It’s horrid outside. And it’s also Ash Wednesday as well as Valentine’s Day!
The beginning of Lent sits badly with a day for remembering our loved ones.
I have no service today which is unusual but it gives me time to remember ....
When David and I were sailing happily around the world I have kept Ash Wednesday in some strange places...
The best one was in New Zealand when I found a chapel built from wood and preserved in beauty and holiness.
I’m not sure if I’m going to church this morning...I seem to not need the Ash cross on my head right now.
I’m not suffering a loss of faith but I am not minded to join in with either other priests or congregations.
I don’t know why.
If I could walk to church from here I would probably do it but getting to any church means driving from here and I have places in and around the house and garden where I can pray alone very happily.
I shall ignore Valentine’s Day. It has no relevance now....not for me anyway.
Sad really I suppose but I have had far more than my fair share of love over the years.
Memory is wonderful. It cuts out the hurt and gives me lovely visions of old loves
and happy occasions to cherish.
No day turns out quite as I expect it to but staying quietly at home is looking good right now... and it is a relief not to have to collect up and burn all the old palm crosses....
I remember all my loved ones every day...I’m still talking to them as I stroll around.
Happy Valentine’s Day whilst starting the first day of Lent to you all!
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
1 comment:
Sometimes we look at what is happening and find ourselves in a place, where we need to be alone with our memories and prayer.
I'm quite outgoing, I can't claim to be on of those introverts who struggle with personal interaction, but some days, I wish I was.
But being alone and quiet for long, isn't my preferred way of seeking God through prayer, I really feel uplifted in communal worship, and attending Morning Prayer with our Ministry Teams is one place where I receive that nourishment. Particularly when we go through the familiar and comforting liturgy and the part for free prayer, where we can depart from the prescribed format and pray in heart felt ways for what is on our minds and hearts.
Communal worship is an expression (for me) of how we relate to others, a space to put aside the worries and fears and to concentrate on our Lord and Saviour in the timeless liturgy of the Communion Table - and BCP speaks to me more eloquently than Common Worship.
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