Eternal Echoes

Random Friday Five

Over at Revgals Revkjarla offers us a random Friday Five:

 

1.  If a spaceship landed in your back yard, and three very cute little aliens knocked on your door and asked you to show them around Earth,where would you take them?  (Remember, you have superpowers from last month's Second Friday Five, so if you need to use them for transportation, feel free to do so.)

Well I think I'd invite them in first, do aliens drink tea? We'll find out ... Then guessing that they could fly off to anywhere if they wanted, and knowing they'd landed on my doorstep maybe I'd take them to the beach, and to the hills in Yorkshire, and if there were time I might offer to fly them to somewhere more exotic, maybe to South Africa- the sea and the mountains, and New Zealand- same again. They can buy a book or take themselves to visit the "wonders"!

2.  What is making you grumpy these days?

Oh dear, many things if I'm honest, preparing to move house, lots to do etc.  But what is making me really grumpy is the lack of summer here, it is cold and wet and horrible, I love the sun, and there has been so little sun :-(

3.  O.K., so now that you got the grumps out, what is one thing today that will be sheerly joyful for you?

Well today I set out for a bike ride with Tim (Hubbie) we have just bought new bikes as part of a keep fit campaign, we intend to use them for work too when we arrive at our new appointment in Blackpool next month, but today was fun, we cycled for just over 21 miles, I feel really good for it. Part of the joy was stopping to take photos. We sheltered under this lovely tree during a rain shower.

4.  I am pitifully, once again, trying to grow a garden.   Last year I only harvested one cucumber.   This year, I have zucchini, cucumbers and tiny tomato plants.   Everything is abloom, but the jury is out whether there will be any yield.   So, do YOU have a garden?  What are you growing?   If you don't, what is your favorite fresh summertime vegetable/fruit/flower?

Yes we grow veggies, not so many this year because we are moving, but we have new potatoes, peas, spinach, salad leaves, strawberries and cherries, there will be apples later too. Sadly we have to leave the fruit trees! This picture is of our baby spinach plant earlier in the year, now we have a spinach jungle!

5.  If the aforementioned aliens suddenly demanded all the contents of your closet, OR ELSE (as in clothing, shoes,  etc.) but kindly said you could keep three items, what would they be? 

Cheeky especially after I've put myself our for them, but I think I'd keep the dress I wore to my daughters wedding last year, then my favourite jeans and my warm new fleece. Though I guess shoes would be sensible so maybe I'd sadly have to let the dress go, I have photos and they are not having those!

Then I think I need a coat and.... Ah well so long aliens, hello thrift shop!

Friday Five; What sustains you?

Over the last year I have found that life has been tough for various reasons, in bits and pieces I might cope with them all, but one after another in a relentless overlapping procession has left me drained and in need of resources that bring life. 

Sometimes even those resources are hard to lay my hands on, but even then if I choose to be mindful the memory of them can be sustaining. I am reminded of the words of Psalm 139:

 Is there anyplace I can go to avoid your Spirit? 
      to be out of your sight? 
   If I climb to the sky, you're there! 
      If I go underground, you're there! 
   If I flew on morning's wings 
      to the far western horizon, 
   You'd find me in a minute— 
      you're already there waiting! 
   Then I said to myself, "Oh, he even sees me in the dark! 
      At night I'm immersed in the light!" 
   It's a fact: darkness isn't dark to you; 
      night and day, darkness and light, they're all the same to you.

 

1.What brings you light in the dark places? 

OK first off I have to confess that as one prone to depression whose default is to retreat into myself and wallow, the one thing that brings me light in the dark is other people, I need company and hate being alone for long periods. So going out, meeting friends and having somebody to talk to really helps. The problem comes if I do sink into a dark place is that I find it difficult to reach out for what I need, and the vicious cycle begins; the extrovert turns introvert. Not good. 

The photo here is of Tim and me dancing at my daughters wedding last November, a truly happy day, a real light in a dark place! 

 2. How do you connect/reconnect with God, and where do you find him/her holding you?

Usually through time, and prayer, being honest and open, and even throwing things where necessary! See the poem below! But probably mostly through the bread and wine of communion, in the liturgy and the receiving, the breaking and the sharing reminds me that he is there, broken with me, and making me whole.

Is there a prayer/ poem/ liturgy that brings you comfort?

This has brought me great comfort over the last few years: A Psalm of Anger by Nicola Slee:

1. Rage ricochets off the empty cloister walls,
   anger erupts at the altar.
   The silence palls.
   My serene piety falters and crumbles.
   My lips mouth the prayers
   but my heart lurches and stumbles
   on the edge of this gaping pit
   into which my cries have fallen.
   
   I will storm this silence
   not with praise but with venom.
   I will blast this emptiness
   not with patience but with anger.
   My mantra is not "mercy"
   but a cacophony of curses
   hurled headlong at your distance,
   spat in the face of your absence.
   
   Show yourself!
   Answer me!
   
   I am sick of your silence,
   I have had my fill of you hiddenness,
   I am faint with the worry of waiting
   on your word which never comes.
   Have you not seen my pain?
   Have you not heard
   the anguish of my heart?
   How can you stand far off
   and watch me writhing and straining for you
   with my bleary, tear-filled eyes,
   crying for you with my dry and weary throat?
   
   Why do you gloat from afar?
   Will you not come?
   Will you not show yourself?  

   Answer me!

   
   
   

   The Rending by Tim

    

2. 4. Is there a piece of music that lifts your heart?(share it or a link to it)

 

The Bach double with it's intertwining melodies, what more can I say....

2. 5. Is there a place you run to (even in your imagination?

Always to the beach....

Friday Five; mission impossible

 

 

Over at revgals revkjarla  says: I am in mission trip mode right now, as I get ready to take a group of youth to DC to do service work around hunger and homelessness issues.   So, in that spirit, our FF is Mission Style!  So here are your questions:

1) Have you ever been on a mission trip, as a participant or adult chaperone? What was it like? 

First let me say that mission trips are not as common here in the UK as they are in the US, so much so that the first time I came across mission trips was when we lived in Texas. It may be something to do with the relatively small size of the country. That said they do happen and most of my children have been involved in them in some way or another, probably most notably Jo who went out to Zambia for a month after graduation from University, where her boyfriend (now husband) was leading a team. They worked with orphanages, and in some difficult areas, caring, building, and making friends. It certainly impacted her! As for me, no not in the sense that you are talking about because as a teen I was not a Christian.

As an adult however I have been on several evangelistic missions, working with local church folk to spread the gospel in their area, going to schools, homes, pubs and clubs, I grew a lot through this experience!

2) What is the worst thing that happened to you/your group on a mission trip (or retreat, or camp, or Habitat for Humanity experience, or something like that--hey, this is YOUR Friday Five, so you get to play it how you would like.)

Turning up to find that the towns folk expected us a week later, and as we were dependant upon them for food etc we had nowhere to stay and nothing to eat. We had gone to Northern Ireland, so getting home easily was not an option. One of the significant elements of these trips was that we went with only enough money in our pockets to buy somebody else a drink, no credit cards/ bank cards, no mobile (cell) phones. It was an interesting experience, our wise team leader called us to pray, and not to panic. Soon gifts of food and offers of places to sleep came rolling in, and we and the church we were working with were blessed! 

 Another aspect of that trip was being asked to share my testimony in a large meeting, I was terrified, but through it I experienced a call to preach, the rest they say is history!

3) If money were no object, where would you want to go to help and serve?  What would you do?

That is a hard question, there are so many areas that would benefit, and so many areas we might benefit from engaging with, but I think I would like to take a group of young folk to an area in Africa where poverty and hunger need addressing, where they could be involved in building a school, digging a well or something like that. I would also like them to be in contact with and worship with a local church. I think we learn a lot about ourselves when we are taken from our comfort zones. 

I have been really challenged by an excellent series of programmes on BBC 2 recently where ministers from what were mission fields, have come to Britain and worked with the churches here, they really showed us how insular and comfortable, and dare I say dead, we are!

4) What would be your advice to someone who will be sleeping in a gym with 20 other people for a week? 

Don't, well maybe don't if you are 50 like me, if you are in your teens/ 20's have a blast. If on the other hand you have to, good sleeping bag and inflatable bed roll, and a pillow- good luck!

5) Any parting thoughts, stories, or questions you have around the whole theme of Mission Trips?

Mission is more than a week a year, it is and should be a major part of our discipleship, that said I think that mission trips are invaluable for building fellowship and growing faith. Service is an essential of discipleship, and an opportunity to serve beyond our usual boundaries may change us for life! But it must be part of a whole and not an excuse to not be involved in mission for the rest of the year!

“Do all the good you can, in all the ways you can, to all the souls you can, in every place you can, at all the times you can, with all the zeal you can, as long as ever you can” John Wesley

Nearly New Year Friday Five...

 

A simple Friday Five for a busy part of the year; indulge me by sharing two fives:

 

As you look back over 2011 share 5 blessings, they can be as grand or as simple as you like,if you year has been like mine they are probably a mixture!

As you look towards 2012 share 5 hopes- again, anything goes!

Pictures and songs welcome!

2011 Blessings:

1. Voices of dissent, cries for freedom from around the globe from the Middle East to Manchester, from Tahrir Square to Times Square, the cry for jusitce is rising. All I need is the courage to live my convictions. Lord have mercy....

2. My garden, though I have neglected it and failed it this year it has given to me in abundance, vegetables and flowers, a true sign of grace...

3. Time, particularly time with Tim, he is studying away from home right now so all the hours we have are precious, including time out on holiday in North West Norfolk:

 

4. For my family and real reminders how precious they are, all of them! We celebrated the joy of a wedding this year, but also the pain of a break up, life takes us through ups and downs, but a visit to a lovely man today reminded me that all of this is a part of the rich tapestry of life...

My children and my new son-in-law!

Tim and me with Jo and Dave

5. Prayer, prayer that has become a heart cry within me, especially as I struggled with depression in the mid- late part of the year. also for o counsellor who helped me to see that I am stronger than I thought!

Bonus: For on-line friends, through Twitter, Facebok, e-mail etc... you know who you are!!!

 

2012 Hopes and dreams :

1. I'll start where I left off, prayer, for prayer to become a deeper reality and condition of my being, that I might know myself to be part of the vine...

2. For pastures new, not until later 2012, but long awaited... and looked forward to...

3. For continued discipline in self care and a lifting of depression, this is step by step and day by day, but I pray that I might be more empathetic and stronger for my experience...

4. For a renewal of marriage vows, we celebrate 30 years in February 2012, I pray there will be many more...

5. Back to # 1 in my previous list, that wisdom and justice might be seasoned with grace and love....

 In the midst of all of these cam my own Ordination, to be trusted with the word of God, a Bible placed into my hands, hands laid upon my head and prayers said... this is a deep blessing, but also a challenge and responsibility- the lightness comes by the Spirit alone!

 

Then there is this, that speaks to every blessing, those past, and those to come:

Friday Five: My Name Spells Gratitude

Over at Revgals Jan says: A wise person once told me to make an ABC list of things I am grateful for any time I feel sad or depressed. It is a good practice when one is feeling happier than that, too. So for this Friday Five, I suggest that you use your name or nickname of about five letters and express your gratitude about something that starts with each letter. Some people have longer names, so you decide how you will go about this! (Last names, middle names, and nicknames count!)

Well my name has 5 letters so I'll use that, though I suspect it might be tricky!

1. Sea, I am grateful for the sea, quite simply because it is a place of real spiritual refreshment for me. When I get to the sea shore something happens in my soul that quite simply connects me to creation in a unique way. I pray more easily at the waters edge, and if I can't get there then photos and sound tracks help, but there is nothing like the sand beneath my feet and the wind on my face to help the stresses of life to melt away.

Then of course there atr the things to do when you get there, like swimming. sailing, sunbathing, all in all S is a pretty good letter! The photo is of Snettisham Beach in Norfolk, one of my favourite places!

2. Animals, right now specifically our two cats Marley and Ellie, I love the uncomplicated way that animals find their way into our hearts, these two
certainly have! Marley is the white and black short haired and very affectionate one, Ellie, black and white, fluffy cute and loves you on her terms!

 

3. Leaves, yes really, I love the way that leaves mark the seasons, from the first hope of spring to the Autumn/winter falling drifts of leaves, the speak of the cycle of life and serve as a reminder that all will not always be dark, winter may be here but summer is coming! 

4. Life- to be reminded of Jesus words: John 10:10 "A thief is only there to steal and kill and destroy. I came so they can have real and eternal life, more and better life than they ever dreamed of." Is to be reminded what a thief depression is, but it is a thief that can be overcome, I am grateful for the wise counsel I was given regarding rest, medication, and exercise when I was severely depressed. I was encouraged to see it for the illness that is was and not to feel guilty about it. The I was encouraged gently back to life through patience and prayer. Life is a wonderful gift, especially when we are able to live it to the full!

5. Yellow, well OK, red and yellow and pink and green and orange and purple and blue... infact colours in general. I love the colours in my garden, I love bright colours, I am pretty convinced that colours (natural colours) rarely clash. I love the way flowers add a splash of colour to a room, and if I'm feeling down then I tend to wear a bright colour, and it really does lift my mood. 

These stunning flowers are still cheering my house up, and were very welcome gifts following ordination :-)

 

Friday Five- Friendship

Over at revgals Kathyrnjz says:

I spent the better part of last week on a continuing education cruise with a group of revgals. Both the class on hospitality and the connections made with friends (old and new) were phenomenal. I always have a difficult time with re-entry into reality from times away but this, aided by getting nailed with strep throat, has been more difficult than usual. Not only does it a take a few days (weeks? months?) for it to stop feeling like I am on a boat, but my heart misses my friends.

In parish life the boundaries are clear and they are there for a reason, but it can make the life of a minister a lonely one. It is such a tremendous gift to spend a few days with women who not only are wonderful and gifted, but who also get exactly what you do and why you do it. The hugs are genuine and free and the laughter is awesome.

Many of us have friendships - past and present - with these same qualities. And so today we will celebrate Friday with friendship:

1) Do you remember your first best friend? What did you do together? Are they still in your life?

I do remember my first best friend she was a German girl called Jane, we both attended the same International School in Kuala Lumper, Malaysia. The nature of both of our fathers' professions meant that we only knew one another for a few years and then lost touch. I eventually moved to England, and I know her family went to Thailand but i don't know where she is today.

Our lives only really connected through school, and the local exp-pats club, I had a very privileged, but strangely lonely childhood.

2) Did you ever have to move away or have your best friend move away from you?

See above, it has been an ongoing theme throughout my life though as a lot of moving makes longterm friendship difficult, it is easier now, but has always been a problem.

3) Are there people in your life now that you can call 'friend'?

Yes, but once again I have moved away from many of them. I am planning to meet up with one friend in June, and hope to see some others when we holiday and sail down in Norfolk this summer. I often envy folk who have always lived in the same place.

I also have a number of on-line friends who have become real friends and not acquaintances, also facebook and blogging help me to keep up with folk I might otherwise have lost touch with. Friendship has been kind of re-defined by cyber-space, but it is too easy to call someone friend via facebook, many of my fb friends are really net-working contacts. 

That said Tim and I are now finding time to become real friends again (sometimes family life makes that difficult!), we went sailing today, and that was good!

4) What are some of your favorite things to do with your friends?

Have time to talk, that might be while we are out walking, it might be just sitting and sharing a cup of tea or a glass of wine ( depends on the time of day)!

5) What is a gift friendship has given you?

The greatest gift of friendship is the permission to be yourself with someone, and time...perhaps in todays fast paced and fragmented word it is one of the best gifts we can give!

Marley and Ellie are friends!

Spiritual Spring Cleaning Friday Five

My turn to set Rev Gals Friday Five...

I have been thinking about spring, although it is still very cold here the snow has almost gone and the sun is shining. Here and there spring bulbs are bravely pushing their way through the earth and Tim and I are thinking about planting the first of the years veggies in the garden!

Then I read:

The old life is gone; a new life burgeons! Look at it! All this comes from the God who settled the relationship between us and him, and then called us to settle our relationships with each other. God put the world square with himself through the Messiah, giving the world a fresh start by offering forgiveness of sins. God has given us the task of telling everyone what he is doing. We're Christ's representatives. God uses us to persuade men and women to drop their differences and enter into God's work of making things right between them. We're speaking for Christ himself now: Become friends with God; he's already a friend with you. (2 Corinthians 5: 17-20 The Message)

All this got me thinking that if we traditionally think of spring as a time for new life, then maybe a spiritual spring clean might not be a bad thing to clear the way for the new thing that God wants to do in us!

So with all of that in mind I offer you this Friday Five:

1. Is there a part of your spiritual life that is dry and dusty at the moment, something that could do with a good spring clean?

My prayer life is a bit like the tide, it ebbs and flows, right now it is ebbing and needs enlivening somehow... I returned to using the Northumbria Community Daily Offices this week. I need structure and space for Daily Offices and have to let go of the tyranny of busyness to achieve it.... as I said, it ebbs and flows!

2. Spiritual disciplines- life-giving/ terrifying: discuss..

Both, when I dare to engage in spiritual disciplines of prayer, of reading of reflection then I am better for it, but truly there are times when I rebel and they loom large like demanding specters. If anyone can explain that I am interested.

3. Share a practice that keeps you spiritually alive that you think others might benefit from...

Listening to music, almost any music. Music touches my heart in ways that nothing else can,  putting a CD on in the car or streaming from the net while working can totally change the spiritual atmosphere around me, somehow it lifts me out of myself. Right now I am enjoying listening to Downhere, from a play list I have saved. It also includes Hildegard-von -Bingen, Sinead O'Connor, Coldplay, Bach and Sibelius!

4.Alone or together, how do you pray best?

Both, and that depends on my mood!

5.If your spiritual life were to burgeon and bloom into a spring flower what would it be and why?

I would like to be an anemone, though not strictly a spring flower they provide a real splash of colour; they are also known as 'windflowers', as the large petals catch the slightest breeze and pivot left to right on its long thick stems.

Bonus, a piece of music a picture or a prayer that speaks to you of new life....

Fab Februrary Friday Five

    Over at Revgals Jan writes:

With Valentines Day just around the corner, it seems appropriate to write about February holidays. However, I'd never heard of "Waitangi Day" before: Feb. 6 is a holiday in New Zealand to commemorate the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi, the founding of New Zealand, in 1840. I'll avoid Fur Rondy, as it is connected with Sarah Palin's home state.

1. When February comes along, how do you feel about the coming month?

February holds a mix of celebrations for me, and so although it is often a cold dark month it is OK. I was born in February on Chinese New Year, to the sound of fire crackers as I was born in Singapore! I also married in February- Tim and I celebrate 28 years next week. It is also my daughter Sarah's birthday, she was stillborn, but I still

remember.

2. What memories do you have about Valentine's Day? Are you doing anything to observe it this year?

No special memories, don't usually make a big fuss!

3. It is interesting that Monday's "Presidents Day" is not officially called that in every state. It is a U.S. federal holiday entitled "Washington's Birthday." Which is your favorite president and why?

Ummm. Well as a Brit I am opting for favourite Prime-ministers and honestly to much booing and hissing I have to say a recent favourite would have to be Tony Blair. Yes he made mistakes and is very definitely human but there was such an air of hope when he was elected that dispelled gloom and brought life back to the British political system, that is not easy to forget. That and the fact that for all their faults I will still vote labour.

4. Will you be celebrating 

Shrove Tuesday or Mardi Gras? How?

I will probably make pancakes, but swine flu will keep me indoors so nothing this year!

5. Any other ways to celebrate in February?

I celebrate the rare sunny days and the sight of snowdrops pushing through the soil; spring will come :-)

Bonus:

I am intending to read The Archbishop of Canterbury's Lent Book by Lucy Winkett: Our Sound is our Wound.

 

Staving off the gloom; Friday Five

It is my turn to post the revgals Friday Five.... and it is cold and grey and wet here today so....

Candlemass is over Christmas is well and truly past and February looks set to be its usual grey and cold self. Signs of spring are yet to emerge; if like me you long for them perhaps you need ways to get through these long dark days. So lets share a few tips for a cold and rainy/ snowy day....

1. Exercise, what do you do if you can't face getting out into the cold and damp?

Well we have a trampette, but recently I have tried to walk wherever I can in-spite of the gloom and damp. I need to get swimming again, and keep promising myself that I will, maybe this will be the incentive I need...

2. Food; time to comfort eat, or time to prepare your body for the coming spring/summer?

Well there are two answers to this, what I do and what I should be doing... ;-)

3. Brainpower; do you like me need to stave off depression, if so how do you do it?

I tackle this on two levels, I have a SAD's light in my office and that really helps, but I also find that music and exercise are both wonderful aids to lifting my spirits. Worship really helps to lift me out of myself, sometimes I have to deliberately choose to worship, and once I start I actually find that I begin to do it!

4. How about a story that lifts your spirits, is there a book or film that you return to to stave off the gloom?

Yes I return to the sunny and uplifting Alexander McCall-Smith's No 1 Ladies Detective Agency, both on DVD, and the books. There is something about the optimistic outlook and the warmth that spills from the screen and the pages that really serves to cheer me up!

5. Looking forward, do you have a favourite spring flower/ is there something that says spring is here more than anything else?

I have two, first the snowdrops that push through the soil round about this time of year are a sign of spring, but also freesias, I married in February ( almost 30 years ago) and my bouquet was a ball of brightly coloured freesias...

Bonus; post a poem/ piece of music that points to the coming spring......

Vivaldi- is there anything else????

Trains, planes and automobiles; Friday 5

By the time you're reading this, I'll be en route to a Great Big City to see my son in a play. I'll go by car and bus and train and no doubt cab and maybe even subway. Thus, our Friday Five.

1) What was the mode of transit for your last trip?

Car, I travelled yesterday to collect a new (second hand) car. It is a cheap runabout really with a small engine making it fuel efficient, perfect for the small rural journeys I need to make. We have a big car for longer trips.

2) Have you ever traveled by train?

Yes, quite a lot, all of Christopher's hospital appointments were easier to reach by train than car, we would catch a train into the centre of London and then take the tube to South Kensington. On a more fun note when Tim and I first met neither of us drove, and so we would go for days out by train. My children all use trains to get home from University, student railcards and a good railway system make it easier for them.

3) Do you live in a place with public transit, and if so, do you use it?

Yes we are served by two railway stations and a regular bus route, and yes I do use it when I can. I have also started to do more walking and even cycle when I can; U believe in staying as carbon neutral as possible!

4) What's the most unusual vehicle in which you've ever traveled?

An old fire engine; my step-father bought it at auction when we lived on a pig farm for pressure washing the sheds, during the 70's we lived in an area that was being terrorised by an arsonist who was setting light to farm buildings. Our neighbours raised the alarm one day and we reached their property before the fire brigade. We dashed across a field and over a wooden bridge which collapsed behind us. It is a journey I won't forget quickly. The barn was saved!

5) What's the next trip you're planning to take?

The next long trip I am planning to take will either be toSheffield to hear my daughter play, or to Lancaster to watch my son in a play! I guess it's a mum thing!