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Many families develop Christmas traditions. What must be done each year… decorations going up… films to be watched… opening presents… Christmas dinner… stories from previous Christmases… There’s security in being part of repeated patterns. Yesterday I was chatting with Maurice. Mother-in-law will be with them on Christmas day. The rest of the family prepare bingoContinue reading “Christmas Traditions”

This morning my Bible reading was 1Peter. I read: ‘When the Chief Shepherd appears you will receive a crown of glory…’ We were brought up to treat Sunday as a special day. We put on our best clothes, went to church… more cakes for tea… There were certain things that we could and couldn’t do.Continue reading “Sunday Happy Families”

Last night we met up with grandson-Zak and granddaughter-Hannah. Zak’s home after his first term at university. It was good conversation – friends, events, questions, laughter… it’s been 3 months since we last saw him. He’s changed. His family have missed him… ‘Welcome home, Zak.’ Musing… we all need a home… Home’s a place of…Continue reading “Welcome Home”

Winners! On Friday we learnt that Helen Morgan had won the North Shropshire bi-election for the Liberal Democrats. Saturday saw Rose Ayling-Ellis win Strictly Come Dancing. Last night Emma Raducanu won the BBC Sports Personality of the Year. Before they could become winners they had to make a start. Films have shown a very youngContinue reading “First Steps”

Since the day the angel cameIt seemed that everything had changedThe only certain thingWas the child that moved withinOn the road that would not endWinding down to BethlehemSo far away from home This old Graham Kendrick song has been part of my Christmas musings for many years. It tells a story that I know. IContinue reading “Thorns In The Straw”

In yesterday’s Sun: ‘A naughty panda sparked panic after escaping from its enclosure… Officials had to push back a crowd of excited zoo visitors as Menglan, a young male panda bear, cheekily made a dash for it. The dramatic escape took place at Beijing Zoo in the Chinese capital Beijing on Wednesday… Menglan was luredContinue reading “Escaping Pandas”

I was chatting to my friend Kim yesterday about her anorexia. When she talks about ED she’s talking about ‘Eating Disorders’ not a hospital ‘Emergency Department’. I have to remember this alternative. The church I grew up in often said things like: ‘Next Sunday, DV, the preacher will be Mr Polkinghorne.’ DV stands for theContinue reading “There Is An Alternative”

I’ve started trying to read my brother Chris’ book. It’s written in French. Apart from various trips to France over the years I’m dependent on French I learnt at school many years ago. I remember two French teachers – Dennis Tucker and Donald Seldon (– we called him ‘Duck’). I remember Dennis to be warm,Continue reading “Teaching and Learning”

At church last night we thought about and prayed for the ‘vulnerable’… those who are ‘easily hurt or harmed physically, mentally, or emotionally’… a 400-year-old word… from the Latin vulnerabilis ‘wounding’, vulnerare ‘to wound, hurt, injure, maim…’ The Covid pandemic has made us think of the ‘vulnerable’ – those who are most likely to catchContinue reading “Vulnerable”

We spent Yesterday with our friends Tim and Jill at Fairhaven Woodland and Water Gardens. We walked through the muddy woods; we sat in the bird hide and observed… There were tree creepers and nuthatches – birds with similar habits that cling to the side of trees. We’ve been told that from a distance youContinue reading “Discerning Truth”