“Not yesterday I learned to knowThe love of bare November days”(from ‘My November Guest’ by Robert Frost)Darling November is for me the most reflective of months, a time for remembering and pondering, before the exuberant jolly jamboree of December. The winter unknown lies ahead, the year of memories stretches out behind. An eventide season characterised by a sweet, gentle melancholy. Our culture embraces November with various remembrances. All Souls church services afford us the opportunity to remember, in calm candlelit stillness, our loved ones who are now out of eye’s sight and hand’s holding. Hot on its heels comes Bonfire Night, with its whizzes and bangs, commemorating something I’m never quite comfortable with. And then the national call goes up to remember with silent dignity those whose lives are lost in the military’s quest for peace.Moments of quiet stillness, intentional points of contemplation, prayer and meditation, are a blessing in my life that I all too often forgo in the hubbub and busyness. Words and sounds are everywhere, all the time. If I steal such a moment in my solitude, I often sense that God draws nearer, and I am not alone. In a quite different way, there is something heavenly about being together with others in calm reflective quietness. I love Taizé worship and group mindfulness meditations for that reason. It is my hope to start introducing more intentional silence into some of our church services (and not just the kind of silence that comes when I momentarily forget what I’m meant to be doing).In Garway church in December we will have a Blue Christmas gathering especially for those who find that time of year particularly sad – more on that in next month’s edition.I hope that November will afford you some gentle, still moments to reflect and ponder, either companionably or in quiet solitude. I pray that if you are remembering a lost loved one, the silence is kind and not harsh.With love and blessing,Rev Angie xP.S. Our Benefice All Souls service is on 3 November. You will be given a warm welcome.
As always, our Parish News is packed with stories from all our villages, a helpful listing of the many events in our parishes, wildlife notes, book reviews, lots of small ads, and of course a Chuckle Corner.You can click the link below to view or download the November edition of the Parish News in PDF format.
It’s that time of year when I find myself inexplicably craving period costume dramas on the tele – all those awkward stilted conversations and heaving bosoms – and big bowls of hearty soup. We all go conkers bonkers and start to dig out our cosy knits. All, we hope and pray, is safely gathered in. Another month, another tender love letter from the natural world around us, generously abundant in beauty and enchantment as the seasons roll on.Generosity has been on my mind of late. I recently attended the funeral of a very dear friend, Sheila. With her wife Sue, Sheila lived her whole life generously. She quietly and gloriously enriched the lives of her friends and her community, and wherever she went she made new and treasured friendships, all over the world. She was ridiculously intelligent, but she wore it humbly and without show, all the while changing the world for the better. Since I’ve known her, Sheila has been a significant inspiration to me. It breaks my heart that she is gone. Her legacy, however, will continue, because she lived so generously.I wonder if the greatest enemy of generosity is fear. When we live fearfully, we may cling on tightly to what we’ve got, pull up our drawbridges, bolster our defences. But what, then, of all the others who get left out in the cold? Fear and struggle are inevitable in life, none of us escape them. While fear can be useful in helping us to make good and wise choices, at its worst fear can also stunt our compassion. But if we can hold our fear alongside hope, gratitude, and love, it need not define us; we find ourselves with the freedom to live generously.Maya Angelou said that when we give cheerfully and accept gratefully, everyone is blessed, and I am minded to agree. What might living generously look like for you today? What ways might you be a blessing? Maybe with your time, your patience, your financial resources, your hospitality, your talents, your prayers, your smile? If we know what it is to struggle or to be afraid, perhaps that understanding will encourage us to recognise and respond generously to struggle and fear in others, both friends and strangers.Now, I’m going to cuddle up in a big cardigan, enjoy some Mr Darcy, and raise a glass to my wonderful friend Sheila.God bless you my friends.Rev Angie x
As always, our Parish News is packed with stories from all our villages, a helpful listing of the many events in our parishes, wildlife notes, book reviews, lots of small ads, and of course a Chuckle Corner.You can click the link below to view or download the October edition of the Parish News in PDF format.
