Tempus fugit

One of the things about being a Priest which catches me out is the sense of being part of several rhythms of life; weekly, seasonal, annual, and also those which crop up from being in and part of a community. My brain is still somewhere in early September, but my diary is firmly in November. And then I opened yesterday's paper to look at anything we might watch on TV tonight and the Review section has a list of films that have shaped the decade...

The decade!!??!! Where did that go?

I made a joke recently that the last nine years were probably the result of the Y2K bug - it was real after all! But it hasn't really been that bad...

We had a lovely Millennium evening in our old village. A service in Church early on, then people went to different parties around the place, but many came back together and stood outside Church at midnight to hear the bells rung and celebrate together. Perhaps in preparation for what was to follow I went into Church the next morning to pray quietly on my own...

...only for the resident cheery Yorkshireman to hail me loudly up the aisle.

By the summer we had left that behind us and moved to Bristol for two academic years of theology (and other things). It was a big change, and the boys took a while to adapt. I always think of our six terms at college as being great...but! The first term (readjusting) was pretty awful, then three terms through to Christmas 2001 were really good (a long summer holiday - what a gift!), and then two final terms as we were preparing for our next move were unsettling - college is only ever meant to be temporary.

The next three years were interesting, joyful and frustrating in pretty equal measure. The gift of being able to learn and be formed, some really lovely people (who it broke our hearts to have to say goodbye to) and a whole host of things that irritated - too little of what is important about Church for me was evident in much of what I had to do.

And then here with boys rapidly growing up - and I hope I am too...

Comments

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So where had I got the impression that you were a minister of many years experience... what is there from your 'former life' that you find useful now?