Jo and Allan (daughter and son-in-law), have a new wall built at the front of their house. It looks good. Grandson Zak says: ‘Why has our house turned into a castle?’
Paul Simon in ‘I am a Rock’ says:
I’ve built walls
A fortress, steep and mighty
That none may penetrate
I have no need of friendship
Friendship causes pain
It’s laughter and it’s loving I disdain
Musing on the walls we build round ourselves…
Yesterday I learnt of the 1966 Welsh boating tragedy. The ‘Prince of Wales’, carrying 39 passengers sank; 15 people including 4 children died.
We watched a recent interview with an elderly local gent who had helped rescue survivors. He said he never talks about the event. He’s built a protective wall round the memory…
I’m reading ‘Remarkable People’ by TV presenter (and Strictly contestant!) Dan Walker. He talks about ex-footballer John Hartson.
Hartson feared he may have testicular cancer but was scared to have it checked out. The cancer spread… He had 2 emergency brain operations, 2 emergency operations on his lungs and 60 sessions of chemotherapy… He survived, but with permanent scars.
He also came through a gambling addiction that caused those around him to suffer… he nearly lost his wife and children. Hartson had built walls that denied personal reality…
Jesus’ instruction to ‘Love your neighbour as you love yourself’ is more about building bridges than building walls.
Yesterday on ‘Songs of Praise’ Dr Krish Kandia was talking about the hundreds of Afghans and their families being relocated to the UK and the work that ‘Welcome Churches’ is doing helping and supporting those in desperate need.
Refugees coming across the Channel in inflatable boats is still in the news. Many talk of ‘building walls’ to control immigration.
Kandia quoted Hebrews13.2: ‘Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it.’
…Unexpected results of replacing walls with bridges!
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