Victorian Christmas

Yesteday we had a most enjoyable day at Portsmouth's Victorian Christmas Market. Apart from the stalls, there were a number of entertainment events to get you in the mood. The first thing that we saw just after arriving through the gates was a demonstration of the Fort Cumberland Guard firing their muskets.

Shortly beyond that there was a kiosk selling warmed mince pie with mulled wine. For an extra 50 pence you could have the wine served in a souvenir mug which you could then take home. It seemed like a very appropriate way to start our Victorian experience!

Walking along it appeared to have started to snow until a few yards further we realised that it was a snow machine creating false snow in order to give an authentic Dickensian Christmas feel to the occasion. Throughout the market there were scenes of typical Victorian/Dickensian life.

There was also an exhibition of various old cycles - 2, 3 and 4 wheeled vehicles.



The original 'quadbike'?

As the market was held in the Historic Dockyard, there was opportunity to visit exhibits from earlier times in British maritime history - the Mary Rose museum.  The Mary Rose was a warship of the Tudor navy of Henry VIII. In 1545 it led the attack on a French invasion but sank in the Solent. It was raised from the sea bed in 1982. Also in the dockyard is HMS Victory, Admiral Lord Nelson's flagship that was used to defeat the French in the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805. I sense there was a bit of 'tongue in cheek' by the organisers of the Victorian Market as they put the French stalls right next to HMS Victory. Hmm!

We left the house just before 7.30 in the morning and arrived back about 7.45 in the evening, tired but happy to have experienced such an enjoyable day.

Preparations

The adverts are all trying to get us to part with our money and the shops entice us to buy their products.  The Christmas cards are beginning to arrive.  Every year the first one to arrive is from a 91 year old aunt who lives in Canada.  Yesterday I got the tree and decorations down from the loft ready for the weekend – I like to put the tree up and start putting the Christmas garlands and decorations around the living/dining rooms once December has arrived.  This Sunday Diego and I are having a day trip into Portsmouth to visit the Victorian Christmas Market there – looking forward to that!

 

A few years ago I bought a ‘Christmas’ cactus, so called because it flowers at Christmas time.  Except that most years mine flowers a bit before that.  And this year it has done just that.  It is now in full bloom.  I won’t complain because it is really pretty and this time of the year any colour from natural flowers or plants are welcome to cheer up the dull days.  But if I’m honest I would really like it to be in flower on Christmas Day.  When I see the buds appearing then I feel that it’s like another step in the preparations.  There are still quite a few buds that are still quite small and haven’t started to open up yet so maybe I’ll get my wish after all.

I’ve made lists and gradually ticking off the things that are now done.  Even though we don’t have small children in our home, I love Christmas and all it means to me as a Christian.  Why do people say it’s mainly for the children? - unless of course I’m still a kid at heart.

 

 

Omnirelevant

I have just invented a new word - omnirelevant.  The prefix omni- means all, ever, in all things and places.  We seem to use it more when we look for words to describe God - omnipotent, omnipresent, omniscient.  I have considered God to be all of these things and also be always relevant to my life.  I have always maintained that God is not just the God of the Jews or the Old Testament or even the New Testament but God is relevant to all people and now.

I, along with most western Christians, was more than a little surprised at the result of the Anglican Synod yesterday when they voted not to have women bishops.  Most of the people there at the synod wanted the motion to be passed, the outgoing archbishop and the new archbishop both wanted it to be passed so what sort of 'democratic' voting system decrees that it will not happen, at least not now?

Yesterday I also received an email from a relative telling me of her son's marriage and saying she would send me the photos for me to see.  She mentioned that as her son was divorced and this was his second marriage, she felt that she could not share freely on Facebook as there are quite a number of her acquaintances who (for ‘religious’ reasons) don't agree with divorce or remarrying and so would cause problems and she asked me please not to share the photos.

I am amazed that in the 21st century western world (I'm referring here to people who consider themselves Christians, not some other religion) there are those who still have such a dinosaur mentality when it comes to their faith and how they practice it and expect others to practice it.  Outside the church construct people are hungry for God but is it any wonder that they want nothing to do with the organised church?  God is relevant - omnirelevant to us all but it would seem that the established, organised church construct no longer is.  People see the church as not relevant to them, their circumstances or the world we live in today.  

Not All That Bad

Two of my blogging friends have had a difficult time lately and both on their blogs this week have focussed not on their tragedies but on thanking God for what they do have and some of the happy times they have shared this year. At this time of year when our thoughts turn to Christmas preparations, I was thinking of what I should include in my usual newsletter that accompanies the cards I send in order to keep family and friends up to date with what is going on in our family. To be honest I am struggling to find enough things to say as this year has been VERY quiet; no travel, no holidays away, no life-changing situations. It seems that this past year I have been very boring and nothing of significance has happened.


But reading my friends' blogs I realised that my attitude was all wrong. Instead of bemoaning my uninteresting life I should think of the good times I have had and the daily blessings that I have enjoyed. Today the weather here in Yeovil has been lovely and warmer than recent days. So I was able to hang the washing outside and by mid afternoon it was all dry. There haven't been many days lately when the weather has been suitable to be able to do this. This morning I went to the hairdresser's to have my hair trimmed. Again I thanked God for the health and strength to be able to walk there and back. This time last year I was struggling to walk so far but God has indeed been good to me restoring my health.

Those who know me or who have followed my blog will know that I love to feed the wild birds in the winter. This week I was able to get a photo of a bluetit on the fat ball container. It is always a pleasure to see these beautiful little birds and that I am able to help in keeping them alive during the cold spell.

I could go on but won't, but I have learnt, or should I say have been reminded yet again, that even when things are not as we would like or seem quieter than we're used to, there is always something good. It's just that we can't see the good things when our minds our totally absorbed with the not so good.  It's just like the old song says, 'Count your many blessings, name them one by one ... ... and it will surprise you what the Lord has done.'

Visit and Changing Season

I realise it's 2 weeks since I posted anything on my blog. It was 2 weeks ago today that my elder sister and her husband came down from the northeast to visit us for a few days. They came on what we call 'the Christmas run' (as I mentioned in my last blog). They come with their presents for those of us living in the southwest and in return we give them the presents from us here to take back to those in the northeast. We look forward to this visit each year. As we are all getting older and finding travelling not quite so easy and a little more tiring than a few years ago, we try to make the most of the short time we have together. On the Sunday we all went to my younger sister's house for dinner and tea and she prepared a lovely 'Christmas' dinner with all the trimmings as we are never altogether at Christmas time. We spent a day out in Wells, looking around the cathedral. We always enjoy the visits to the two local garden centres to wander round their Christmas displays and have a coffee in the adjoining coffee shop. The displays are lovely to see but they remind me of those in the northeast and somehow don't quite equal those in the Metro Centre in Gateshead or the window displays in Fenwick's big department store in Newcastle. The child in me lives on especially at this time of year!

Sister Jean and brother-in-law Bernard with 2 younger members of the family,
 Charlie (left) and Oliver (right) on the Sunday get-together.

 

My sister and brother-in-law don't have a computer and as his brother and wife are currently enjoying a 6 week fabulous holiday touring around New Zealand and Australia, I was able to let them read the daily blog telling of their wonderful adventure and see the accompanying photos. I have recently been tracing our family tree back through the centuries, thanks to ancestry.co.uk and was able to share my findings with them. My brother-in-law had also brought documents and information to trace some of his family tree and they returned happy with the new-found knowledge of past relatives and where they had come from. Maybe now that they have had a little experience in using the computer and seeing how useful it is to browse the net, discovering useful information and keeping in touch with friends and family, who knows, maybe they might consider joining us in the 21st century.

My parents on their wedding day -
1st August 1931

While they were here, the weather wasn't too bad and things in the garden were still growing but in the past fortnight the gardener has made his last visit for this year, the trees are looking bare and there are few blackberries left to gather. The small fig tree now has its winter overcoat wrapped around it before the frosts come, British Summer time is no more, we have had the first fall of snow and morning frost on the grass and the evenings are dark sooner. This past two weeks have gone by quickly and thoughts are turning to Christmas preparations. Suddenly it seems that Christmas will soon be upon us and I need to start writing cards, especially those that need to be posted for family abroad so they get them in time. Time to make my endless lists of things to do and buy!

It's Good to Talk

There is such a thrill when a baby says his/her first word - Mama or Dada.  After a couple of years we complain and get frustrated at the constant chatter and questions.  We know they are wanting to learn and know how things work but sometimes we wish they would just be quiet.  We long for bedtime and a bit of peace and quiet!  It seems no time at all until they are off to live on their own and then, oh how we miss hearing them.

At the beginning of this week a friend who usually blogs an update on her life in Latvia on a Monday evening wrote that this week her update was being put on hold for a few days as her parents were visiting and they were spending a lot of time talking.  I’m sure they had a lot to share as living abroad they don’t get to see each other as often as they would like.  Yesterday I was in town and was surprised to see a friend I haven’t seen for a few years.  We spent a good while chatting and catching up.  She told me all about her youngest daughter who is now 14 and that she herself has now remarried.  So much news in a few minutes!  Then at the bus stop I met another lady I hadn’t seen for about 18 months and was able to have a brief chat before her bus came.  That morning had been so productive, not just because I had managed to get the things I went into town for but because I had been able to catch up with old friends I hadn’t seen for a while.  It felt so good to talk.

Through the medium of social networks and email I have received a number of requests for prayer this week and have been very happy to bring their needs to God on their behalf.  Talking and sharing with friends can be such a help.  The old saying goes – a problem shared is a problem halved – and it does help to know that you’re not alone when there are troubled times.

This afternoon my elder sister and brother-in-law arrive from the northeast to visit for a few days.  They do this every year about this time on ‘the Christmas run’ as we call it to exchange Christmas gifts before the days gets too dark and weather worsens for travel.  But what is really good is being able to have long chats about family and friends we don’t see very often.  So until next Tuesday I won’t be on the PC so much as we will be talking … … and talking … … and talking.  Exchanging news, sharing experiences and just enjoying the company of friends and family is SO important.  Thank you Lord for this blessing.

Bird Brain

To say 'bird brain' I consider to be quite insulting - to the birds, that is. I think that anyone who has watched any wildlife documentary will know that actually they are quite resourceful and find a way to adapt to most things. The birds that come into our garden to feed know who feeds them and which gardens they should go to. When I go out to stock up their supply of seed, fat balls etc you can hear them chirping to each other as if they are saying 'Look guys, food is being served!' Their ingenuity was proven again to me this morning.




I didn't manage to get a photo of said pigeon but found this one

I was in town with my sister doing a spot of shopping. We went into Wilkinson as we both wanted something from the store. My sister suddenly said 'Look at that! There's a pigeon walking along that aisle' and sure enough there was a pigeon walking undeterred along the aisle not deviating to the right or left but headed straight ahead as though it knew where it was going. We continued on our way up one aisle and down another looking to see where they had the compostable liners for the small food caddies. After we found them we continued to the aisle where the wild bird food was kept as I needed to get a bucket of fat balls for the birds. We turned the corner at the end of the aisle to look for the fat balls and there in front of us was the pigeon. It had pecked a hole in an enormous plastic sack full of peanuts and was enjoying himself pecking away at the nuts. He knew exactly where he wanted to go to get a free lunch! He pecked away for a time and then trotted on, one satisfied pigeon. Bird brain? It didn't seem so dumb to me.



Conditional Independence

The word ‘independence’ conjures up the idea of freedom from being told what to do.  The teenager longs for the days of independence when they are not being restricted by their parents.  Yet they soon find that in order to succeed in life, they must be subject to the rules of others at work or university who keep telling them what they must or must not do.

In every walk of life there are rules to follow and the smooth running of society depends on each member of that society doing what is expected of them.  In that sense it seems that true independence would probably be a form of anarchy where everyone does as he pleases regardless of others … … or maybe opt out of society altogether and live a sort of hermit-like existence, a bit like the hunter-gatherers of ancient times.  So this poses the question, does progress really mean dependence?  I suppose the true freedom of the western world is in the freedom of choice that we have to choose which set of governing bodies we want to have making the rules.

 

Whichever form of government we choose we are still dependent on much that makes up modern life.  My last blog mentioned the dependence we have on electricity and such power sources.  A couple of weeks ago I had one of those moments with a dysfunctional mouse when I couldn’t use my computer.  We rely on fuel for transport and as a knock-on effect everything we use depends on this.  Without transport fuel there would be nothing in the shops to buy, so unless I am totally self-sufficient, (and who really is?) I am dependent on much.

 

Religious freedom is a bit of an oxymoron – a contradiction in terms.  Religions of whatever persuasion all have their rules that must be followed, a certain way of living and thinking.  Religious freedom really means freedom to choose which set of rules we want to live by, not dissimilar to society’s free parliamentary elections.  Jesus often criticised the Pharisees for their overbearing rules with nitty-gritty detail affecting just about everything in life.  Sadly there are today many groups of Christians in organised systems of church who have such control over their members.  Often these rules are not written down; you don’t have to sign up to anything but you are expected to act and think in a certain way - you shouldn’t go there; it is frowned upon to read that book; you mustn’t think along those lines.  The thing that strikes me in the Bible is how often Jesus deliberately breaks the rules to show that His kingdom is about real freedom to be one with God each in our own individual way.
 

 

As I get older, I hopefully am getting to the point of being truly free from what others think of me and what I should or shouldn’t do, say or think.  So are these thoughts those of an independent person who is not conditioned by rules or the ramblings of an old woman?  Maybe somewhere between the two!  It seems that being independent is more dependent than we care to think.

Rubbish Power

On the news this week there was a item about the future of electrcity in the UK. The 'experts' say that if we continue using as much as we do now, then within 3 years we will experience power cuts and black outs as there won't be enough electricity to meet demand. My thoughts went to sitting in silence in candle light - no TV, no PC, no music, unless I sing to myself a capella - even the keyboard is electric. There would be early nights, no heating and having to find an alternative to boil a kettle for a hot drink. It all seemed quite dismal. It took me back to my childhood before we had central heating or a TV not to mention a computer. But at least then we had a coal fire and could boil a kettle or a pan of soup so suddenly those days didn't seem that bad.

Then this morning I was reading through 'Your Somerset', the South Somerset County Council Newspaper where they bring us up to date with the work the Council is doing in our area. There was an article entitled 'From Plate to Power - AD on its way'. Intriguing - I read on. AD stands for 'anaerobic digestion', which has nothing to do with the effects of aerobic exercise on our digestive system!  It is in fact, and I quote from the article, a 'plant that will create methane for electricity generation from 19,000 tonnes of food waste annually.' So the weekly recycling collection that takes away all our food scraps, peelings, tea bags, coffee grounds and egg shells, as well as being used for fertilizer will now be used to create electricity. That made me feel a bit better about the future of electricity in this country.

It did make me think though, that how often we take things for granted almost until crisis point. We know the risks and dangers but somehow brush them off reassuring ourselves that things will all turn out ok. How much do I have every day that God freely showers on me in abundance and how often can I go a whole day without even saying 'Thank You, Lord'? He has given the stewardship of His creation to humanity and that is as much my responsibility as that of those in positions of power and government. We need to look after what we have in order to preserve it for the future.

 

Born to be Christian?

Whatever any personal view on the war in Afghanistan or the unrest in the Arab world, I find it disturbing, to say the least, the amount of killing that goes on in the name of God/Allah/Yahweh. It cannot be denied that religious wars have caused much suffering throughout the history of the world.

In no way do I condone any sort of terrorism or fanatical extreme views, of whichever side and I certainly don't agree with many practices of some religions, particularly when it comes to the treatment of women as second class citizens who are looked upon simply as possessions of the male population to do with whatever they please. But so do I oppose the outright hatred and intolerance shown by some sections of a 'Christian' population to anything other than Christianity. Some say we should 'give them a taste of what they do to others' but that just makes us the same as they are. It doesn't solve the problem.

 

 

Today I couldn't help thinking, 'what if I hadn't been born into a Christian home in England?' 'What if I had been brought up in a sincere Muslim family somewhere in the Middle East or if I had been influenced by a Hindu or Buddhist family life in Asia?' I know that as a child, I was taught the truths of the Christian Bible and taken to Sunday School and encouraged to spend my life for God according to Christian ways and beliefs. I'm sure that living and being brought up in such an environment has shaped me into who I am today, although I do appreciate that at least in this country I am free to change my ways, beliefs and allegiance if I wish. But I am equally sure that if I had been born into a Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist or any other religious way of life, I would probably at this moment be trying to live the best I can according to such teaching.

So am I a Christian because of accident of birth - that I just happened to be born in England of Christian parents? Maybe, maybe not! But it certainly makes me feel that I should be looking beyond face value of ordinary people who follow other religions. Maybe they are just doing the best they can to be the best they can and be faithful to what they believe is true. And maybe they are not as free as I am to change their point of view if they want to, without any real repercussions. God loves all of His creation, whatever our understanding of Him - and as a true follower of Him, so must I.

Dependent

I'm sure we've all had one of those moments when something isn't right and we suddenly feel 'Now what do I do?' Yesterday I had one of those moments. I had switched on my PC and then as usual moved the mouse to click on the internet access but nothing happened. I wiggled the mouse, moved it about and clicked, moved it again and clicked ... ... but all to no avail. Agh! Now what do I do? There is that moment when panic sets in before we start to think rationally about how to go about sorting out the problem. It is a cordless mouse and so I tried replacing the batteries with new ones. Nothing happened. I plugged in the old cabled mouse ... nothing happened. Oh no! What is wrong? I took out the batteries and put them in again but nothing. I was just sitting thinking and wondering what to try next when there was a small flicker of a green light on the mouse. It was back. What a relief!

I know it sounds silly now looking back but it made me realise just how much we come to depend on machines. In that moment it seemed that my whole life revolved around a small gadget worth a few pounds. It's true that now-a-days I do so much on the computer - shopping, banking as well as keeping in touch with people, keeping records and accounts and finding out information. Life without it of course is possible but a bit more inconvenient and quite time-consuming. Even if you have a very expensive computer, without a mouse you can't really do much. That is unless you're not dependent on the old fashioned type like me but have a lap top or pad or smart phone. Maybe the problem really is that I'm just a bit behind the times?!

Computer of the future.

 

The Elephant Whisperer

Yesterday I received an email from my sister, telling me the amzing story of a man who rescued elephants and how they showed their love and respect for him when he died.  His books can be purchased online through a very well-known supplier.

Lawrence Anthony, a legend in South Africa and author of 3 books including the bestseller The Elephant Whispererbravely rescued wildlife and rehabilitated elephants all over the globe from human atrocities, including the courageous rescue of Baghdad Zoo animals during US invasion in 2003 On March 7, 2012 Lawrence Anthony died. He is remembered and missed by his wife, 2 sons, 2 grandsons & numerous elephants. Two days after his passing, the wild elephants showed up at his home led by two large matriarchs.  Separate wild herds arrived in droves to say goodbye to their beloved man-friend.

A total of 31 elephants had patiently walked over 12 miles to get to his South African House.  Witnessing this spectacle, humans were obviously in awe not only because of the supreme intelligence and precise timing that these elephants sensed about Lawrence 's passing, but also because of the profound memory and emotion the beloved animals evoked in such an organized way:  Walking slowly for days Making their way in a solemn one-by-one queue from their habitat to his house. Lawrence's wife, Francoise, was especially touched, knowing that the elephants had not been to his house prior to that day for well over 3 years! But yet they knew where they were going.  The elephants obviously wanted to pay their deep respects, honouring their friend who'd saved their lives - so much respect that they stayed for 2 days 2 nights without eating anything. Then one morning, they left, making their long journey back home............  A truly amazing story

End of a Season

A weatherforecaster this morning said that because of the lower temperatures it could be said that summer is now over. I can't say that it ever came, never mind went! But that aside it seems to have been a week of endings. The week started with the sound of trees being sawed. Looking out over the back garden we could see that the garden adjoining our next door neighbour was having work done on the huge trees that were near the fence.

The very large trees are at the back left of the photo

 

It took 2 whole days but the result was that the trees were no longer. Their shadow didn't affect us but I'm sure that the owner of the now visible house was glad to see them go and so be able to let some light into their over-shadowed garden.

Instead of trees, a now visible house

Yesterday it was last day for a particular Radio 1 presenter doing his long lasting show. Today a short slot called Odd Box on the BBC News channel came to an end after a number of years. And yesterday I received a letter from the supermarket that I do online shopping with, that their card system is changing and so I would not be able to continue using my present store credit card to do my shopping. I was assured that this was in my best interest and I could continue shopping with them as before. If I wanted to do this then I would need to apply for their new card. This would cost me an administration fee of £3. Somehow their changing system costing me money to continue doing what I have been doing doesn't seem to be in my best interest! (no matter small the amount). So now I am rethinking and have decided to do my online shopping with another supermarket whose store card I also have.

The birds that frequented the tall trees will, this winter, have to find another place to roost in safety and build their nests in the spring (maybe finally some might check out our bird boxes!) and I have to register for online shopping at the 'other' supermarket. Life is always changing and sometimes it takes us by surprise and we need to stop and rethink things through, take stock of where we are and which way we want to continue. I was reminded of the words of St Teresa when she said 'all things are passing ...' and I was comforted by the rest of that sentence '... ... God never changes.' Even when life continually changes and sometimes we change direction and need to re-assess situations, the one constant is God!

Paso a Paso

El repórter estaba hablando con el paralímpico irlandes Jason Smyth. Había terminado su carrera en 10.2 segundos para ganar la medalla de oro. Le preguntó si ahora lo iba tratar a hacer en menos de 10 segundos. Su repuesta fue rápida y definitiva - 'NO'. '¿Porqué no?' preguntó el repórter un poco asombrado. El atleta continuó a explicar porque pensó que eso no era una sugerencia realista, no porque no lo podría hacer eventualmente sino porque él pensó que la forma mejor de llegar a una meta es de a poco - un paso a la vez.

Jason Smyth

 

Para llegar a los 10.2 segundos llevó mucho trabajo y esfuerzo de entrenar. Dijo que para llegar a 10.1 segundos llevaría aún más trabajo y esfuerzo y eso sería su primer objetivo. Cuando ya lo había hecho eso entonces trataría de hacerlo en 10 segundos. Si llegara a ser posible a hacer eso entonces pensaría en tratar a correr en menos de 10 segundos. Su forma de pensar era que si trataba de lograr de hacerlo en menos de 10 segundos ahora, probablemente pensaría que no fuera posible y entonces cada vez que faltaba se creería como un fracazo y eso no le ayudaría en su actitud mental para llegar a su meta. Me parecía palabras muy sabias.

Se dice amenudo que para llegar a una meta lejana deberíamos dividir el proceso en pasos más pequeños. Cada vez que llegamos a un nivel con éxito nos estimula para seguir hasta el próximo nivel y luego el que sigue y así sucesivamente hasta que lleguemos a un punto donde podemos ver el objetivo deseado en nuestra vista, que ahora sí parece posible. Hay una canción que dice 'un día a la vez' y me parece que eso es el secreto. Algunas cosas es cierto parecen muy lejos y fuera de nuestro alcanze que sean los estudios, deporte, carrera, proyecto o cualquier otra cosa que quisiéramos hacer pero al dividirlo en pasos más pequeños y alcanzables, ¿quién sabe a que altura podremos alcanzar o que objetivo podremos lograr?

Step by Step

The reporter was interviewing the Irish Paralympian Jason Smyth. He had run his race in 10.2 seconds to gain his gold medal, a great achievement whether paralympian or not. He was asked if now he was going to try to achieve a goal of under 10 seconds. His reply was quick and definite - 'NO'. 'Why not?' asked the reporter a little surprised. The athlete then went on to explain why he thought that such a suggestion was unrealistic, not because he couldn't do it eventually but that he found the best way to achieve a goal was a little at a time - step by step.


 

 

 

Jason Smyth

To achieve even 10.2 seconds took a lot of hard work, training and effort. He said that with more hard work and effort his first goal would be 10.1 seconds and when he had done that, then he would try for 10 seconds. If that was achievable then he would think about under 10 seconds. His reasoning was that if he tried immediately to go for the ultimate goal, then he would probably feel that it was out of reach and any shortcoming would be felt as failure and this would not be helpful in his attitude to achieve his goal. Very wise words, I thought.

We are often told that in order to achieve a far-off goal, we should break the process down into small steps. Each time we reach the next step, we are spurred on to reach the following step, then the one after that and so on until we are within sight of reaching our desired goal. A now 'old' Christian song has the words 'step by step we're moving forwards, little by little gaining ground.' Another spiritual song says 'one day at a time' and I guess that is the secret. Some things do seem a very long way away and impossible to achieve whether that be in sport, studies, gaining a desired weight loss or reaching some other destination or goal. If we can break it down into smaller, more achievable steps, who knows what heights we can reach and what goals we can attain?

I saw this picture and thought of all my very 'crafty' friends!

 

Is The Grass Greener?

We hear many stories of how people overcome some terrible problems in order to give their lives some sort of purpose and direction.  Particularly at this time of the Paralympics, the focus is on many who have been born or suffered, through illness, accident or war, some disability and through sport have found a motive to take part in new things and have gained a sense of self-worth and achievement.  They haven’t just sat back and moaned because of their circumstances.  They have shown real courage and tremendous determination to do something with their lives.

Yesterday, I received (again – as I have received it before) an email with a link to the story of Emmanuel Kelly, a young man with terrible deformation of limbs, born in Iraq and with his brother was left in an orphanage.  He appeared on the Australian version of The X Factor and wanted to sing.  His version of John Lennon’s ‘Imagine’ really was very moving and inspiring, knowing his story.  If you haven’t come across this, you can watch it through YouTube – http://www.youtube.com/embed/W86jlvrG54o.
 

Emmanuel Kelly

We often think that other people may have a better deal in life than we do or think that if our situation were somehow different then we would be better.  The expression ‘the grass is greener on the other side of the fence’ comes to mind but often if we actually do get to ‘the other side of the fence’ we discover that things are not that different after all.  There is, however, another version of that saying.  It states, ‘The grass is not greener on the other side.  It’s green where you decide to water it, nourish and take care of it.’

Reading that and seeing some remarkable life stories of those taking part in the Paralympics and people like Emmanuel Kelly, somehow puts my little niggles and moans into a more realistic perspective in the big scheme of things.

 

Good Friends

I recently received an email from cousin Tommy that made me smile.  It shows animals that you would not expect getting along really well.  It also made me think and every now and again my mind goes back to those photos.  It is entitled 'You don't have to look like me to be my friend'.  I have copied a few of the photos below.

I couldn't help thinking it's a shame that humans make such a big issue of how people look, act and behave differently one from the other.  This is especially poignant this week at the start of the Paralympics.  I don't want to expand further but just ask you to consider what these photos could be like if translated into human terms.  Just think about it!  And thanks Tommy for sharing the email.

Life Changing

As part of an attempt to lose a few pounds in weight and get a bit more fit at the same time, my son and I have started going for hour-long walks.  Yesterday we walked along a street quite near to our home but realised that there had been some building work done that we hadn’t noticed before.  A whole row of new houses had suddenly appeared where once there had been some run-down flats and a few scruffy looking shops.

 

All around us things are constantly changing, no more so than in the gardens and parks.  The seasons change, although here somehow we seemed to have missed summer this year.  But the gardens show that nature continues its ever-changing appearance.  Flowers come and go, fruits appear while others are reaching the end of their season.  The cherry trees are already losing their leaves and the evenings are drawing in.

On the news yesterday morning there was a report about how in the southwest there have been changes along the coastline.  Some cliffs have broken off, landslides have occurred and in one place one lane of the road had disappeared.  It seems that the earth itself is changing its form.

All of life seems to point to the fact that things are constantly changing and moving.  The old is done away with and the new comes into being.  And yet we humans have an ability to try to keep things established as they were in years gone by.  Things that once were classed as movements have become institutions bogged down by tradition and often losing all the sense of the driving force that they once had.  Too often we echo the sentiments of the close disciples of Jesus when they said ‘Let us make three tabernacles’ as though the spiritual experience that they had just had, could in some way me immortalised in stone.  It’s the desire to ‘bottle it’ and keep things as they were at that wonderful, awesome moment and keep it just like that for posterity when the Spirit moves and keeps moving.  If only we could learn from God’s creation the important lesson that God is always on the move and who knows what wonders we are missing because we want to hang on to what we’ve got instead of allowing ourselves to go where the Spirit leads?
 

Expectations

We are hearing a lot about expectations at the moment.  Even before the Olympics had started, there were reports of how many medals Team GB were expected to get and in particular how many gold medals.  There were sports celebrities who were mentioned by name and the expectation to achieve gold medal status.  I felt sad for some whom on the day of their particular sporting final, weren’t able to deliver on the expectations that other people had put on them.  There was little acknowledgement of all the hard work, practice and discipline that they had put in for years, just a sense almost of failure

You can see that same weight put on some children to achieve academic excellence in their exams.  Some parents seem to have the future all mapped out for their offspring without apparently giving much thought to what they would like to do with their lives.  This is true not only in the academic field but in the arts or the entertainment business also where pushy parents almost force their children into a particular career path.  In later years this often leads to maladjusted adults with many mental or emotional problems.  They carry with them the weight of others’ expectations throughout their lives.

There are some individuals who, not through any expectations of others, seem to expect too much of themselves.  It’s as though they want to be all things to all people – an impossible task!  I shall always remember some wise words spoken to a church leader many years ago.  He had spent himself doing everything above and beyond what he needed and the result was that he ended up in hospital totally exhausted and suffering mental and physical breakdown.  His pastoral visitor wisely said that God doesn’t ask us to do what is beyond our capabilities.  We cannot give God more than our all.  God did not make him ill but his unrealistic expectations of himself did that.

Goals and ambitions are good and sometimes people do need a little nudge to help them to keep going when things get difficult but there is great danger in putting too much weight onto the shoulders of others when God is not actually asking them to do that or go along that path of life.  We need wisdom to distinguish between what we should be responsible for and what God is not asking us to do or be involved with.  That is not always easy.  I need to learn from Solomon that sometimes the best prayer is to pray for wisdom to know what to do and what to leave undone.  Maybe some things are someone else’s responsibility, not mine.