Proof of Identity

Every Wednesday in our community there is a luncheon club for elderly,frail and lonely people held in the church hall just along the road from where I live.  I have been helping out every Wednesday for quite a few months now.  After I had been helping for a few weeks it was accepted that it wasn't just a flash in the pan and that I really was committed to helping, I got some forms through the post to fill in and send back so I could be vetted and I had to supply two references who would guarantee that I am who I say I am.  Fair enough I suppose.  You can't be too careful and I didn't mind.  This week I received a letter parcel and inside was my badge.  It's official!  I am now a helper trying to make a difference in my community under the watchful eye of the Royal Voluntary Service and I have the badge to prove it.

Of course a badge with your name on it is nothing new.  Whenever we go shopping, most of the large stores make their staff use their name badges and their particular role within the company, whether that's customer service, manager or cashier.  Most of the large supermarkets will have a hanging notice high above every aisle telling us exactly what's in that aisle and each individual item has a name/title at the top of the packaging.  We don't need to open it to see what's inside.  We can tell by what it says on the front.  With fresh produce, labels are put beside each tray of goods so we know exactly what it is and where it's come from.

A piece of cake?

Usually when we do our shopping trip on Friday mornings, we stop part way through the morning and have a coffee and piece of cake at our favourite family-run coffee shop,appropriately named 'Detour'.  They sell a very reasonably priced coffee/tea with cake that is about half what you would pay at your usual more well-known coffee shops.  There is always a great variety of cakes, all freshly baked.  We made it our solemn duty to try a different one each week so that we can then decide which we prefer.  (That's my excuse) Actually as you've probably guessed - they are all yummy.  Normally you can just look at the name and say which one you want, knowing by their label just what's in them.  Yesterday, however, they had some new cakes in keeping with the Christmas spirit with some very seasonal names.  The one called 'sugar and spice' was easy to guess.  (It was just as delicious as I had anticipated by the way!)  But there were others that we had to ask, 'What's in that one', like Jingle Bell Slice and Pixie Pie.  Their identity label didn't really suggest what to expect.  You couldn't tell from the name that Jingle Bell Slice was a flapjack with a layer of mincemeat through the middle or that Pixie pie was a normal pie crust filled with a gooey chocolate filling topped with mini marshmallows.

We've heard much this week about a certain American politician who says that a particular ethnic group should all wear badges so people can see at a glance that they belong to a certain religion.  (Sounds like history repeating itself but with a different faith group)  It made me think.  Those of us who profess to be Christians and therefore are not so readily identifiable as such from our clothing, do we live in such a way that people can see what our faith is without reading any label?  If we had to wear a badge saying that we are Christian, would people be surprised by some of the things that we say or do?  Is my identity really that of following in Jesus' footsteps?  Do I really live according to The Way?  Apart from attending a place of worship on a Sunday, does my daily way of living and attitudes to others really reflect the teachings of Jesus?  How do I show my identity as a follower of The Way?  Do I make it clear or do people need to ask or just guess by my lifestyle?  Is the way I live my life proof of my identity?  Hmmm!  Time for a coffee and food for thought.

It All Depends ...

First of all I must say for any who are not in touch through social media and so haven't seen my update, my son and his wife arrived home safely on Tuesday after spending a weekend in Paris.  With the happenings over the weekend, their time did not go as they had planned - the scheduled concert was cancelled by the authorities and most of the sight seeing attractions were closed until the Monday.  However, we are all very relieved that they are safe and well and can live to celebrate other birthdays in the future.  Now for some musings for this week.   

It's that time of year when those of us who like feeding the wild birds over the winter  start to buy various things to put out in the garden trying to attract them to come and feed.  Apart from the usual seed mixture there are the sunflower seeds, either whole or just the sunflower hearts.  For the finches they tell us to put out nyger seeds.  There are various types of fatty goods - suet pellets, fat balls and large 'cakes' of fat all mixed with seeds, insects or mealworms.  And we mustn't forget the peanuts.  All of these various goodies also need varying types of containers.  It's no good putting seeds into a wire container and fat balls needs to be in a container that the birds can peck through.  It's not that they're fussy eaters so they need a bird table menu to choose from, it's more a case of some foods suit some birds and not others.  Some are happy to cling onto feeders while others prefer to peck at the bird table.  Others, mostly the larger birds tend to just walk around pecking what is on the ground.  It would seem though that the nightly visitor to our garden will eat anything that s/he can get hold of.  Some people get urban foxes while others have problems with deer somehow breaking through their fences.  We have a nightly visit from a badger who will eat whatever s/he can get or dig holes looking for something.  He even seems to have the ability to reach up and pull down off the tree the container with the fat balls in it.  I thought I had put it high enough to be out of his reach but the fat balls and the container have disappeared - again!  Ah well, I'll have to think of another way of letting the birds get their needed fat intake.



We are starting to look at all the Christmas goodies that are appearing in the shops and I'm starting to make my lists of things to buy, food stuff that is - things that can be made at home and kept, other things that can be frozen or stored safely while there is always the list of the last things to buy that need to be fresh.  I prefer to plan ahead and not rush at the last minute.  That's just how I do things - with plenty of time and loads of lists.  The butcher has the order for the turkey which will be collected at the appropriate time.  I like to try and cater for everyone's tastes and take into account any allergies.  But I think we all tend to eat those extras that all the year round we avoid often for health reasons but somehow feel that because it's Christmas they won't have any affect on us - that is until we get on the scales after New Year - if we dare.  And don't mention the presents!  Personally I have great difficulty with so much choice, usually with inflated prices just because it's Christmas.  I always prefer gifts that are useful and not something that will just be put in a drawer and either forgotten or recycled next year for someone else.  Not everyone would agree with me and that's ok.  We're all different and do things differently.  It's just that that's the way I function.  It works for me.


This week I received an unexpected phone call from a cousin in Canada.  She normally phones sometime between Christmas and New Year.  The purpose of her call was mainly to tell me that her mother who is now almost 95 years of age had recently gone into a nursing home and so the address I currently have for her is no longer valid.  The strange thing is that she said to address it to Stefana.  She is actually an aunty of my late husband who I first knew when we lived in Argentina many years ago.  I have known her for 50+ years and have always called her Tia Nancy (Aunty Nancy) and now 50 years on I learn that her name is not Nancy at all but Stefana.  Surprised, I presumed that Nancy must be her middle name but was told that she isn't called Nancy at all.  Her name is Stefana but everyone, even all of her own family have always referred to her as Nancy and that is how she is known to most people.  I can't think of her as Stefana.  For me she will always be Tia Nancy.  I guess that's ok when it comes to Christmas greetings cards and personal letters.  If it were a legal matter then her real name has to be used.

All week I have been thinking about this and the fact that how often we live for years with a certain supposition and even when we know that the truth is different from what we are accustomed to, we carry on as before regardless.  Nothing changes.  Old habits die hard as they say.  Some things we do just out of habit even though it's not quite correct.  I have been reminded of such life lessons again with creation and life in general.  How we are all different and need different things in our lives for us to be complete and flourish.  It's not that one is right and others are wrong, we are just different and have varying needs. It all depends on our unique make up and circumstances.  The same goes for our personal taste in food and in life choices in general.  Some times though we need to recognise that some of the things we do and say are not strictly correct and that often we do and say them purely out of habit and a false sense of what is right.  Even the ordinary occurrences of life have much to teach us. But that all depends on if we listen.

Paris

There will be no blog post today.  My son Martin and his wife Lisa yesterday travelled to Paris to celebrate her birthday and go to the U2 concert this evening.  Then as you will all know there have been many killings, bombings and a hostage situation.  They have been in contact and are safe but as you can imagine, my mind cannot concentrate on anything else at the moment until they are safely back home.  

If you are the praying kind, please remember Paris today. #JesuisParis

Don't Forget

I must admit that I struggle with this particular time of the year.  I am really more of a pacifist and try to avoid confrontation of any sort if I can.  So I find the reminder of war and military conflict difficult.  I know and understand the arguments in favour of such action but can't help thinking that if those in power who lead their country to war were themselves to be affected by it in the same way that service people are, then there would be much more time spent in trying to avoid war in the first place.  It's fairly easy to say that there is no other way when you are not going to be killed or maimed yourself.  I must admit that I tend to dream with John Lennon's song that says ... 'Imagine there's no countries, it isn't hard to do, nothing to live or die for and no religion too.  Imagine all the people living life in peace.'  Everybody caught up in war loses something so there are no real outright winners.  My uncle who was held prisoner by the Japanese on the infamous Siam railway used to say, 'War makes people on both sides do some terrible things.'  It would seem that the only ones who come out of it all happier are those who invent and trade in the arms industry and as long as there are wars and conflicts they are laughing all the way to the bank!

The problem is that although you might kill the ones who are considered to be the instigators and leaders of 'the enemy', you can't kill an idea so easily.  Hitler was killed but today neo-naziism, fascism and ultra-racist nationalism exist all around the world in the guise of a pseudo 'patriotism' and 'looking after your own'.  Osama Bin Laden may be dead but his ideas live on.  So, does war actually achieve anything?  In Europe we are straining under the crisis of displaced people and those fleeing war situations.  It seems a bit hypocritical to bomb places where people are living and then try to avoid helping them when they flee for their lives and no longer have a home to live in as a result.  Sometimes I wonder.  Is it just a sort of macho power thing among world leaders, a case of not losing face, more about one-upmanship?  It certainly seems to be more of a case of who has the biggest weapons and best strategies rather than who is actually right, a bit more of a power thing than a better way of living.  It reminds me of the school bully or children fighting over a toy each claiming 'it's mine ... ... no, it's mine'.  Wars are usually caused by disputes over power, who is 'right' or possession of land.  And so some people prefer to wear a white poppy to signify the desire for peace to safeguard any tendency to glorify war and conflict.  I think we need to accept both the red and white and understand the stance of the other instead of judging them as lacking patriotism. 

Prince William painting a wall.

I was very moved the other week watching DIY SOS, the Big Build.  They took on a whole street and converted some of the houses especially for veterans.  If you didn't see it you can watch it on BBC iPlayer, DIY SOS, Homes for Veterans.  It makes you wonder if being killed is maybe an easier if not better option than surviving but being disabled.  The programme showed veterans who suffered mentally, emotionally and physically as a result of their severe injuries.  The saddest thing is that so many of these veterans return as heroes but are soon left on their own.  They can no longer serve in the military, so they find themselves unemployed and unable to do the job they have been trained for.  Many have severe bouts of depression and trauma and any sudden noise triggers off terrible memories.  Some struggle to cope.  And it also affects their families.  One veteran cried at the thought that now he had a house with a lift so he could get upstairs to put his children to bed.  He had felt that he was no longer able to be the father he wanted to be.  And so there are so many tragic stories.

Prince Harry supporting disabled veterans in their fund-raising

In one of the episodes, the tradesmen were joined by Princes William and Harry as they showed their support for the project and actually did some work and talked with the workers and the veterans.  Whatever your opinion of the royal family is in general, I must admit that I do admire Harry for the way that he supports in active ways those who have been affected by their faithful military service, walking with them on long treks and adventures to raise funds for charities that help the wounded and highlighting the problems and bringing them to public awareness.  He was so right when he made the comment that we send our young men and women into war situations and when they come back injured and in need of specialist help, what sort of country are we if we don't rally round and help?  Yet these people who were willing to put their lives on the line for the country (unlike many politicians and those in seats of power), slip through the net and have to depend on charities to help them.  Some end up living on the streets.  Is that how we treat heroes?  

The original poem about the poppies in Flanders Field remembered those who had died.  It was not a racist idea - us vs them (whoever 'them' may be).  It was not about national pride.  It was not about British values (it was actually written by a Canadian)  It was not about jingoism.  It was not about glorifying war.  It was actually the opposite of all that.  It was about remembering the senseless shedding of blood and waste of lives and the national sentiment at the time was 'never again'.  Today, sadly for many it seems to be more about judging people on the sort of poppy they're wearing - or not and judging their patriotism accordingly.  It is often thought about as being 'proud to be British'  when that was not the original idea of the poppy at all.  So this Remembrance Day, don't forget the real reason for the day and the original thought behind the poppy and not confuse it with a sort of 'call to arms' or a 'we'll show 'em' kind of gung-ho attitude.  Remember those who have given their all for their country (whichever that may be).  Don't forget those who survived but for whom life has changed forever.  Don't forget those left behind who have to pick up the pieces and carry on.  Don't forget those whose homeland has been destroyed to such an extent that they can no longer live there and raise their families.  They need help.  It might seem that killing will solve the problem.  The truth is though that ideas live on and the aftermath of war and its consequences bring many more problems that need to be addressed.  Don't forget all those affected by war, wherever they are or in whatever way they are affected.  Throw your memory net wide to include all who need help as a result of war.  Don't forget the real significance of the poppy.