I am no dancer. When I was eight I begged my parents to let me have ballet lessons like my younger sister. She was graceful and elegant and artistic. I was not. A year later my parents bribed me to stop ballet, offering me violin lessons instead. I must have been truly dreadful for them … Continue reading Dancing in the Dark
Singled Out
Why are married people so threatened by the idea that singleness might be equal to marriage? Equally valuable. Equally good. Or even, (shock! horror!) better? I was hopping mad after Morning Prayer on Zoom one morning recently. (Which makes a change from half asleep. It really isn’t my best time of day!). We had a … Continue reading Singled Out
Abundant Life?
Where do we find abundant life in lockdown in the midst of a global pandemic? What does abundant life even look like in this situation? Is it possible? On Wednesday evening my church had a reflective service (on Zoom, of course!) of words and music in which we thought about the story of the Wedding … Continue reading Abundant Life?
Sometimes
Sometimes, in my dreams, I can climb mountains, go walking, see those near, yet distant places, I hear about from friends of which I can only dream. * Sometimes, in my dreams, I go to a supermarket and dance down the aisles with joy that I can choose for myself what food I would like … Continue reading Sometimes
Home Alone
It is forty five days since another human being touched me. Six weeks and three days. I am alone, but I am not alone in this. Many of us who are home alone during this lockdown are counting the days since we last touched another person, and comparing, and wondering when we will next be allowed … Continue reading Home Alone
Opportunity Knocks
As proof that I am truly in tune with the zeitgeist, on the very same day that I am returning to this blog to finish and publish it (having had to abandon it to rest my eyes for ten days), Frances Ryan has published a piece in The Guardian on the same theme: Covid lockdown … Continue reading Opportunity Knocks
Easter Sunday
Because He Lives (Amen) by Matt Maher, sung by the West Coast Choir And if you'd like a whole Easter Sunday playlist click here.
Holy Saturday
Holy Saturday has particular resonance this year. It is the day in the Easter story when everything stops, including the narrative of events. It is the day when church services pause and nothing seems to happen. A day of silence. A day of waiting. Here are the disciples confined to an upper room: shut indoors, afraid … Continue reading Holy Saturday
Who do you think you are? (Identity)
Who do you think you are? I wrote most of this last summer, some of it taken from an article I wrote in 2004, and a later assignment on the impact of chronic illness on identity and the sense of self which I wrote for my MA in counselling in 2009. Somehow last summer the … Continue reading Who do you think you are? (Identity)
Welcome to My World
When I posted my poem last week about grieving as things are lost and life changes dramatically, a friend wrote: ‘You must be thinking, “Welcome to my world”’. Well yes… and also no (but we’ll leave the ‘no’ for now). These next weeks will be a big change in lifestyle for many who find themselves … Continue reading Welcome to My World
It is ok to grieve
For those facing two weeks in isolation, or twelve weeks mostly stuck at home, or a lifetime of chronic illness...***** It is ok to grieve It is ok to grieve,to mourn the small things and the large: to shed your tears for cancelled plans and missed events, as well as jobs, or people, lost; for … Continue reading It is ok to grieve
Dancing in the Dark 