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Thursday 16 March 2017

Time marches on

Tempus Fugit, or sometimes it does.  Other times it crawls.

A year older today, I am now 82!!!

This year I have felt all of those years but, bugs and viruses defeated (touch wood) am now starting to look outward rather than in.

Yesterday I received two lovely bouquets of flowers and my sitting room smells gorgeous.

Today, looking at the cards which have winged their way to me I felt a small but definite lift in spirits.

I had a long talk to middle brother on the phone yesterday and was reminded how much contact with loved ones counts when living alone.

In the 7 and a half years since John died I have come to value my three brothers in a way I never previously did.

Taking each other for granted is par for the course between siblings and it takes a sharp reminder such as the death of a spouse to make one realise that our personal landscapes complete with support team are not just a background to our lives.

My three brothers have of course some things in common but are also very individual and I value them all, each for their own slant on life.

Friends in church and in the Close all play their part in my single status life but the ties of blood are, inevitably, the closest.

One of my cards is from my oldest friend, ( since school days)  and that too is a very special link.

Watching the dreadful series of news programmes on TV covering the East Africa famine is heart-rending and the stuff of nightmares, yet it is the everyday reality of these poor  peoples' lives.

Helpless to do anything except pray and wait for the details of how to donate money to appear on our screenes, makes us all the more aware of the huge gulf between their lives and ours.

It seems the situation in Africa never improves despite years of aid from other countries and billions of pounds being poured into the bottomless pit of misery.

Clearly the root cause is not being tackled, but, what can we do at our level?

I fear this is one thing which time will not heal.

12 comments:

  1. Happy Birthday, Ray! SO glad to have you as part of my landscape! Enjoy your day.

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    1. Why thank you ma'am, I'll try to stick around.
      It was quite a quiet day, but with lots of cards and messages and phone calls.

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  2. 82? Well, that may well be, I appreciate you very much! Siblings can indeed be a blessing, I grew up an onely child, or so I thought, but 18 years ago I found out I had a sister and now she is my best friend. You are right about Africa as well, but at the same time the people I have come to know and love are so much more than objects of pity. With our help and loving concern from Diakonia, Red Cross, WCC, Medicine sans frontier, you name it, so many people have got hope and means to get out of the darkness. I am afraid the problems in parts of Africa are to some extent created by us, during exploring and colonial years, exploiting and ignorance. It's pay back time, both prayers, money and good practical work is needed, for our neighbours, our brothers and sisters, for the love of the Saviour.
    But yes, sometimes it feels endless and futile, but it can't be.
    Finally, I am soo glad you are back in style, freed from fearful foes. Blessings!

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  3. Thanks Fairtrader, and Blessings to you too.

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  4. Happy birthday my friend....I hope it's a good one... your brothers are clearly treasures!

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  5. Than ks Jean it was a very quiet one, but the right sort of quiet.
    Yes my brothers are just that (most of the time):-)

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  6. Happy Birthday, Ray, I've only just seen this so missed the actual day:)

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  7. Thanks Sue. All good wishes are always welcome, regardless of the date.

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  8. Belated birthday greetings, Ray. I too am learning to appreciate my sisters in a way I didn't when we were all leading such busy lives.

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  9. Thanks Perpetua. My contact with my brothers is by phone (and email in one case) I never see them these days but it is great that we are still good friends.

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  10. Pleased to see we share a birthday month - I've read your blog over the last seven years and admire your honesty and your courage. You deserve a happy 82nd (or is it actually 83rd? year. Blessings from Dalamory

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  11. Thanks Freda. I suppose I am now in my 83rd year. What a thought. All that time and I'm still no wiser than when I began.
    Blessings appreciated.

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