At the beginning of the day

O God, I find myself at the beginning of another day,
I do not know what it will bring,
Please help me to be ready for whatever it may be.
If I am to stand up, help me to stand bravely.
If I am to sit still, help me to sit quietly.
If I am to lie low, help me to do it patiently
If I am to do nothing, let me do it gallantly.
I pray just for today, for these twenty-four hours,
for the ability to cooperate with others
according to the way Jesus taught us to live.
"Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven."
May these words that he taught us become more than words.
Please free my thinking and feelings
and the thinking and feelings of others,
from all forms of self-will,
--- self-centredness, dishonesty, and deception.

Along with my brothers and sisters, I need this freedom
to make my choices today according to your desires.

Send your Spirit to inspire us in time of doubt and indecision so that, together, we can walk along your path. ..... Amen.
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House keeper

I had thought about early morning walks with the camera and sitting with my feet up (Lord of the manor); it was not to be. After the basic chores were done, I checked the calendar, Visitor due Monday 18th. That put the cat in a spin, change the bed linen in the guest room and get out the dusters and polish; I love the smell of wood polish and probably went a little over the top. I have come to the conclusion, if you want a restful weekend; move out.

However, I did manage to read some, our local library managed to trace a copy of Peter Anson's memoirs "A roving recluse"; this was the caravan man I mentioned in an earlier blog. I can see I am going to enjoy his ramblings, his first recolection was Queen Victoria's diamond jubilee 1897. All is now back to normal, movement around the house and a sense of home.
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Room to Rent

What a strange day, I have been left in sole charge of the friary this weekend; anything could happen! Am I to be trusted? - well the chores are almost done so I decided to stop for a coffee. Don't worry, I am a dab hand in the kitchen so I won't go hungry and I am expected up the road later tonight. I am invited by friends to share a meal (guess I will take a bottle of something); not sure if this was spontaneous or just a coincidence.

Part of me enjoys solitude and the other part craves community; usually the opposite of whatever is happening at the time. There will be nobody to get frustrated with and if anything goes wrong, its down to me I guess.. Will let you know how it goes.
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Batty Bat

I had just taken a stroll down the garden; the sun has dipped below the distant hills. About this time of night we have a bat that flits around between the hedges and trees; I only ever see one at a time, though there must be more? How fast he fly's and I can only see him when he is silhouetted against the fading sky. He might as well be invisible or not there at all until he emerges against the light. These are not scary creatures but fascinating flights of speed and maneuverability; no time to see where you are going, they rely on sonar. . . . .!

Note to evening office: If I move into the light, I will be seen - I do not want to be invisible, but I do not want to be shot down - help Lord in my visibility.

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New places & heaven

I am feeling for them at the moment, a bunch of young people have had a great day out at the theme park, followed by a Christian rock concert. Now they are stuck on the motorway and not likley to be back till well after 2am. At least they are safe and sound; how did we manage without mobile phones? I have about a 30-minute journey to pick up our two, they must be shattered; I bet they sleep all day tomorrow.

Don't think I cope too well when things take a sudden change in direction. I begin to think things, worry and wonder how best to fix things... The treasure hunt today went well but it would have been nice to see more people. While waiting I listened to pick of the pops I am guessing it was around 1967 as one of the songs was The Sloop John B. I was captured by another song I remember - I'm the Pied Piper by Crispian St Peters.

You

With your masquerading
And you
Always contemplating
What to do
In case heaven has found you
Can't you see
That it's all around you
So follow me

There was I looking out on the church car park, low walls and streets; somehow they looked different, as if this were a new place to me and I was looking at it for the first time. Weird, I know. It doesn't happen very often, but why? (I think traffic must be moving - I just got a text).
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Retro Pop

Mid morning coffee break and the friary has been empty all morning; nice. Chance to turn up the music and listen to some retro pop.

I was wondering whether the music influenced the attitude and behavior of the day or the other way round. It seemed the lyrics and general feel good of the music would have an effect on our way of life?

What came first? the Chicken McNugget or the Egg McMuffin??

By the way, do you recognise these guys?
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Learning to fly

Sometimes I have a germ of an idea that rolls along and becomes something I can write about; writing puts flesh on the bones of the thought and often doesn't appear until the pen meets the paper. Most of my musings escape before I can rope then, lost in the mystical ether (just thought I would call it that, sounds better than fog). I seem to have a small cache/ memory, a train of events begin and before I am 3-4 carriages down, I have forgotten how I started (brother Cyril, we have more in common than I thought). So I have this little notebook of jottings and ideas; mostly for the book, which is going very slowly.

Sunday early morning and I was watching two blackbirds chasing each other over rooftops and fences. Their world exists of lampposts and aerials, chimneys and treetops; gravity for them is not an issue, they have no need of it. A bird of the air is in its element, I on the other hand am grounded on terra firma and gaze in wonder at effortless flight. Where is my element, in what do I shine? For mankind our element should be our capacity to love, but it seems the enemy is keeping this secret hidden..

Note to morning office: learning to fly requires stepping off some high point.
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