Hidden gems

Blessings often exist right under our noses, don't they? Actually, having been gifted with a rather large nose (courtesy of the Hills family gene pool) my opening comment might be interpreted as an understatement!
This morning we headed out of Portsmouth to a little village called Wickham. It wasn't far - about 10 miles - but a place we'd never visited before. As we witnessed the lines of vehicles streaming into the city today we were pleased to be heading out in the opposite direction.
After parking up in the village square we took a brief walk around before settling into 'Lilly's Coffee shop' for that most charming of British customs - 'elevenses'. It was a real gem of a place - old fashioned building, comfy decor and a real fire burning in the corner. The drinks, toasted tea-cakes and cakes were wonderful, too. I'd recommend it. Just around the corner but we'd never been there before.
It's often the case that we look for blessings miles away but so often fail to see those that we have right at hand. Tomorrow I return to work (well, briefly, anyway) and I write this blog reflecting on the lovely days I've enjoyed over the Christmas break. It's been great to see Mum, my daughters and their boyfriends. During the next couple of days we'll catch up with more family and I know we'll have a great time. It's easy to take for granted those closest to us.
I've just watched this evening's news on BBC and seen the footage of the carnage in Gaza and the results of air strikes today. I see families mourning for lost loved ones and others living in fear. When I see the suffering it reminds me in bleak tones that I really shouldn't take my peaceful and blessed life for granted.
At a time of year when thoughts all around the world have turned to the Middle East and particularly the town of Bethlehem, the contrast between the evolved folklore of which we have been singing and the reality of life there now seems stark.
With the people of Irael and Gaza in mind, I leave with a prayer for peace composed by a Jewish Rabbi:
This we know:
Fear can yield to faith, hope can reignite
Rage can cease, hatred can be melted. . . .
Merciful One, illumine the sight of your children
To see You in each other's eyes.
Merciful One, spread the canopy of your peace over us,
Over Israel, over Ishmael, over all who dwell on earth. Amen
Rabbi Sheila Weinberg

The sun on your back

Boxing Days are great, aren't they? In my 'former life' as a retail manager Boxing Day was the first day of the sales - so Christmas holidays were pretty short affairs. In recent years Boxing Days carried some pretty special memories. It was on Boxing Day 2001 that the city of Bam, Iran, was hit by a terrible earthquake. This prompted some chaotic days over Christmas as we planned a trip out there and tried (unsuccessfully as it turned out) to get a visa to enter the country. I was actually heading out to the airport that year when I received a phone call from the British Embassy in Tehran informing m that the waiving of visas for humanitarian relief personnel had been withdrawn and that I wouldn't get in without one. I turned round, went home, and never did travel to Iran.
Then in 2002 the south Asian tsunami hit - throwing humanitarian agencies all around the world into a mad panic. I don't suppose I'll ever forget those feelings of helplessness as our office found ourselves trying to tie The Salvation Army's international support together and the horrendous days that followed. Ironically, today's newspaper (6 years on) carried a report that the people of Aceh in Indonesia are begging aid agencies to stop building new houses there as there aren't enough people to fill them! This mirrors what we (TSA) discovered - I learned just this year that there were not enough impacted families to take up the new homes and that they were being given to anyone who had been a family connection with a tsunami impacted family! Despite that, it's still reckoned that only half of the money donated to the tsunami appeals has even been spent.
Today life is rather more mundane. I haven't watched the news with bated breath wondering whether my bag should be packed and readied. However, it's not without new adventures. This morning I did something I've been meaning to do ever since arriving here in Portsmouth in the summer. I parked up near the Anglican cathedral and then jogged along the seafront as far as the Royal Marines museum in Eastney and back again. It was a lovely run - about 50 minutes in total. The place was inundated with families enjoying a walk along the sea wall - and dozens of fellow joggers jostling for space between and around the walkers. Jogging etiquette is interesting - there are those who nod and greet as you pass, others who ignore you (their loss, eh?). The run out of town was nice, but running into the sun and with a head wind I found my eyes and nose streaming and walkers just a dark shadow as I tried to jog around them.

Reaching the statue of the marine which marks the entrance to the museum I turned round and headed back again. What a difference - no longer squinting into the sun and with a gentle breeze blowing me along the homeward run was so much more enjoyable. I looked out over the sea and noticed the boats and ferries making their way around the harbour. I could make out the faces of the people walking and enjoying each other's company. It's such a shame when we are so busy sceewing our eyes up to see and with our head down into the breeze that we miss the good things around us.

Reminded me of the words of an old Irish prayer, which I leave for you to ponder and of which I ask for my family and friends today:

An Old Irish Blessing

May the road rise up to meet you.
May the wind always be at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face,
and rains fall soft upon your fields.
And until we meet again,
May God hold you in the palm of His hand.

New beginnings

Well, today is Christmas Day - which means it's 7 months since my last posting. Hardly keeping things very regular and up to date here, eh?
Life has taken a few turns in that time (what with moving home and changing roles) and I've got out of the habit of posting. That's kind of a shame as the habit of trying to see what each day is showing you is a pretty good one to have.
Today's been a good day - a good Christmas Day. Rachel, Rebecca, her fiance - Chris, and my Mum have been with us and the joy of giving and receiving presents has been experienced again. Once again, I've been reminded how much thought and care Lyn puts into making this time of year special for us all. So much hard work has been invested into the dinner and the presents. Nothing happens on its' own, does it?
I suppose that is today's thought - you only get out of something what you invest into it. As I've spent time with my family I'm grateful for the love they have invested into making the family work - not just today, of course, but for years.
We are now in a new era. The girls are making their own lives (since we left them behind and moved south) and today has been a demonstration that they are growing up and becoming independent of us. That's a good thing - it's how families are supposed to evolve. Even just a couple of years ago I couldn't have predicted where we would all be and what we would be doing today. But God has been watching over us and has His hand upon us and I'm very proud of what the kids have become.
In posting today's blog it's a prompter for a new blogging start for a new blogging year! I'll try to get back into blogging mode and put down onto cyber notepaper some of the things I see around me and record (for my own sake more than anyone else's) what's going on in my world.
Happy Christmas!