Legacies are being turned upside down. Generous benefactors known to be slave-owners are seeing their statues dislodged, or at least relocated to less prominent places. Gareth Southgate, England’s football manager is remembered for his failure to score in a penalty shoot-out two decades ago. His legacy may be reshaped by England’s performance in the EurosContinue reading “74. Legacy building”
Category Archives: Sudden Death
73. Joy and sorrow at a wedding– two sides of one coin
Next week the daughter of a friend of mine is getting married. It has been planned for many months, affected by Covid limitations. But this wedding has been affected by something far more significant than Covid. The bride’s father, my friend’s husband, died suddenly at the end of last year. This wedding, which was plannedContinue reading “73. Joy and sorrow at a wedding– two sides of one coin”
68. Remembering acts of kindness
The local Christian Schools Trust ran a communion service at the start of each academic year for Christian staff and parents at the schools our children attended. One year Robert was asked to be the speaker. The service was set to be held a few days after 9/11. “What shall I speak on?” Robert asked.Continue reading “68. Remembering acts of kindness”
65.100,000+
This last week saw another terrible Lockdown milestone – over 100,000 deaths in the UK from Covid-related illness, around one third of which were in care homes. The Prime Minister hung his head in sorrow. The faces of those who had died were on view everywhere emphasising the enormity of this number, photos of theContinue reading “65.100,000+”
58. Tim Keller’s greatest fear
Over the last months I have been following the news of Tim Keller, the well-known church leader and prolific author. For decades he has written books ranging over many subjects but always coming back to the character of God who has made himself known in Jesus Christ. Trusting in him affects every corner of ourContinue reading “58. Tim Keller’s greatest fear”
57. Grief and being-on-your-own
Last night a friend emailed me with the sad, sad news that her husband had had a cardiac arrest two days ago. Paramedics had been unable to resuscitate him. I was deeply upset. As far as is possible, I could imagine my friend’s emotion and shock. I was putting myself in that devastating place. InevitablyContinue reading “57. Grief and being-on-your-own”
56. Dying well… children suddenly orphaned
Very recently it was reported in an early morning news bulletin that there had been an accident on the A40 road out of Oxford. The road was blocked for hours. Throughout the day there were limited updates. Gradually the facts began to emerge. The previous evening a people-carrier had collided with a haulage truck. TheContinue reading “56. Dying well… children suddenly orphaned”
53. Planting stories in the memory
Robert began his teaching career in Derby, where he eventually bought a two-bedroomed house. He sold it to pay his fees when he went to study theology. The four years spent in Derby were very significant for him not only as a teacher but as a fairly new Christian becoming part of a mission-focussed church.Continue reading “53. Planting stories in the memory”
51. Sudden death comes in many disguises
This has been a sad week. Two pieces of sad news. News of two sudden deaths. I’ve just heard that a few weeks ago someone I knew from a previous church had taken her own life. I had not been in contact for some time. She was a gifted poet who loved to use wordsContinue reading “51. Sudden death comes in many disguises”
50. Can we ‘get over’ grief or ‘move on’?
This week I walked up the Macclesfield Canal, from Kidsgrove in Staffordshire to Bollington, 3 miles north of Macclesfield. It is a beautiful walk, especially in the early autumn when the sun is shining – which it was. Designed by Thomas Telford, this was the last canal to be built before the railways nudged canalsContinue reading “50. Can we ‘get over’ grief or ‘move on’?”
Sudden death... then what? 