Not Waving but DrowningBy Stevie Smith “Nobody heard him, the dead man, But still he lay moaning:I was much further out than you thought And not waving but drowning. Poor chap, he always loved larkingAnd now he’s deadIt must have been too cold for him his heart gave way, They said. Oh, no no no, …
When I was a child, the lights on our Christmas tree stopped working. I found the one that was broken and discovered that the cause was a loose wire. I had enough intelligence to get that far. However, I then went and got myself a metal fork. Without switching off the lights at the socket, …
As I get older I’m starting to realise how much I am like my Mum and Dad. It is not a bad thing. My parents have a lot of good qualities that I am grateful they passed on. But occasionally I might come out with a strange phrase like: “Don’t panic Mr Mannering,” and think: …
Raising children is mentally exhausting. The noise and questions are constant! Conversations are generally interrupted and so are thoughts. Being stuck in the house during lockdown has made the noise even louder. It is hard to think clearly about anything – whether replying to messages, making plans or writing blogs. It affects my prayer life …
In the 34th chapter of John Bunyan’s ‘Pilgrims Progress’, Christian and Hopeful, two of the main characters, encounter the river of death. Crossing the river is their last big challenge before entering the pearly gates of God’s city. They step in the water. Hopeful finds his feet on solid ground but Christian isn’t so lucky. …
A few days ago we were going out for a walk. I called our baby girl to the front door. She was on the other end of a messy lounge. Smiling, she bottom-shuffled through all the obstacles: duplo, books, cushions. She was headed for her goal and wouldn’t be stopped! The next morning I sat …
This morning I came home from the allotment covered in mud. It was on my face and in my hair too. Not a pretty sight. Sticky, dirty, brown mud is something most sane people avoid. But growing among all that mud were these tasty strawberries. So many that today we’ve made jam, compote and jelly …
Some mornings doing family worship with the children can be such hard work. Simply gathering the energy to even get started can feel like an internal battle. There are times I’ll sit in the lounge and have to call for the children to come more than once. When I finally start reading our Bible story, …
Tomorrow is the winter solstice, the shortest day of the year in the northern hemisphere. Here in Wales the sun won’t rise till past 8am and will be setting just after 4pm. One good thing about such a late sunrise is a lot more of us are awake to enjoy it than in the summer …
“Sleep that knits up the ravelled sleave of care, The death of each day’s life, sore labor’s bath, Balm of hurt minds, great nature’s second course, Chief nourisher in life’s feast.” Shakespeare wrote these insightful words back in the early 1600’s – long before the influx of medical research on the topic of sleep. He was already profoundly aware of …