Black Over Bill’s Mother

Light: On Sunday in church we reflected on Jesus’ words: ‘I am the Light of the World. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness…’  On another occasion Jesus says to his followers, ‘You are light to the world…’ so we sing, ‘This little light of mine I’m going to let it shine’…

Yesterday Hindus and Sikhs celebrated Diwali, the festival of lights. Rooted in Hindu mythology, it’s one of the most widely celebrated festivals in India and among Indian communities across the world. With celebrations of feasting, family and fireworks, Diwali celebrates the triumph of light over darkness, good over evil.

Darkness: Yesterday someone said, ‘It’s black over Bill’s mother’. I hadn’t heard the phrase before; I looked it up. It’s been around for years… particularly used in the East Midlands… No-one knows who Bill is – loads of theories… Perhaps it’s Shakespeare, or the last German emperor, Kaiser Wilhelm II…

The idiom has two meanings. When dark clouds appear and it looks as if it’s going to rain folks say, ‘It’s black over Bill’s mother’.

It can also imply confusion or uncertainty. A dark cloud passing over someone’s house, makes them unsure about what’s happening. There’s darkness,  blackness, hopelessness, despair… It’s black over Bill’s mother.

Stop the World: Yesterday evening friends reminded me of another phrase: ‘Stop the world I want to get off’. In the daily battle between light and darkness, in the confusion and despair when it’s black over Bill’s mother, I must escape. I need a break from my daily chaos and crazy problems. ‘Stop the world…!’

Little Terns: Later, our local news reported on ‘Little Terns’ the smallish British seabird. This summer, in Norfolk 455 chicks were born from 270 pairs of little terns nesting on Eccles beach; it’s the biggest colony of little terns in the UK this year…

Somehow, watching those rare little seabirds surviving put things into perspective. I can again see Jesus as light in the world, and I have a little light that will shine.