Monday 30 May 2011

Family catch up

I have realised that most of my news recently has been about ducks. Well, they are very entertaining...I love looking out of the window to see the ducks staring back at me, demanding food, while the rabbit snoozes in the grass and a mallard and his bride nestle in the flowerbed...well, the last isn't too great as I survey the flattened flowers. Oh well.

Yet there is considerably more in my life than ducks. School, for one.  Lots of paper work - reports, reviews, reorganisation, replanning...even redistributing the contents of my classroom cupboard (I can now see the floor - hallelujah!).

Church, for another. Thinking about dear friends who have been spiritual mentors for years (I cried when they told me they were moving back to Africa - and, at the time, they weren't even living in the same country as us! It was just that Europe seemed so much closer...), I realised that, unbelievably, I now - in a small, small, way - mentor others. How did that happen? (Not sure.)  And what do I know? (Not much.)
At the same time, friendship groups are tightening, growing, including others more and more...New Wine a few weeks ago was a wonderful shared experience.

Socially - well, lots of coffees and dinners, barbecues, bike rides and kayaking...wonderful to have light mornings and long evenings. Summer.

As for Jonny and Cat: well, both are nearing the end of their intern years. Cat blogs a little, Jonny is still serving at Proclaimers church in Norwich.  Both face changes and challenges.

Last month brought visits from old and dear friends, all a wonderful encouragement. Sometimes I even remember to ring friends for a chat and catch up. Still more visits planned for the summer.

And there is always reading: latterly, Tim Keller's The Prodigal God; Becky Manley Pippert's Out of the Saltshaker; and John Ortberg's The Me I Want to Be. Much food for thought.

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