Thursday 19 July 2007

11 May


Tasks v Time

Yes its Friday (not Sunday my usual) but I thought I would get this off now, as the weekend is looking frantic. Only a week to go before we fly and I said I would take Brother Timothy shopping for a few essentials. His passport arrived eventually much to my relief and things seem to be coming together. However, feeling quite tired at the moment but I am sure it is just the rushing around dealing with things before we go. Then there will be much to do when I get back – listen to me, I think I ought to delete that last line it doesn’t show me in very good light…. How would life be if we could delete something we had just said; you know, when you realise you have just put your big foot in it! Perhaps someone will invent a device to cover that.

During my ministry I have been involved with young people on drugs, they taught me a lot and one thing I remember was they used to get flashbacks after taking a drug; sometimes next day. Well, I can assure you I have not knowingly been inhaling anything illegal; however I have for some time now been experiencing flashbacks (I put it down to age). I may be walking, driving or about my usual duties when I catch a sense of something in my past – a memory. These are always good memories, which pull me into a sense of well-being and contentment; recalling family, friends, places and events. I am getting used to it (though it doesn’t happen all the time). It may just be the particular colour or shape of a tree, the wind blowing across a field of moderately long grass, looking more like waves at sea. Part of my family has a farming background and much of my childhood was spent in the countryside. Perhaps some eminent psychologist could give a detailed explanation?

Brother Cyril caught me today, he was looking for a fax machine; goodness knows what he was going to do with it, said he wanted to copy some documents (can you do that)? We headed off to the old attic and blew some dust off a Sharp ZX something; Cyril has loads of odds and bobs in his room I guess a fax machine would not be out of place. He is a gentle eccentric man but at times in conversation comes out with some profound things. I often get trapped by Cyril and drawn into whatever world he is visiting that day, I really don’t mind but it is frustrating as I don’t get done the things I want to. I seem to be both Mary and Martha in their meeting with Jesus one preferring to sit and listen to what the Lord had to say and the other busy in hospitality tasks.

Evening office: (note to diary) Lord, help me to see the value (equally) in time spent with others, and in tasks.

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