Circle us Lord

Love is not....

The capacity to be alone

Peace Prayer

The Peace Prayer of Saint Francis

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.

Where there is hatred, let me sow love;

Where there is error, truth;

Where there is injury, pardon;

Where there is doubt, faith;

Where there is despair, hope;

Where there is darkness, light;

And where there is sadness, joy.

O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek

To be consoled as to console;

To be understood as to understand;

To be loved as to love. 

For it is in giving that we receive;

It is in pardoning that we are pardoned;

It is in self-forgetting that we find;

And it is in dying to ourselves that we are born to eternal life.

Amen.

Snow globes of hope

Who doesn't love a snow globe? They have a magical quality to them that touches young and old. We start off with the still scene, give the globe a shake and hundreds of snowflakes bounce around. Then they gradually settle back down creating a new snowy carpeted scene. 

Our lives too have changing scenes. Well-being becomes a barometer altered by the shifting tides of failing health and healing. Relationships can grow or break down, blossom or fade, heralding emotional fluctuations. A family's dynamics shift when a member dies or leaves, for whatever reason. They also alter when there is a birth or a new person joins the family. People's roles or jobs in life can change bringing new senses of identity and have financial implications. Moving house, relocating, emigrating or working abroad bring with them altering parameters to familiar routines.

Like a snow globe we are caught in a maelstrom that requires our response. And for those of faith, our relationship with God can affect how we respond. We can bring God into the equation. We can be like the wise man who built his house on the rock. We can rebuild our lives using the roots of our faith as foundation stones. The rebuilding may be slow. It may only evolve one brick at a time. We may not even be able to envisage what the final build will look like. But, that is ok. We don’t need to know. We just need to trust that we will get there.

Then, when the snow eventually settles, we will find a new shape has been created. It won’t be the same as the one before. Life has changed. But, it will have the unspoken tenets of faith built in to it. Those building blocks of love, trust and peace enabling us to look to the future again with a sprinkling of hope.

Sunday words

Those that truly love

Captain Corelli's MandolinLouis de Bernieres

Love is a temporary madness,
it erupts like volcanoes and then subsides.
And when it subsides you have to make a decision.
You have to work out whether your roots have so entwined together
that it is inconceivable that you should ever part.
Because this is what love is.
Love is not breathlessness,
it is not excitement,
it is not the promulgation of eternal passion.
That is just being "in love" which any fool can do.
Love itself is what is left over when being in love has burned away,
and this is both an art and a fortunate accident.
Those that truly love, have roots that grow towards each other underground,
and when all the pretty blossom have fallen from their branches,
they find that they are one tree and not two.

Stormy weather

Harbour wall at Arbroath, Scotland

Yesterday, heavy rain descended causing problems with our rivers and on our roads. Today the sea battered against the shoreline in Arbroath causing unwary bystanders to be soaked.

Stormy times batter our days.

The words of this hymn turn us in the direction of God's presence in the storms:-

God hath not promised skies always blue,

Flower strewn pathways all our lives through;

God hath not promised sun without rain,

Joy without sorrow, peace without pain.

God hath not promised we shall not know

Toil and temptation, trouble and woe;

He hath not told us we shall not bear

Many a burden, many a care.

God hath not promised smooth roads and wide,

Swift, easy travel, needing no guide;

Never a mountain rocky and steep,

Never a river turbid and deep.

But God hath promised strength for the day,

Rest for the labor, light for the way,

Grace for the trials, help from above,

Unfailing sympathy, undying love.

Loving those we see

My heart's desire

Two deer wandering in the grounds of Glamis Castle last week caught my eye. They brought instantly to mind one of my favourite hymns:-

As the deer pants for the water,

so my soul longs after you.

You alone are my heart's desire

and I long to worship You.

You alone are my strength and shield,

to You alone may my spirit yield.

You alone are my heart's desire

and I long to worship You

I want you more than gold or silver,

only you can satisfy.

You alone are the real joy-giver

and the apple of my eye.

You're my Friend and you are my Brother,

even though you are a King.

I love you more than any other,

so much more than anything.

Fields of our hearts

When our hearts are wintry, grieving or in pain,

Thy touch can call us back to life again.

Fields of our hearts that dead and bare have been:

Love is come again

Like wheat that springeth green.

                                                                                                    

                                                                                              - from a French carol


{Photograph taken - Memus, Angus - 5th February 2012 - Linda Stevens}

The haggis mouse

Bearing in mind this is a posting from a girl in the glens it will come of no surprise to glean that the mouse on the plate is in fact some haggis! We are of course heading towards the anniversary of our bard - Robert Burns - on 25th January. 

Last night I had my first Burns Supper of the season. Our church had their supper at Memus Hall - we dined well on Scotch Broth, haggis, neeps and tatties followed by trifle and shortbread. The entertainment was superb with reflections, readings, poems, highland dancing and singing. The teenagers from our local high school were very involved in all of this and it was great to see them all undertake their tasks and performances with such keenness and aptitude.

Two of the girls beautifully sang a duet of Burns' song 'Ae Fond Kiss'

Lovely words and lovely music. If you ever drop into any of our church services in Kirriemuir and the Glens you will hear this tune played every week. We sing our blessing at the end of the service to this music. 

I will end with the words now - sing along if you wish:-

May the God of peace go with you,

as you travel from this place,

may the love of Jesus keep you,

firm in hope and full of grace.

The Long Lost Watch

This evening as I was flicking through the TV channels when I paused to listen to an antiques programme. A slot in the show describes antiques whose whereabouts are unknown. This evening it was a very unique watch designed by Dante Gabriel Rossetti.

Rossetti was an English poet, illustrator, painter and translator. He married one of his models, Elizabeth Siddal. She was his muse and his passion, he painted her time and time again.


(He painted this painting of her from memory after her death - Beata Beatrix).

Unfortunately, although he adored his Lizzie, Rossetti was a philanderer. It drove her into a great state of anxiety. She began taking Luadanum which eventually led to an overdose and her death.

Dante was devastated when she died and even had all his unpublished poems buried with her.

He then designed this intricate watch which is filled with symbolism depicting their relationship. He wore it for the rest of his life and every time he looked at it he remembered his Lizzie. This is his drawing of the back and front of the watch.
It became a permanent reminder for him of what he had loved and lost.

Such a moving, sad story. For me it is a poignant reminder to appreciate the folk that we have in our lives - our loved ones, friends, good colleagues. To value them, give thanks for them and to enjoy all the precious time that we have with them.

The Irrational Season

This is the irrational season

When love blooms bright and wild.

Had Mary been filled with reason

There'd have been no room for the child.

- Madeleine L'Engle