Sometimes I have to write difficult e-mails. Millie had me up at 5.30am today, when she’s gotta go, she’s gotta go; she makes this abundantly clear. Climbing back into bed I decided it was time to tackle that tricky e-mail that had been keeping me awake into the small hours. So, firing up my laptop... Continue Reading →
Listening to my Life – Learning to say No
Many years ago, I was part of a church leadewrship team in Essex, In the office we had a young lady who worked hard and took care of much of the admin. What I never forgot was her tactic of how she would deal with any request from one of us to take on a... Continue Reading →
Listening to my Life: My Anti-Mentor, the Horrible Manager
In my early years working in an office I had the misfortune to work for a manager who was everything you didn't want him to be. He was dull, petty, spiteful; if he picked you up on a mistake, and in my case, that was all too often, he'd lecture you at length, making it... Continue Reading →
What’s a Christian?
Now we're allowed out to play we've been spending time catching up with offspring and their offspring in various parts of the country. Recently up in Essex with family we were introduced to a young lady, the girlfriend of one of our grandchildren. She wore shorts over fishnet tights and had a ring through her... Continue Reading →
To Love Someone Long-term…
“To love someone long-term is to attend a thousand funerals of the people they used to be. The people they’re too exhausted to be any longer. The people they don’t recognize inside themselves anymore. The people they grew out of, the people they never ended up growing into. We so badly want the people we... Continue Reading →
What Went You Forth to Find?
In my efforts to simplify my life I'm getting rid of some hundreds of books. I can only do this reasonably successfully when Anita works alongside me, for reasons you can probably imagine. We'd filled a Gousto box, (long story for another day), and I was about to start filling a second box when I... Continue Reading →
“Come Dear Heart, Lean on me, Let us Walk This Path Together.”
"Poor naked wretches, whereso'er you are, That bide the pelting of this pitiless storm, How shall your houseless heads and unfed sides, Your looped and windowed raggedness, defend you From seasons such as these? " (King Lear Act 3 Scene 4.) When these words were first spoken, The nation was being rocked by bubonic plague with London losing probably a... Continue Reading →
Courage, Dear Heart
Still on the theme of pressing the pause button as we come out of lockdown. (My life is generally in transition right now and it may be a lot easier for me to pause than for many readers.) How has pausing impacted me? Today we paused to chat with our local park keeper. He pointed... Continue Reading →
Running a Ruler over Your Charity
My last blog gently encouraged us to press the pause button as we come out of lockdown. I meant every word at the time and still do, but I probably need to revert to my usual grumpy self or my friends might start to worry about me. So this time I'm writing about charities year... Continue Reading →