Night noises

Last night as I settled down to sleep, I was aware of noises around the friary. Everyone had retired some time ago and would be sound asleep by now. It was a still night and the moon shone through the trees (I like to leave my curtains open once I am in bed). The old friary has many rooms and corridors and it seemed as if I could hear it's groans and creaks from one end to the other. During the warmer months of the year you can expect the old building to creak a little as it cools down but this is autumn and far from warm. I was tempted to take a walk through to the other wing but sleep was calling and I was past the point of slumbers.

Voices in the kitchen and mutterings in the library, footsteps in the hallway and a general buzz through the house. How was I to get to sleep? It had been a busy day with guests, always good to see folk and listen to their stories; they come - some to unload and some just to find space. For the brothers it is a time of fuss and busyness, preparing food and making things comfortable whilst being available. A group in the library were pouring out their hearts while brothers in the kitchen were worried there would not be enough soup.

All in all it was a good day the echoes raced through my mind and I tried to quieten them. I began to walk through the day, praying a blessing as I went; through the corridors and rooms pausing for a while and bringing to mind our visitors. The old friary was settled and somewhere along the way I slipped into sleep (hope I didn't miss anyone out).
Note to office; a walk before sleep is very beneficial.

Post-it's

Life seems quite stressful recently and I am not getting my regular messages out. The intention was to complete one every Sunday as that was the only time I got to use the friary PC. Now with my new Laptop I have no excuses; but can I find the time? Your taking on too much says brother Cyril (for once he could be right), ships need to come into harbour - cars into garages; and we need to take our rest, Cyril; what are you like?

I am surviving on Post-It's at the moment, they seem to be popping up all over the place. I have this idea that God has a large pad of Post-it's and is leaving them around for me to find, they make me smile and remember who is important and why I am busy doing the stuff I do. These may sound like trivial things to you; for instance, the other day I was anxious to complete a task for someone and at the last minute I found a snag - what was I going to do? A quick look through a few boxes and I found what I needed and counted out to see how many I had. Not one too many, not one too few - exactly the number I needed. Coincidence, I don't think so. Nature also stops me in my tracks, the beauty of Autumn - just as Summer is fading we are treated to an amazing display of colour. Why is it trees seem far more interesting in the fall than the early or mid stages of their cycle? There is hope for us old'ns yet.

Note to evening office: How many Post-it's did you find today.

A place of prayer

This prayer seems to be cropping up in lots of places at the moment and well worth including here.

A Franciscan Benediction

May God bless you with discomfort
At easy answers, half truths and superficial relationships,
So that you may live deep within your heart

May God bless you with anger
At injustice, oppression and exploitation of people,
So that you may work for justice, freedom and peace.

May God bless you with tears
To shed for those who suffer pain, rejection, hunger and war,
So that you may reach out your hand to comfort and
To turn their pain into joy.

And may God bless you with enough foolishness
To believe that you can make a difference in the world,
So you can do what others claim cannot be done
To bring justice and kindness to all our children and the poor

To find a space, set aside time is never easy, especially when the doing is so important.
Last week I spent a day at Ministeracres with a great bunch of folk; all in similar ministries and needing time out to be.
In the opening session it was very clear to me I was in the right place.........
Note to morning office: Schedule more time throughout the day to lay down the "doing".

Whitby trip

A day out at Whitby; the photo's say it all - fresh air and a cup of coffee at Smugglers cafe. Mmmm





(Click to enlarge)...



I am fascinated by the different levels on this picture.

Back to black

Being away from the friary so long, I feel like an alien - a stranger in my own back yard. The garden is looking unkempt reflecting the way I feel though the silver birch is looking good! There have been changes, which were not on the horizon before I went away and fitting back in is a struggle. Many years ago my family had a dog and while on holiday he would be left at the kennels. There was an initial fuss when we returned, then we got the sulk treatment (you left me at the kennels. I thought you weren’t coming back). Life here of course has not changed in relation to the occupants, but I have been elsewhere.

My conversation is briefly acknowledged and I try not to sound as if I had a wonderful time; BUT I DID!
The first excursion was to a small seaside town, quiet and very clean. A short retreat, which I was in much need of, the programme was varied and included time to stretch our legs down to the beach (the photo is a few of my friends looking out to sea). There was a good balance of thought, prayer, sharing and laughter and we finished with a pub lunch on the Sunday.
Exploring the theme "Journey" we used a large rail card to write on, our destination / starting point / what we will take. I am pleased to have kept mine as the memory fades quickly and some of my writing I felt was important to me.

Leeds mission week was tiring, I am beginning to feel my age, we had some younger folk on the team and I was happy to do some of the cooking. The team were encouraged by the number of times we were in the right place at the right time even though it was not planned. God blesses a willing heart and makes good use of opportunities. The use of dance and drama on the streets drew young people to us and in Millennium square Saturday (after midnight) revellers joined in with us and shared some of their stories. Leeds is not a stranger to gun crime, terrorism and it was a privilege to be among many folk young and old as we served in school, church, street, pubs and clubs.

Last night was a pleasant surprise, a visitor who I had not seen for some time. It was a joy to hear how his journey with the Lord recently had taken off with a whoosh! The excitement and joy in his awareness of Gods presence was evident; and the sense it was not in his own strength moreover it was something he felt he did not deserve but in his service to others he was becoming all that God had in store for him. This was not the same young man I knew before, we prayed before he left and promised to meet again soon.

Note to evening office: Lord may I not despair but hold on to the hope I have in you.

A moment in time

A moment in time
a fleeting thought
gone without knowing
but then did it linger

Cassiopeia the big W
a clear sky tonight
I recall as a boy
stories of the night

Memories wander
and should I mind
to take that time
and hold it for a moment

To payback some respect
for the joy and experience
the person
the moment

More precious than life
is the time you can give
for another to recall
again and again.

for George and the many hours we spent talking about Stars.

In - between

The old friary has many rooms and over the years, changes have been made. The corridors twist and twine through the house opening here and there - rooms without doors. The third floor (up in the eaves) is not used except for storage, books, files and boxes; Michael says we will have a sort out one day, but it will take so long that no-one mentions it any more. Some would say this place has character, others that it is in need of modernising or at least re-decoration.

Nooks and crannies, passages and cubbyholes; a living area and eating quarters, a place to rest and through this place we call home - a place to meet. It is all too easy to see the friary as a working place, a function we are called into and to be part of.

I tend to stride from one end of the building to the other, more intent on the ending than the journey; what I must do when I get there; prepare the dinner, layout the vestments, prepare the alter, weed the garden or harvest some peas. I am beginning to focus on the 'in between times' the journey to and from these events.

Brother Cyril seems happy for me to ramble on about all the things I have been busy with and more, the things I have yet to do. "Sit down for a minute" he will say, "take the weight off your feet", but I don't.
Perhaps the journey need not be so fast, as I pass through the rooms and corridors, do I notice the changes or the things that have always been?

We are like a house with many rooms, busy with our lives and paying more attention to the end result rather than the journey. I am due to go on retreat shortly and I am really looking forward to the 'in between times'.
Note to evening office, Lord may you find me in the in between times.