The Next Chapter

Yesterday…

…I mentioned Jon. I’d taught him guitar when he was ten. He became a better guitarist than me very quickly. Now he’s a professional guitarist.

If he wrote his autobiography I might get a mention in chapter 3. He’s now living in chapter 16.

…I chatted to Mark at the Seagull Theatre. Mark leads a thriving group of young people aged 15-24 who are considering a career in the arts either as a performer or behind the scenes. Teenagers work with professionals; youngsters coming out of university may get their first paid job.

Mark helps them move from one chapter in their life to the next.

…I visited Jack. In recent years Jack’s physical and mental health have not been good. He longs to be the Jack he was ten years ago, the Jack of chapter 14. His life narrative has moved on. He must accept now he’s the chapter 17 Jack.  

…Jack introduced me to ‘Whose Life is it Anyway’, a 1972 TV drama that became a West End play and an American film. It tells the story of Ken Harrison who, paralyzed following a car accident, struggles for the right to end his life. The hospital medical staff  keep him alive;  his lawyer fights for his right to die.

It’s about autonomy, dignity, the ethics of medical intervention and Ken’s right to control his final chapter.

…Rachel and I got out our wills. They were last revised in 2011. They need updating. We discussed ‘power of attorney’. That needs to be sorted out. We reflected on our final chapters – and beyond.

…We attended our church home group. We talked and prayed about family situations – new jobs, hospital appointments, a new relationship, a new home, holidays. Folks starting a new chapter.

This morning I read: ‘…Put your hope in the Lord, for with the Lord is unfailing love and with him is full redemption.’

Perhaps that’s pointing to a faith that gives love in life’s current chapter, hope in future chapters, and redemption in the final chapter.