It's all decidedly weather beaten in the garden this Spring, after so much snow and ice, I imagine. But
the sun shone hot and bright all day here and toasted me as I sat with tea and muffins in between
bouts of housework.
I even managed to rouse myself to pull out lots of dead leaves and stalks from the strawberry bed,
our own little allegory of life! Apparently, according to a gardening column about three weeks ago, I should have had potash in down already. Hmm. But
new shoots here and even in the rhubarb bed encourage me to
look forward to Lent with great expectation. To pray with
great expectation.
Fergal Keane. I think The Story of Ireland is only running on BBC Northern Ireland, following its earlier debut on RTE 1, so maybe you haven't been
entranced by the melodic voice and balanced thoughts of this
truly impressive piece of accessible journalism. Mattman sits up to watch it with me on Sunday evenings. So we sit
huddled together on the green sofa and
discuss in swift nuggets the unfolding events.
We try to talk to the suns about anything and everything in as much detail as we think they can process, but we have been fairly silent on the elephant in the society that is ours. So praise be indeed for last night's episode on the C18th. Recounted firmly from a perspective of Revolution, and featuring large and gorgeously the role of the Presbyterians in the United Irishmen, what a joy to be able to explore your history through this, instead of wading through the bigoted side-taking that we had to find a way through as we worked out what questions we could ask, when and of whom.
These are undoubtedly sunnier times in the frozen North and I am glad to be talking to my children now, and not then.
ps I told PC to pick a number between 1 and 9, so he picked 3. And Pom Pom's was the third comment last Monday, so Pom Pom: You Are Special!
According to the Sage Fred, Celtic Christianity knows thin places. It feels to me like fissure lines where the closeness of Heaven touches, actually touches, the stones and the ground and the skies breathing into the places where souls have chanted glory for long. My favourites are Jerpoint Abbey, Co. Kilkenny and especially Devenish Island, Co. Fermanagh. Today I'm thinking of Lent as one of my favourite thin times.
In the Library just now we're starting to go through the annual Appraisal Process. Jokingly late one night we flicked through a Professional Develoment book from the Business School trolley. When I paraphrase this quote I still start to cry so hilarious was it at the time- you'll have to remember that it was late! The advice therein was that in work you should let your light shine because by doing so you subconsciously give others the right to let theirs shine too. (Mags stops typing to wipe her eyes...)
But today our special preacher finished his thoughts with much the same idea. That we should walk our faith every step. Live our faith every step. Because only then would we give others the right to step out into theirs too. So I'm going into this Lenten week with the thought that as I walk with Christ towards Passion, I might walk openly and hopefully encouragingly. In the thin place, at a thin time!
So that's my 
