All go at Martha Towers. Aged mother taken to car boot and out for breakfast. Although am still recovering from conversation last time we took her out.
Mum That's a nice dress
Me Thank - you
Mum Makes you look slim
Me I think I am quite slim - all things considered (Two babies and a fondness for Lemon Drizzle)
Mum No, no you have quite a belly on you now but that dress helps a lot.
I have known people in counselling for less!
On returning, sit down to book theatre tickets for trip to London with offspring. Decide to go and see well reviewed play with Carey Mulligan and Bill Nighy. All goes well when booking, plenty of seats available, (This should really have been a red flag to me) and I come to the payments page and find that 4 tickets - including one student - comes to £546.00! How much? Do I get to come and share your lovely home with Marcus Mumford for a week for that? I think it out again and we will be going to see The Commitments.
Off to church Sunday pm. Manage to get myself sat next to lady who spends first half of meeting sobbing gently into her hanky. Try to convince myself that it is hay fever but realise that it probably isn't. Toy with idea of putting caring hand on shoulder but lady is with husband/son/glamorous Spanish paramour (am not sure which) and he appears blissfully unconcerned so feel this would be interfering. Get no help from HOH who is pretending to be totally immersed in worship. Think meeting cannot get more uncomfortable when worship leader instructs us to break into groups and share something to pray about. WELL THANK YOU! Can I just say, I would be more impressed with that idea if you got off your safe space on the platform and joined us lesser mortals sitting next to woman in middle of fully fledged nervous breakdown. Try to catch eye of lady with tissue that is now very nasty but she turns her back to me and points out Bible verse to her chap. Reassure myself with probability that God is dealing with situation and turn back to HOH. Spend pleasant five minutes with heads together, in approximation of prayer, discussing how badly Brits generally deal with pew based mental collapse.
As meeting ends, lady leaves with speed of bullet fired from gun, proving herself immune to my pastoral caring face which I am wearing in case she needs it. We also leave, as soon as FOW2 has chatted for several hours.
Retire to bed. Am going back to work. Am quite tired - again.
PS If you could just add Adrian Plass to your prayer list as he has recently had a stroke. If there is a Christian in Britain who has not been blessed by this gentleman, I have yet to meet them. He is fantastic and funny and wise. Please pray for him and his family.
Oh my! Your mum sounds like my mother in law, lol.
ReplyDeleteYou did have a busy weekend, no wonder you felt tired. You made me giggle with your comment:
Can I just say, I would be more impressed with that idea if you got off your safe space on the platform and joined us lesser mortals sitting next to woman in middle of fully fledged nervous breakdown.
That's just soo true. I do hope the lady was alright, but sometimes you just don't know what to do for the best in that situation.
I will of course add Adrian and his family to my prayers.
X x
I recognise your pew-squirming-dilemma 'to help or not' I think you did ok. I expect God does too.
ReplyDeleteOn my return from a week away, my dearly beloved [normally a man of great compliments and encouragements] suddenly said "Why does your hair look mousey?" I am still getting over this remark. I have dark brown hair [ok, brown with greys cover by L'Oreal Excellence] in all my six decades I have NEVER been mousey.
We were praying for Adrian Plass the other morning. I felt I should pray for his wife too - "Barbara, Brenda, Belinda....Lord, Its Bridget, I just remembered!" I suspect the dear man would have been amused by my determination to get her correct name, althought the Almighty knew all along who I meant.
Why are we Christians such idiots? Isn't God's grace amazing that He is so patient with us.
£546 for FOUR tickets is iniquitous. Come to Leicester, I will entertain for three shillings and sixpence [half a crown if you skip the drink of weak Christian orange squash at half time]
summer blessings dear friend - you have brightened my day!!