Author Archives: malcolmsmusingscom

Valentine’s Day is part of our culture. Rachel and I have remembered it every year for over 50 years… I say remembered because celebration would be a bit strong… I’ve spoken to several men… Some say what they will do, some what they won’t do; some see it as a joy, some a duty; someContinue reading “Valentine’s Day”

Yesterday I continued to help removing our church organ. Where it once was there’s now a gap… Organ Debate I’ve been part of our Lowestoft church family for 35 years; ‘the organ’ has been a constant source of debate and disagreement. Typically there are 4 points of view, each expressed with passion: Pro-organ: speaking ofContinue reading “Organ Lessons”

Yesterday we had our covid vaccinations. Earlier in the week we received the phone call inviting us to attend; all was done efficiently and effectively. We were two of the 450,810 vaccinated in the UK yesterday – 2 of about 13.5 million overall. For us yesterday was the day. I then went round to church.Continue reading “Now’s the Time”

She dropped the phone and burst into tearsThe doctor just confirmed her fearsHer husband held it in and held her tight.Cancer don’t discriminate or care if you’re just 38With three kids who need you in their lives.He said, ‘I know that you’re afraid and I am, tooBut you’ll never be alone, I promise you.’ IContinue reading “I’m gonna love you through it.”

Yesterday I enjoyed my daily walk. Pavements and paths were a mixture of ice and snow. Greetings and brief conversations were also a mixture – of cheerful enjoyment and resigned acceptance of freezing inconvenience. I passed McDonalds. It started to snow. It must have been a McFlurry. I passed the caravan park on Pakefield Cliffs.Continue reading “Walking in the Snow”

Our garden has been white for two days; the forecasters say snow will continue. Musing on snow…. Experts… A week ago the forecasters predicted it. I was cynical; they were right. In these days of pandemic we’ve needed to trust the medical experts. At one time we trusted and respected experts and leaders – vicars,Continue reading “Snow”

It’s snowing… some remember the ‘Beast from the East’ a few years ago that brought heavy snow… I think back to the cold winter of 1961… we reminisce… In Les Misérables things are reaching a climax; the revolution is planned; the students are united, determined, committed; they reminisce… Drink with me to days gone bySingContinue reading “Drink with Me”

O Lord, the clouds are gatheringThe fire of judgement burnsHow we have fallen!O Lord, you stand appalled to seeYour laws of love so scornedAnd lives so broken It’s difficult to get the balance. Some tell us how awful life is… pandemic death figures, the financial crisis, mental health cases sharply increasing, conspiracy theories, a worldContinue reading “O Lord, the Clouds Are Gathering”

People have always had an inbuilt tendency to blame others. The first story in the Bible is of a man who blamed a woman, a woman who blamed a snake, and, as the old joke goes, the snake didn’t have a leg to stand on! This morning I read the ancient regulations for ‘the scapegoat’Continue reading “Scapegoats”

Musing on ‘hyssop’… Hyssop is a flowering plant. Its bitter minty leaves are used in herbal medicines; hyssop oil is used as a flavouring in cooking and a fragrance in soaps and cosmetics… In Exodus 12 Moses and the Israelites are ready to leave Egypt… The Passover lamb is killed; its blood is collected andContinue reading “Hyssop”