At Men’s Shed we know and care for each other in an old-manly sort of way. Many of our conversations are unprintable, lacking in any social acceptability or political correctness. Like teenagers we have our own culture that you have to be part of to understand!
Mac’s, a lovely guy, an ex-milkman whose language and deliberate offensiveness are an acquired taste. After a particularly offensive but humorous rant he turned to me and said, ‘I’ll talk to you, Malcolm. You’re the only one who doesn’t swear at me!’
That was a compliment!
Recently we were chatting to a mum and her children. Olivia, 12, was telling us about her school. Many years previously I’d worked with a kind man and wonderful teacher who teaches at her school. ‘Do you know my friend Mr Spink?’ I asked.
Olivia’s eyes lit up. ‘O yes,’ she said ‘He’s my favourite teacher. I like him because he doesn’t mind if you make a mistake.’
What a great compliment!
Writing to his young friend Timothy whilst he was imprisoned in Rome St Paul describes a stately home. There are expensive gold and silver dishes that only come out on important occasions, clay pots and wooden bowls that are used every day. Paul says, ‘All are useful.’
Musing… What sort of container am I? ‘Being useful’ is certainly a compliment I’d be proud of…
I’ve been reminded several times recently of the American lawyer and church elder Horatio Spafford who lost a lot of money in the 1871 Great Fire of Chicago.
150 years ago today, on November 22, 1873, the Atlantic steamship Ville du Havre, sunk killing 226 people, including all four of Spafford’s daughters. His wife, Anna, survived. Shortly afterwards, travelling to meet his grieving wife, Spafford wrote the hymn ‘It Is Well with My Soul’ as his ship passed near where his daughters had died.
‘It is well with my soul… I’ll trust you whatever’ Peace in tragedy… Spafford’s heartfelt compliment to his God…
malcolmsmusings.org 
Do you know what Mr. and Mrs. Spafford did with the rest of their lives, Malcolm?
According to Wikipedia:
Following the sinking of the Ville du Havre, Anna gave birth to three more children, Horatio Goertner (November 16, 1875), Bertha Hedges (March 24, 1878), and Grace (January 18, 1881).[4] On February 11, 1880, their son Horatio, 4, died of scarlet fever. This final tragedy began Spafford’s move away from material success toward a lifelong spiritual pilgrimage. The couple left the Presbyterian congregation and began to host prayer meetings in their home.[7] Their Messianic sect was dubbed “the Overcomers” by the American press.[8]
In August 1881, the Spaffords settled in Jerusalem as part of a group of 13 adults and three children, establishing the American Colony. Colony members, joined by Swedish Christians, engaged in philanthropic work among the people of Jerusalem regardless of religious affiliation, gaining the trust of the local Muslim, Jewish, and Christian communities. Membership in the colony required both single and married adherents to declare celibacy, and children were separated from their parents. Child labor was used in various business endeavors while in Jerusalem.[9]
In Jerusalem, Spafford and his wife adopted a teenager named Jacob Eliahu (1864–1932), born in Ramallah to a Turkish Jewish family. As a schoolboy, Jacob discovered the Siloam inscription.[10]
Spafford died of malaria on September 25, 1888, aged 59.
Spafford was buried in Mount Zion Cemetery in Jerusalem.[11]
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Thanks, Majik. Yes I’ve read a lot of that stuff. He certainly had a non-standard Christian journey. I’d love to have chatted to him to explain the way he would tell his story.
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What beautiful young and passionate voices! Thanks for sharing, Malcolm. 🙂
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Thanks Nancy. For me it has to be felt, rather than just enjoyed.
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One of my favorite hymns.
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Me too, Dana – because I can sing it however my life is going at the time.
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Yes!
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