of geopolitical forces of war, exploitation and poverty when he went to Honduras as a 19-year old Mennonite conscientious objector during the Vietnam War. Although severely tested by the extreme poverty that Clymer witnessed and the temptations of the flesh that constantly surrounded him, his core beliefs in peace and “returning good for evil,” bolstered by Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, were strengthened. Sometimes funny, sometimes shocking, but always engaging, the book is filled with personal stories of Clymer’s encounters with these and other realities through interactions with the Honduran people, their culture and the Spanish language. Honduras left an indelible print on the author’s life, his faith, and his vocation.
If you like meditations on biblical themes, this one was my first book:
From the forward:
Clymer vividly defines the beatitudes in a way that opens a new circuit of thought. Because of the way he interweaves other cultures into the picture he helps us recognize our cultural blinders and encourages us to take them off. Clymer’s passionate insights override the miasmic spirituality of a prosperous society. The poignant stories which begin each chapter abruptly shift us out of our comfort zones, much like when someone jumps off the other end of a see-saw. Suddenly we force-land and take a long, hard look at what just happened.
My hunger and thirst for righteousness grew the further I went in the book . I found myself a sort of “Zaccheus”—wanting to rush ahead to climb a tree and actually SEE Jesus. Each chapter focuses on one of the beatitudes with a story which undoubtedly shed new light for me. Living the beatitudes, as Clymer puts it, teaches us “to walk in the light of Christ and… transform our impure impulses into life-giving action.” I welcomed the invitations to explore my own heart and experiences in order to understand those areas where I needed enlightenment, confession or healing. The meditations invite all of us to “come down” and “dine” with the Holy Spirit who can change our course.
Perhaps you are interested in discussions of spiritual formation. Than this book, written with my sister is for you!
Why do people, including Christians, feel empty, estranged and cynical?
Many of us have tired of the pat answers that the church and religion have provided about our questions about faith and meaning in life. We know there’s more—and we stand on the cusp of spiritual awakening, longing to reshape our connection with God.
In the tradition of Ronald Rolheiser’s The Holy Longing, Don Clymer and Sharon Clymer Landis (brother and sister, both spiritual directors and retreat leaders) take modern spirituality and turn it on its head to flesh out a Christian spiritualty of emptying oneself. How can I know God more fully? What does it mean to be a true servant walking closely with God: brutally honest with oneself, and true to Christ? Through riveting stories and text grounded in scripture, the book speaks to the deep cynicism of soul and despair that grip so many in this age.
Anyone wanting to become more loving, in touch with feelings, friends and family will find hope and direction in this easy-to-read book on the spiritual journey. We are all hungry for a full-flavored life, yet we ignore our deepest soul and quiet our cravings with more of everything. How does one embrace a spiritually simple life—gracious, accepting and fulfilling?
How about a book about a child's experiences in Mexico? These are stories about my daughter!
The enduring cultural traditions of Mexico are magical! Experience Christmas festivities, marriage, birthdays, and even death. These are the true life experiences of a young girl living with her expatriate parents in Mexico. Even everyday experiences are magical! Visiting markets, parks, families, and learning how tortillas are made, bring Mexico alive to all levels of readers. Experience the magic of Mexico! Learn to understand and appreciate the traditions of our 120 million neighbors to the south, not to speak of the millions who live next door to us in the United States.
"Great read! It gives the reader a feel for what life is like living in Mexico, and through the eyes of a child. I appreciate it being based on a real life experiences as it adds a layer of authenticity."
I have recently been enthralled by a choral piece based on Psalm 131. It is composed by Margaret Rizza, and has a haunting simplicity which speaks to me deeply. The text as it appears in the piece is:
O Lord, my heart is not proud,
nor haughty my eyes.
I have not gone after things too great,
nor marvels beyond me.
Truly I have set my soul
in silence and peace;
at rest, as a child in its mother's arms,
so is my soul.
According to some biblical commentaries, the Psalm was composed by David while he was being pursued by King Saul who accused him of “boundless ambition and a greed affectation of the royal throne” (Poole). David expresses humility in light of this: “my heart is not proud, nor haughty my eyes.”
David asserts that “I have not gone after things too great, nor marvels beyond me.” He shows humility about his personal goals; they are not his, but God’s. “[T]he right of the kingdom was not sought or coveted by him, but freely conferred upon him by the unexpected and undesired favour of God.” (Poole).
David “sets his soul in silence and peace.” He is patiently waiting on God’s time by being still before the Lord, praying and meditating. Furthermore, he is at rest in his “mother’s arms,” There could be no better metaphor for quiet and patience than a baby resting in its mother’s arms; the mother as a metaphor for God.
Many of us feel conflicting forces, much like David, in our current situation. A pandemic continues to rage, the political scene is fractured more than at any other time in my short span of life, and climate change wreaks havoc with evermore powerful storms and devastating fires.
This is a time when we, like David, need to “set our souls in silence and peace.” Only as we sit in silence and reflect with gratitude on the goodness of God while resting in her everlasting arms, can we find "peace." Not only do we need to rest in silence and peace, but we need to surrender our “proud and haughty” opinions to God’s purposes and not our own.
Here is a link to the beautiful choral piece to which I refer.
I received this letter from a reader of my book Coming of Age in Honduras:
Hello Don,
I wanted to share with you a few things I really enjoyed about your book!
First, the story itself was just interesting. Your job as a sort of "circuit accountant" for credit unions was not the one I was imagining - I thought you'd have been building shelters / digging latrines the whole time.
Second, I so admire how forthright you were (and are) about your varying levels of uncertainty with your faith, and how that juxtaposed with the connection you felt toward your Mennonite church family and culture throughout. Related to this were your unanswered questions about poverty and how we should respond to it. It was interesting, and it was inspiring. I grew up Christian but these days I lament the "moral dualism" and self-and-other discrimination that was front-and-center to my previous Christian communities. In your story, as your own faith ebbs and flows I feel like "hey, this guy is a sinner like me." Christianity has a lot more to offer the world than moral dualism and discrimination. I think your book helps to show what that might look like.
Third, I think you were brave to put "sexuality" in the title and to talk about your romantic/sexual thoughts, feelings, and experiences during this time. Of course it would be weird if a 19-20 year old guydidn't experience this dimension, but I like that you confront it head on and it adds to the genuineness of the story and the "whole person" you are trying to present. Along the lines of my previous comment, I think it shows how a faith journey includes this dimension of life, too!
I read the book all in one day - I just couldn't wait to read what happened next!
Anyway, thanks for writing! Good luck with your next (or current) project...!!
Chapel address given virtually at EMS on September 18, 2020.
Hello, my EMS friends, my name is Don Clymer. I retired
several years ago from teaching Spanish and other things just up the hill at
EMU. Previous to that, I worked with Virginia Mennonite Conference and
Missions, which is also located close to you. My daughter and her husband both
graduated from EMS as did my son. In fact, my son Mattias, is on the alumni
board of EMS. I also had several nieces and nephews graduate from here. My wife
and I have been fans of your touring choir for many years, even before our
children sang in it. In fact, when my son was in the choir, we spent several
days with them in Switzerland during their European tour. My wife is from
Switzerland and both of my children are Swiss citizens as well.
Speaking of Switzerland, the roots of my family lie there. Most
of you, if not ALL of you, are from families of immigrants as well. Our
families came here from every part of the globe. We have been cut off from the
roots of our family tree, and because of this, many of us have a longing to
find out where we belong. And to whom we belong. After I married a Swiss woman,
I was quite interested in knowing more about where my family had come from
since we were always told that we were either from Swiss or German background.
I had a longing to know this link to my past, to belong to somewhere. So, I
started to do some research.
I discovered that Thoman Klymer, the earliest ancestor that
I could find, was born around 1536 in Montbeliard, France. That’s a long time
ago!Over 480 years ago. This was right
near the beginning of the Reformation and the establishment of the Protestant
Church. Thoman became a Protestant in France. They were called Huguenots. The
French government didn’t take too keenly to the Protestant movement, so Thoman
Klymer had to flee for his life, so he fled to Affoltern am Albis in
Switzerland, where his great-great grandson, my immigrant ancestor, Valentine
Klemmer, (Klemmer and Klymer have been interchanged throughout the centuries) was
born in 1665. Somewhere around 1685, he became an Anabaptist. Now it was his
turn to have to flee for his life! Something in my background makes me a bit of
a radical! He fled to Germany for about 20 years then immigrated to the USA in
1717. More than 300 years ago!
Finding all this information made me feel like I belong! I
belong to a family tribe that goes back to at least 1560! I also belong to the Anabaptist/Mennonite
faith, which for me stretches back 340 years. My longing to belong has been
satisfied! However, if you only stick to your tribe, you exclude a lot of people!
They feel unwelcome in your presence!
I got abruptly kicked out of my tribes when I went to
Honduras for two years as a 19-year old to serve in voluntary service with the
Mennonite Church. When I got there, I felt completely alien, like I didn’t belong!
I recently had a book published about my two years there.
When I first arrived, I didn’t know the language, I didn’t
know all the cultural nuances, and I felt like a duck out of water. I made
plenty of cultural mistakes, but, as the years went by, I began to feel more at
home, if not ever completely. My language improved, I made many friendships
with Hondurans, and I began to really love the food.
As I developed closer friendships with Hondurans, I
discovered that the way I viewed the world, and many of the assumptions that I
made about faith and life, were not understood the same way as Hondurans. I had
a very arrogant view of my country and how blessed by God we were for all the
wealth and material blessings we had.
However, they pointed out to me that much of the wealth of
the USA came thorough exploitation of Honduran and other Latin American people
and their natural resources. In Honduras it was bananas. We typically pay under
a dollar for a pound of bananas in the US. In order for them to be so cheap for
us, workers slave in the hot tropical sun in the fields for a mere 2 US dollars
a day. While thousands of acres of the best land are planted with bananas,
people in the villages surrounding these plantations are malnourished. Was my
blessing their curse?
In
Harrisonburg, I have met many Hondurans living here. We immediately connect with
each other when they hear about my time in their homeland. Most of them are
here to improve their economic situation. However, they don’t really feel
connected to the wider culture that surrounds them here. They often feel
hateful stares and racial slurs thrown at them. They certainly don’t feel like
they belong. So, they stick together in their neighborhoods seldom mixing with
the broader community.
Many of
those in the white majority here in the US think that our country belongs only
to certain groups of people from Europe, and our language is English. These
people haven’t studied their history very well. The first city found in the USA
was St. Augustine, Florida in 1565 as a Spanish-speaking settlement. Pretty interesting
that that date is about the same date as my earliest discovered ancestor was born.
By the time
the first British colony was founded in 1607 in Jamestown, there were Spanish
missions already established in all of the southwest from Texas to California
and north to Oregon, as well as in Georgia, Mississippi and Louisiana. Spanish
was already spoken in a large area of the United States before English got a
toehold. Today, after Mexico, the United States is the second largest
Spanish-speaking country in the world!
My longing
for belonging took me from my sheltered life to Switzerland, Germany and then
to Honduras. I developed skills in culture and language in each of these
places. In addition, my Mennonite tribe has been extended to belong in all of
these countries. I have found where I belong and then opened my tribes to
others different from me. I have been truly blessed, but not in the way I had
originally thought.
Where do
you belong? Where do you long to belong? Will you include those who don’t speak
and look like you as well?
I've received over 15 comments on my book from family and friends who have read it. It has been gratifying for me how many have taken the time to comment. Something about the book reasonated with them in some way. This is the hope of every author! Below are some of the comments:
Many ex-volunteers, or people who had lived abroad, especially in underdeveloped countries, identified my story with theirs. The wrestling with poverty and faith were especially strong. It was also a walk down memory lane for many.
Most identified it as a good read. Kept them engaged as they read.
Several wrote about the "vivid" pictures I painted with my writing. "I could imagine with my mind's eye the scenes and the people you describe."
Several couldn't believe that I could remember so well things that had taken place so many years ago (Over 50 to be exact).
One reader chuckled as they remembered the 60s and how the cultural milieu deeply influenced us.
Some struggled with my Conscientious Objector position, others admired my strong ethical stance to the temptations I faced. One thought I portrayed myself as too innocent. One thanked me for remembering the ramifications of people my age who had to go to war in Vietnam.
One thought that the book was a "delightful combination of analysis and narration." In other words, I painted a historical/analytical backdrop for my stories.
One reader was the widow of one of my companions and was grateful for some new insights on her deceased husband's work while in Honduras.
One reader with a Latino background said that my description of Latino culture was "spot on."
Some readers called me adventurous.
Several readers couldn't believe the amount of responsibilities I had as a 19-year old; work in the credit unions, building of a chick starter house, an addition to the house we lived in, and preaching in Spanish.
These comments are extremely gratifying for an author. Many times we feel like we are writing in a vacuum, so when our work touches someone, it makes the expended energy worthwhile. Thank yo to those who took the time to write. I hope to hear from more of you soon.
This memoir is about the two and a quarter year period of my life that I spent in Honduras as a volunteer with a voluntary service (VS) program of Eastern Mennonite Missions (EMM). At the time, the organization was known as Eastern Mennonite Board of Missions and Charities (EMBMC). I was 19 years old when I left and returned four months before my 21st birthday. My stint in Honduras covered a period from January 1968 to April 1970.
The United States was embroiled in a seemingly endless war in Vietnam at the time. Every 18-year old male had to register with United States Armed Forces and be subject to a subsequent draft; it was obligatory. We all knew that we would be drafted to serve for two years at around age 19. All my high school friends and classmates had to prepare for this upcoming event. Not only did the males have to think about this eventuality, but the young women who were in a relationship with a young man also had to prepare for what this unavoidable reality would do to their relationship.
I registered as a conscientious objector (CO). This meant that I was opposed to serving in the Armed Forces in any capacity. This was the position of the Mennonite Church, of which I was a member. The United States government recognized the Mennonite Church as a “historic peace church” because they had theological positions on peace and nonresistance that dated back to the 16th Century. Members of historic peace churches were granted an exemption from serving in the Armed Forces, but they still had to serve for two years of what was called “alternative service.” These alternative service programs had to be approved by the US government. The VS program in Honduras was one such program. During this journey, my Mennonite beliefs were put to the test. Nevertheless, this period really solidified my theological views of peace and nonresistance: that Jesus is the “Prince of Peace” and that his teachings and life are pivotal to Christian life and faith.
The memories contained in this book are my memories; mine alone. Other people may remember the story differently, or they may have lived through the same experience while coming to different conclusions. Memory is admittedly highly selective, and we are often gentler on ourselves than we would have been on other people who are experiencing the same thing. I apologize in advance for the times that I have committed this error.
Nevertheless, the memories that I relate in this memoir are ones that made a profound impact on me and have indelibly shaped my life. My worldview was expanded, my faith was stretched, and my innocence was shattered. Some of my stories may be shocking to some readers, but I share them to give a complete picture of what I experienced.
I hope these stories will give the reader insights into how a CO experienced the time of obligatory draft in the USA. I am of the opinion that the Mennonite Church was greatly impacted from what happened to COs of that time. At my 50th High School anniversary, classmate after classmate shared how their service had impacted them. Although many of our youth still serve, because it is not obligatory, many do not. Our current generation of young people are missing out on some incredible adventures and life-changing experiences. More importantly, the church is missing the insights of these changed individuals returning to their pews. I hope that sharing my experiences will open a window into that tumultuous period of time. I want to challenge my readers to share a period of time with marginalized peoples wherever they may be found, “in the name of Christ.”
For my Latin American readers, I acknowledge that these memories are from a U.S. American perspective, despite how much I was changed through my time alongside you. You have taught me an incredible amount about your history, your culture, and your language. Through your patience with me, I gained many new perceptions about the world and my personal life. I have returned to you time and again for further service, study, and teaching others about your beauty.
In addition, I gained a profession which allowed me to share what I learned from you to a much wider audience. However, because of the insights that I gained from you, I have been plagued throughout my life with a deep restlessness; a searching for deeper meaning about the world around me and the world within myself. I have had a longing for a deeper relationship with God, and a longing for a more fulfilling way to share my life with the world. I am deeply grateful for this restlessness; it has helped to remind me that I am a “stranger and a pilgrim” (Heb. 11:13) on this earth, and that I “have here no lasting city” (Hebrews 13:14). I belong to the Reign of God.
I was sitting at the dinner table in Switzerland with my wife’s mother and uncle along with my two children. Someone said something interesting and I innocently said in German what I thought was the English equivalent of “holy smokes.” I immediately realized that I had said something wrong when Esther’s jaw dropped, and her face reddened like a beet. Apparently calling anything other than God “holy” is considered in religious circles in Switzerland to be breaking the third commandment about not taking the Lord’s name in vain. In English, we have countless expressions using the word holy and use them with frequency. “Holy guacamole” is my recent favorite.
On the other side of the table, my face had reddened numerous times when I heard many good, pious Swiss people throw the “S” word around in dozens of apparently good German expressions without any hesitation or embarrassment. These are two simple examples that proves the aphorism in my title to be true. “Meanings are not found in words, they are found in people.”
What makes a word “dirty” or “impolite,” is defined by people in a given time and culture. Words can shift in meaning over time as well. The word “gay” is a good example. Two blocks from me in my town there is a “Gay Street.” I don’t think the namers had the current meaning in mind when they assigned a name for the street. Even more obscure in meaning, my conservative Mennonite culture distinguished between us and the world by calling us “plain people,” and whom we considered the world “gay people.” Again, I don’t think they had the contemporary meaning in mind. “Meanings are not found in words, they are found in people.”
This aphorism applies to translation work as well. Many people think that translating is word-for-word, or at least phrase-for-phrase. It isn’t that simple. I’m not talking only about “dirty” or “impolite” words. I recently translated a document from English into Spanish that had many cultural nuances which could have been seriously misunderstood had I translated portions of the document word-for-word. The amount of head scratching I had to go through to try to convey the proper cultural nuance was agonizing. I was looking for the meaning behind the words; the cultural intricacies. Google translate, however good it has become, can’t do that.
Bureaucratic and technological lingo present potential problems as well. We take for granted that our way of doing business and talking about it are universal. They are not. Technology is changing so rapidly that words for new equipment or concepts are not standardized and vary from country to country. A simple example from the current pandemic is the word for “facemask.” It is called “tapacaras” in some Latin American countries and “mascarillas” in others.
Be careful what you call “holy” in Switzerland and endure without embarrassment German language speakers using the “S” word in their ordinary speech. Afterall, “Meanings are not found in words, they are found in people.”
Rhythm and Rule is a term used by Spiritual Directors to describe how to create a balance between work and prayer in one’s normal day. The idea originally comes from the monastic traditions. They use Jesus as an example of one who creates such a balance better than anyone.
However, these are not normal days. Many of us are sheltered in place, working at home. Many of us experience either isolation or overload if we are juggling work and home schooling or childcare. Many of us have extra time on our hands that we don’t know how to fill. We would rather face the demands and distractions of the work world than be alone with ourselves.
I am certainly no role model on how to manage my time, but I will share with you how I have been organizing my days since the onset of the quarantine. Please understand that there is no "one way" or "right way" to construct a rhythm and rule. This is simply my way. The times are quite flexible and can be interrupted at any time for family or friends or other demands that come up occasionally. My schedule varies somewhat from Fridays to Sundays when my wife Esther is not at work. For example, we participate in a virtual prayer group on Friday mornings and a virtual Sunday School meeting on Sunday mornings.
This “schedule” gives me a “rhythm and rule” for the days that I am alone and in isolation. This gives me a day with lots of variety to keep me from becoming down or bored. It includes both physical and spiritual exercises along with productive time and relaxation.
5:00-6:00 am Exercise: Stationary bike at home.
6:00-6:30 am Meditative walk outdoors. Sometimes I switch around the times of walking and riding the stationary bike.
7:00 am Breakfast
8:00-9:00 am Read online news
9:00-9:30 am Devotional readings: Thomas Merton (currently) and German Bible (I am reading through the Bible in German)
10:00-10:30 am Centering Prayer in silence
10:30 am Meditative porch time (sitting or pacing in stillness, viewing nature)
11:30 am Lunch
12:00pm-12:30 nap
1:00pm-4:00pm “Productive time” writing, translating, household chores, class prep., etc.
4:00-4:30 Dinner preparation
4:30 Dinner. Early dinner in order to have a fourteen-hour fast: 5:00pm-7:00am
5:00pm-9:30pm Catching up with Esther and relaxation: crossword puzzles, reading novels, social media, listening to music, TV or streaming movies
9:30pm to bed (Consciousness Examen-review of the day. Where have I experienced God today? What distracted me from experiencing God?)
Sharing our personal "rhythm and rule" is a way to learn from and share with each other. What is yours like?
