· stillpoint ·

  Someone said to Ina a few days ago that the rhythm of the natural world had become more important to her than ever.    I know exactly what she means.    Just this week we have been given possible dates and plans for coming out of the different stages of lockdown, but there are many caveats.   And then there is our experience of setbacks and changed plans over the last year.   I know my heart sank when I heard how long we have to wait till we can see family again. And of course there is a certain level of trauma or betrayal when it comes to trusting dates given by our well- meaning governments.        Beneath all this though the earth is slowly turning and we are moving closer to the sun again and spring is edging her glorious way into our gardens and parks, hills and valleys.   Well, at least winter is slowly withdrawing, but she’s never gone till she’s gone and March could still hold a surprise or two, just like two years ago!     When so much is uncertain the fragile heads of

  I was talking with someone just yesterday who said they are struggling to see any light at the end of the particular tunnel they and their family are facing.  And it is true, right now it is difficult to see any positive outcomes for them.  Sometimes we just need to say it out loud, be honest and call it what it is. This Lent the St James community are following the theme of 'Sorrow, Solidarity and Hope' and this will come up now and again in these reflective pieces.   A tunnel without light in it is a way of describing an experience of sorrow and loss but can also refer sometimes to the way life is changed by such experiences.  I am sure for some people their life during the pandemic has been like this.   I saw some research this week that suggests the 100,000 deaths in the UK means 891,000 people will have lost a near relative. When I was in school we once went for a hike along a railway line ( this was in India in the early 1980's!)  and had to walk through a coupl

  Now and again Valentines Day falls on the Sunday before the start of Lent.  This is one of those years and it got me thinking that, although at first glance the two may seem totally unrelated, actually Valentines Day can help us observe Lent in the right spirit.   Valentine's Day celebrates the love one person has for another and although this can range from a schoolboy crush to the mature love of a long married couple there is a common theme.   The 'secret' identity of the giver of the Valentine Card not only adds an air of mystery and excitement, but it also, if properly observed, means that it is offered expecting nothing in return.   At heart it is altruistic.  We usually approach Lent as a season when we give things up, a time of sacrifice and penance as we walk with Jesus on the road to Jerusalem and his death for us.  It is in foregoing some of our normal habits and luxuries that we become more conscious of what he gave up for us and are reminded that being his dis

  ·          What we do ·          What we have ·          What others say about us. Generally speaking we build our identity around some combination of these. Just stop and think about it for a minute or two.   It’s true isn’t it?    These express important parts of what it means to be human and to have a sense of purpose and accomplishment in life.    We naturally want to be productive and creative, to do stuff and not just waste time.   We also want to accumulate a measure of financial and physical security and enjoy things that we own.   And we are social creatures who are made for relationships and the giving and receiving of validation and appreciation. It’s when we consider what happens when we lose these three things that we grasp the significance of them.    Let’s think about refugees.   I was watching Simon Reeves and was very moved, as he was moved, by his encounters with Syrian refugees arriving on the island of Lesbos.   There was a family of 4, dad was a professio