Reflections on what it means to live with an active faith and how it helps make sense of the world.
"Do we go to Father Christmas' church - it says St Nicholas!", says my excited six year old. What a paradox we give to children at Christmas - Santa - the myth of an old man you grow out of - versus Jesus - the truth of a baby the church says to believe in. … Continue reading Father Christmas – a festive parable?
Following a fad, or reinforcing foundations? Toddler groups bring more families into contact with churches than almost anything else, except perhaps food banks. Beyond grasping gratefully at the offer, does anyone wonder why churches provide them? Are they an outlet for nostalgic public-spirited housewives? Does the church think that coffee, toys and a chat will … Continue reading Into the Woods! Church toddler groups and forest school
When dear friends and family go through hard times it is so difficult to know how to respond and acknowledge its awfulness, whilst carrying on with everything you need to do as well. This is my attempt at expressing it. FOR A FRIEND IN NEED Let me help me carry your load, my friend,For the … Continue reading Compassionate Friendship through thick and thin
Taken on a market stall in Spetses, July 2017 The message of joy and peace in the nativity story can ring hollow for many given the state of the world. A couple of years ago I wrote a poem addressing this. Here is a revised version: "Joy to the world!", sang the angels that night;"Peace … Continue reading What happened to the promise of the Angels? (revised)
Apparently, despite the best efforts of Blue Peter, my children still think climate change is primarily about animals. So, I puzzled about a childrens and families activity around this year's Harvest Festival - happening as it is in the run-up to the Leaders' gathering on Climate Change in November. How do you bring home in … Continue reading Helping Small People handle Big Issues: Harvest Festival, Inequality and Climate Change
I didn't expect to cry today. Worry and irritation, I expected, and exhaustion I knew would appear - all the normal emotions associated with taking two children to London in a pandemic (I have a hair chewer and a finger nibbler). But nothing prepared me for the sheer wall of emotion I felt within minutes … Continue reading Moved to tears
When something important ends - a friendship withering through distance, a career abruptly terminated, or even a bereavement that tragically ends a relationship, it is hard to put words around their enduring value when they cease to be a daily reality. My daughter once described colouring a picture as 'bringing it to life' and that … Continue reading Etched in Eternity
I have spent so much time in the past year in the same four walls; working, eating, family life, any precious few minutes for leisure. Its plenty of time to notice all the parts that need work, the niggles I can't seem to get fixed. Plenty of time to take comfort in all the material … Continue reading Living within these four walls…..
This reflection is available to buy as a postcard. Please order by email at grainofsandblog@gmail.com Friendship matters immensely. It comes in many forms and circumstances create all sorts. At its most fleeting it might be a momentary connection - such as a friendly opinion given by a stranger in a changing room that helps you … Continue reading Anchor Friendships
The Christmas story has an easy sell - angels, a donkey, a baby, lambs and kings all make up an accessible story for children. (Never mind that the reality was family rejection, birth amidst squalor and social ostracism!) The challenge is making it more than a story. But the Easter story struggles to get past … Continue reading The meaning of Easter- in fuzzyfelt
Grain of Sand 