Author Archives: malcolmsmusingscom

Patience… Reminders… the patience of students waiting for the end of term… actors rehearsing their Christmas show, waiting for their performance… children waiting to see what Santa has brought them… ‘It’s only two sleeps to Christmas!’ The Christmas story… the patient wait of centuries for long awaited Messiah… Mary’s pregnancy – nine months of waitingContinue reading “Patience, Peace and Presence”

It’s Christmas Eve… Channel 4’s Alternative Christmas Message this year will be delivered by Chris McCausland. The blind comedian who recently won Strictly Come Dancing reflects on disability and discrimination… …Regarding mince pies ‘I will never discriminate against any sort of mince pie, all of them are equal to me…’ …his application to be anContinue reading “Resilient, Creative and Determined”

As a child singing ‘God rest you merry gentlemen’… ‘Merry’ implied intoxicated; inebriated gentlemen in our strictly teetotal church was inappropriately amusing… and we’d sing ‘God rest ye Jerry mental men’. In post-war films the ‘Jerries’ were always the bad guys… Then the verse: In Bethlehem, in Jewry this blessed Babe was bornAnd laid withinContinue reading “Comfort and Joy”

I enjoyed a minister recent ranting about ‘Away in a Manger’. ‘The little Lord Jesus no crying he makes?! I don’t believe it! Crying is a good sign of life! If he didn’t cry there was something wrong with him!’ I equally enjoyed a different minister questioning ‘Little Donkey’: ‘I’ve read my Bible. Where inContinue reading “What Child Is This?”

Last night we watched a wonderful group of young people perform Frozen. It’s a great story about two sisters in the town of Arendelle… Newly crowned Queen Elsa accidentally sets off an eternal winter. Her younger sister Anna, along with iceman Kristoff, snowman Olaf, and reindeer Sven, goes off on an adventure to find herContinue reading “Let It Go”

This morning I went for my Friday prayer walk. It’s the darkest Friday of the year. I got up in the dark; I walked along the beach in the dark. I remembered friends who are living in dark times… I’m reading ‘Birdsong’. It’s France in 1916. Stephen has led his men out of their trenches…Continue reading “Darkness, Dawn and Dedication”

In my Bible I’m reading the book of Hebrews… This morning one sentence stood out: ‘Let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds.’ Consider… Today is the first day this month with nothing written in my diary. No activity. No time when I must be somewhere. Nobody expectingContinue reading “Encouraging Love and Helping Out”

Some days my musing is random and rambling…Yesterday’s started with jolly Father Christmas, dressed in red and white, ho, ho, hoeing his way through hopeful children and anxious parents. Sometimes he identifies as Santa Claus… …Then there’s speculation about whether there’s a Mrs Christmas, and the nature and number of his elf assistants… who IContinue reading “Obama’s Elf”

From around 1890 penny-in-the-slot machines were used to sell postcards, chocolate, cigarettes, domestic gas… A penny’s inserted, the penny drops, the goods are supplied… The phrase ‘The penny dropped’ indicates that someone has finally understood or realised something. Last night son-in-law-Allan and I were enjoying a quiet drink, talking about family, friends, his work, theContinue reading “The Penny Dropped”

On Saturday we watched the 47-year-old blind comedian, Chris McCausland, win the Strictly Come Dancing final. His professional dance partner, Dianne Buswell, had done an amazing job teaching him from a nervy start to his confident and ultimately winning performances. He explained how, particularly for those living with sight loss, his journey broke down barriers…Continue reading “Imperfect is Special”