May I start this post with a personal question? Are you an ‘um’ person or an ‘er’ person? We all recognise those hesitations and the situations in which they happen: when we’re feeling nervous, answering a difficult question or just playing for time. We’ve all been an ‘um’ or an ‘er’ person at some timeContinue reading ““Um….. er””
Author Archives: sherrianguest
Psalm 23 (and a half)!
As the evenings lengthen and spring appears, local fields are full of sheep with their lambs. I’ve just driven past such a field and even through the fairly heavy spring rain which was falling, it was lovely to see the mothers watching over their lambs and the lambs seeking the shelter of their mothers’ bodies.Continue reading “Psalm 23 (and a half)!”
I Followed Women
I followedAwakened by instinctAs dawn broke. I followed womenKeeping respectful distanceAs they wound through quiet streets. I followed women quietlySlipping through sun’s strengthening raysAs they left the sleeping city. I followed women quietly clusteredCurious about their destinationAs they hurried furtively. I followed women quietly clustered closeCarrying jars and clothsAs they came near Golgotha. I followedContinue reading “I Followed Women”
I Followed a Man
I followedAs a donkey carried a manAlong a coat strewn road to Jerusalem I followed peopleAs they pushed and jostledOne another towards Jerusalem I followed people surgingAs they shouted “Hosanna”Along the triumphant road to Jerusalem I followed people surging through city streetsAs they argued about the manWho’d led them to Jerusalem I followed people surgingContinue reading “I Followed a Man”
Packing for Holy Week
As tomorrow is Palm Sunday, like Christians everywhere I’m about to begin my journey through Holy Week towards Easter. There are so many preparations to make before setting out on a journey aren’t there? I sometimes find that I spend the first two days of a trip simply recovering from all the effort needed toContinue reading “Packing for Holy Week”
Please Take a Seat
Last week I went to a study day on Ignatian Spirituality at Penhurst Retreat Centre in East Sussex. This was my first visit but certainly won’t be my last. Just stepping across the threshold of this beautiful 17th century Jacobean manor house was so calming. There was a wonderful sense of peace and, despite theContinue reading “Please Take a Seat”
Weaving the Threads Together
Recently I visited the Tate Modern gallery in London to see an exhibition about Cézanne. One of the most impressive features of Tate Modern, a decommissioned power station on the bank of the river Thames, is its 27m tall Turbine Hall in which some unusual and striking works are displayed. When I visited, two largeContinue reading “Weaving the Threads Together”
Who’s in Control?
At some point this year and possibly sooner rather than later, I’m going to need to get a new laptop computer, my current one is at least eight years old and now runs very slowly. I’m dreading having to make the change in case any important files, especially files of photos, go missing while they’reContinue reading “Who’s in Control?”
Navigating the Icebergs
One of the books I received for Christmas was a biography of Sir Ernest Shackleton, the polar explorer. The particular edition, simply called Shackleton and written by Roland Huntford* had long been on my reading list following good reviews I’d read. I also feel a ‘personal’ connection with Shackleton, as Charles Green, who was theContinue reading “Navigating the Icebergs”
Turning the Page
For several years now, during the last week of the year, I’ve found myself looking back through my diary and listing all the enjoyable, non-routine things I’ve done. No appointments with my chiropracter or dentist, for example, make it onto the list. The things which do make it are those things which have given meContinue reading “Turning the Page”
A Day of Change and Constancy
Far from the crowded pavements of London, I woke to watch the sun rising over the ancient cliffs and timeless shores round Lyme Bay in Dorset. Walking along the promenade at Lyme Regis, usually so noisy with the scrape of cafe tables and chairs being set out for the day’s customers, the silence was profound.Continue reading “A Day of Change and Constancy”
Finding the Perfect Space
I’ve always enjoyed driving, despite the ever-growing volume of traffic on the roads (highways.) Sometimes, I even find it relaxing. On regular journeys, I have landmarks I look out for as a way of making the journey pass more quickly: simple things such as a particularly attractive building, a strangely shaped tree or a favouriteContinue reading “Finding the Perfect Space”
A Box of Delights
Who likes eating chocolate? Most of us, probably, if we’re honest. My love affair with chocolate started with the simple ‘one finger of chocolate’ bar that I was allowed after lunch in early childhood. Since then, I’ve always enjoyed tearing open the wrapper and the shiny foil inside and sinking my teeth into that delicious,Continue reading “A Box of Delights”
Don’t Lose Your Place
I love reading and have done ever since I was first able to turn those strange shapes on the page into the gateways to new and absorbing worlds inhabited by fascinating people. At any period, I’m usually reading two books: one chosen by majority vote of the book club I belong to and the secondContinue reading “Don’t Lose Your Place”
Peeling Back the Layers
A few weeks I visited the Museum of Brands in London’s Notting Hill Gate area. It was fascinating to look at the many packets and tins spanning the decades from Victorian times to the present. (There are also fashions, household appliances and toys to see; it’s a great, nostalgia fest if you’re in London.) AlmostContinue reading “Peeling Back the Layers”
Welcome to Sunlight Through the Shadows
Always fascinated as a child by church buildings and what might be inside them, though I didn’t go to church then, at different times I’ve been part of a Baptist church (in my teens), an Anglican church in town and two rural parishes. In my current parish, I’m on the Parochial Church Council and headContinue reading “Welcome to Sunlight Through the Shadows”
Days at the Beach
Today is a ‘beach’ day. I’m not actually on a beach, though it’s certainly beach weather: a lovely early summer’s day with blue sky, light cloud and the warmth of the sun. It’s Monday and by 10.30 a.m. I’d been able to achieve things from both today’s and tomorrow’s To Do lists. I’d done theContinue reading “Days at the Beach”
Holey, Wholly, Holy
What is the point of a hole? A hole represents the lack of something; for example, the appearance of a pothole in a road often represents a lack of, or poor, maintenance. I know that driving over, or dropping into, a hole in the road leaves me feeling very shaken and insecure if I haven’tContinue reading “Holey, Wholly, Holy”
The Things We Carry
Walking through my village over recent weeks, I’ve noticed how few people are empty handed. Most people walking along are carrying something. One man carried a reel of electrical cable over his arm. Was he an electrician by trade going to work in someone’s home or was he going to repair or replace something inContinue reading “The Things We Carry”
Let’s Have a Think
Today, 22nd February, is World Thinking Day. First celebrated in 1926, it was chosen to mark the birthdates of both Robert Baden-Powell, founder of the scout movement, and his wife Olave, who became World Chief Guide. It’s many years since I was a Girl Guide but every year when 22nd February comes around, for someContinue reading “Let’s Have a Think”
Sunlight Through the Shadows 