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Yesterday I was chatting to my friend Adam, who’s around thirty years old. Adam, who has to live with significant autistic/neuro-divergent issues, was explaining how he’s not looking forward to Christmas, because that’s when his dad died, fourteen years ago. Later I read the old English word ‘reive’ which means to ‘rob, seize, plunder’… ItContinue reading “Changing My Nothing”

In 2009 ‘The Seagull’, our local community theatre had just been saved from closure. My friend Ian said, ‘Let’s do an evening of carols and Christmas readings.’ He arranged ‘Seekers and Dreamers’. Thirty or forty people turned up. Seekers and Dreamers has happened each year since. Bridget, Ian’s wife arranges mulled wine and mince pies.Continue reading “There was a Pig…”

I’m reading D.H. Lawrence’s ‘The Plumed Serpent’. Kay, an Irishwoman visiting Mexico, encounters Mexican people and religion that are dark, oppressed, without hope: ‘For Jesus is no Saviour to the Mexicans. He is a dead god in their tomb. As a miner who is entombed underground by the collapsing of the earth in the gangways,Continue reading “Aspects of Hope”

Last week I was chatting to a friend who hasn’t always found life easy. Concerns about family, work, church and health have affected his mental well-being. He told me that this Rend Collective song has particularly helped him. It’s a song I’ve heard before but don’t know well… Lord, whatever comesMake me steadfast, make meContinue reading “Whatever Comes”

Christmas is coming. Decorations have gone up at our Seagull Theatre… the Christmas tree is up in church… we’ve been making Christmas decorations at Men’s Shed… it’s the first Sunday in Advent tomorrow. Yesterday was Black Friday – another tradition that we seem to have inherited from our American friends across the pond. Many shopsContinue reading “Christmas Bargains – from Paul, Julian and Bill.”

Reg is always telling stories… When he was a young man, working on the boats, he walked into a pub and saw a beautiful young woman and got talking to her. It was quite believable. Suddenly Reg’s beautiful young woman sneezed, her eye popped out and Reg caught it. I was beginning to have myContinue reading “Truth or Fanciful Story?”

It’s been a funny old week weather-wise. There have been sharp frosts, sunshine, strong winds, persistent rain, beautiful rainbows. One thing I love about living in this corner of England is the changing seasons… Most of the leaves have fallen from the trees… it’s time for winter pruning in the garden… only the most hardyContinue reading “Changing Seasons”

For many years now I’ve read through the Bible – starting in Genesis on January 1st, finishing Revelation on December 31st. This morning I’m up to Philippians… ‘Do everything without complaining or arguing…’ Really? Norwich City football is challenging… Our new coach started last week. On Saturday Norwich played at Birmingham. We played poorly; lostContinue reading “Without Complaining or Arguing”

This morning I read about ‘the armour of God’. As a child I was told of adventures of knights in shining armour going to battle. As a teenager I was challenged to defend myself with the shield of faith, wield ‘the sword of the Spirit, the word of God’. Getting older I tried to understandContinue reading “Soldiers, Gardeners and Elephants”

Over the weekend I encountered three families that live with dementia. Three good, ordinary people, who’ve lived good ordinary lives, married for many years to good, ordinary spouses, producing good, ordinary children… have minds now that are no longer good or ordinary. I know each of their three spouses well. This unplanned, unexpected dementia ofContinue reading “One More Step Through Dementia”