Open Golf

Posted on July 15, 2010 by freda

The 2010 Open Golf championship is on these next few days. The weather is very much a topic of conversation, being cold, showery and dreich. So it is quite good to be able to sit in comfort and watch excellent coverage on BBC2 TV.

I’m not a golf fan as such, in fact my relationship with golf is problematic from the start. The first time I walked round a course with my intended (as he was at the time) I was a) a bit bored; b) exhausted – couldn’t stop yawning; and c) couldn’t quite get the excitement or point of the game. In addition, I could never seem to follow the track of the ball when it was whacked down the fairway up in the sky.

On another occasion when I tried a few holes myself I made all the classic beginner’s mistakes of not hitting the ball or topping it, in danger of cutting the darned thing in half. In fact, the only time I managed to hit the ball was when I was around 7 months pregnant with our first child. Talking of being pregnant, sons #1&2 were summer babies, so each time I watched the Open in the last month and allowed myself to drift off into a pleasant snooze.

St Andrews holds a special place in my memories, so I can watch this year whilst looking out for familiar views. It was where I went to University as a mature student in 1989. I gained a BD, friends, a wider view of faith and spirituality and an ongoing excitement in exploring the world of ideas. In other words, a typical university education, only a lot later in life than most.

In my second Charge (Parish) there was a 9-hole golf course almost adjacent to the Manse. I was encouraged out to try and get some exercise on my day off. I even had a few lessons from a visiting professional. I have to admit it felt good to be able to hit a reasonable drive, but…….. and there were far too many buts. Lots of balls landed in the flooded slate quarry or even in the sea. And a few made it into the hole at the pin.

So……… as I idly gaze at the golf coverage today all sorts of things are being brought to mind. Now where are those golf clubs?

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Star Trek – Prequel

Posted on July 14, 2010 by freda

This is a bit of a cheat Film Review. I have to admit that I absented myself from the room for about five minutes. (Can’t cope with extreme intimidation or torture. My imagination always goes too far when presented with the opportunity.) The main reason I wanted to comment on it was because of the quality of the computer graphics and also the totally believable actors. The storyline was innovative too.

I was a reluctant watcher of the Star Trek series and the films. It comes from being the mother of four sons and married to their Sci-Fi addicted father. So I was interested to see what imaginative forces were at work in constructing a prequel to the original series. Star Trek is clever, fun and exciting viewing – notwithstanding the fact that I had to make a sudden exit. And it was sheer pleasure to see the way that each character from the series was introduced with quite spectacular flair and relevance.

If you are interested in a full opinion, then this critique in the Guardian says it all much better than I can. The reviewer says

this new Star Trek is fast-moving, funny, exciting warp-speed entertainment and, heaven help me, even quite moving….

Let me know if you have seen it.

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Still a woman today

Posted on July 13, 2010 by freda

This should almost be a Part II on being a woman – as the comments on yesterday’s post give much food for thought. Lydia, of writerquake, highlights a cartoon post by nakedpastor which made me laugh, but as you can see in the comments on his blog a great deal of heated argument and feeling has been generated.

I wanted to continue the discussion on today’s post with some examples from my own experience, but quickly realised that even by disguising names and places, it would be too easy for people to be recognised. Scotland is a small country. And though I have been desperately hurt by thoughtless discrimination masquerading as biblical principles I would not like to cause upset to anyone else. Suffice to say that I do know what I am talking about. Before these things happened to me I was happy enough to be one of the crowd who said, “discrimination has never happened to me…..”  But now I know better and there is no going back. I always tried to remember that I was a minister and part of the public face of the church, so it was up to me to love and keep on loving. It is doubtful that I ever achieved that ambition, but the whole point is to aim high.

There appears to have been some progress in the Church of England regarding the possibility of women being given equal status as bishops, though I understand this is by no means certain. There is a 2yr process whereby anything can happen in terms of exerting influence and gaining a position of power by those who are firmly in the against camp. I can hope – being an optimist most days – that the coalition government may influence people into being more reasonable about equality and justice. And who knows, only time will tell if we end up with a country and attitude to religion that is more accepting of people’s human rights.

I have to highlight what Cloudia of Comfort Spiral said yesterday:

…..we yanks have supposed separation of church
& state, yet religion rules…you have a state church, but a secular society….curious.

Yes – interesting indeed.

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A lifetime as a woman

Posted on July 12, 2010 by freda

A bit obvious you might think – A lifetime as a woman – of course that is what it is. I am not going to get into a discussion of transgender issues, don’t know enough about it. But I do know about being a woman and what it means –  from being born during WWII, growing up in the 50s, being married in the 60s, being a mother of four, becoming a mature student in the 80s, a Minister in the Church of Scotland in the 90s, and a retiree in the 21st century. That qualifies me to speak about certain things. So though this rant comes with a slight apology to my Church of England friends, I cannot stay silent any longer.

In the CofS women have had equal rights in terms of ordination to the Eldership and the Ministry since 1968. However, I recognise that in practice this is not always the case. For example there are still parts of Scotland where women are not accepted, despite Church Law. Those of us in ministry were well aware that there were parts of Scotland where being appointed to a parish were not possible because of local prejudice. Here is where my willingness to accept another’s point of view could spoil my argument, for I can see that some people support a narrow point of view which truly believes that scripture is against equality for women, at least in terms of ordination. And this despite the fact that for many years it has been a question asked about at Selection Procedures. The idea being to make sure that new ministers accepted the legal position of the CofS.

This being the position, I have watched and listened to the debates on the place of women in the Church of England over the years. I always thought it was a mistake that the women themselves accepted a secondclass priesthood right from the start of their ordination. It was written into the canons that people were perfectly entitled to stay clear of any bishop who dared to ordain women. As I understand it, Flying Bishops could be brought in from other dioceses, these being bishops who had not soiled their hands by ordaining women.

Today, in the General Synod of the Church of England, the matter of whether women can be admitted to the episcopacy is to be further debated. As I said, I had never thought it to be any of my business. But I am so, so angry that my sisters are being denied equality and the opportunity to serve God and the church. It matters to me because we live in the United Kingdom, and the CofE is an established church in England, the major part of the UK in terms of population.

All I can do is to pray for grace. Not for me to blindly accept injustice, but for others to reflect upon why it is that religion is so downright offensive. We can do little about other countries. But I still feel very much a part of the UK and want to continue to be proud of our laws of state and a national religion that promotes justice, equality and an ability to allow other religions to exist in what is supposed to be a Christian country.

Of course the other alternative is that we become a secular state and stop pretending.

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Sunday Solace

Posted on July 11, 2010 by freda

It’s usually on a Sunday that I long to write something special that would perhaps give a reader solace, or make them feel better for having dropped by. But really all that matters is to state that each reader is special. In fact, each person is special……. I could go on, but you get the drift.

Have a happy and blessed Sunday, and thanks for being here.

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Nora the cat

Posted on July 10, 2010 by freda

You might have seen this. If not – here is the link, specially for anyone who likes cats or can’t believe they are intelligent.

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A kind of writing

Posted on July 8, 2010 by freda

Poetry is a very special kind of writing, and I think this poem by Mary Oliver from her volume Evidence, sums up what we all aim for in the blogging world. We probably all aim to make connections that count and make the online experience special.

I Want to Write Something So Simply

I want to write something
so simply
about love
or about pain
that even
as you are reading
you feel it
and as your read
you keep feeling it
and though it be my story
it will be common
though it be singular
it will be known to you
so that by the end
you will think –
no, you will realize –
that it was all the while
yourself arranging the words,
that it was all the time
words that you yourself,
out of your own heart
had been saying.

Oh to be able to write like that.

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A rose brings sunshine and hope

Posted on July 7, 2010 by freda

A new variety for this year – David Austin
It seems to like its new home.

Because last winter was so cold and bleak, we lost many of our plants to the frost and the deer. The poor animals were haunting the gardens trying to find anything vaguely edibly. They decimated the ivy and even stripped a prickly holly bush. These desperate tactics have been life-saving for some, and we now regularly see golden, honey-hued sleek animals looking plump and content. Makes me feel a lot more hopeful for the way that nature adapts. Any gardener knows this. If you look at the sleeping plants in very early spring, they look sad and defeated, then as the days get longer things perk up and the rush of new growth bursts forth in beautiful foliage and glorious growth.

It’s no wonder that religion and philosophy turn to gardening metaphors to illustrate hope and renewal.

It’s not a bad aim to try and look out for the special thing that gives us hope and a lift each day. I wonder what kinds of things people find inspiring?

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Dementia Awareness Week

Posted on July 5, 2010 by freda

In these pages I often make mention of my Scots Granny. She played a huge part in my childhood, simply because she was such an accepting presence. I was the oldest of her grandchildren (8 ultimately) and even now I remember her most days. My Mother could be such a demanding person, and though I tried hard, it felt as if I usually fell short. As I get older I realise that things are rarely that simplistic. There are all sorts of conflicting emotions and the relationship between mothers and daughters is highly complex.

This week in the UK is Dementia Awareness Week, and that brings me back straight away to my Gran. Sadly in the last years of her life she developed dementia and finished her life in a special care home. It occurs to me many a time that I have possibly inherited her arteries, she too, had atherosclerosis, but she didn’t have the benefits of modern medical care. That’s why I am happy to be good and take all the tablets I should.

When I was doing a trawl for the tennis photos, I kept coming across ones of Granny. They are not in good condition, but I want to share them here in a kind of tribute to her, as well as flagging up the whole subject. 

As we get older, many of us are frightened of developing dementia, Alzheimer’s Disease or another ageing disability. So it is good to hear of positive news about treatments and care. Some of the care homes in the UK are pioneering innovative ways of helping their residents to cope with the effects of dementia. The residents are encouraged to take part in everyday tasks like setting tables, peeling vegetables, dusting or light gardening. Each new person is medically assessed on admission and wherever possible the medications they take are reduced. This means they are less likely to sit around all day sleeping in chairs. It all seems so obvious and logical when written down, yet it has taken extraordinary managers to see what should have been quite obvious to anyone with any common sense at all.

The report I read did not specify whether the care costs were higher, or what the medical implications were for the future. However, it seems to me that costs in this debate are almost obscene. We all need to do our best for those people who fighting this terrible disease, so that at the very least they become more like survivors living with it, rather than people becoming victims with little or no hope for the future.

Here is a photo of the three generations…… My Gran, my Mum and Me.

And a final shot of me with her. One of my first memories.

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A Blessing

Posted on July 4, 2010 by freda

This is for everyone, but especially for those who are celebrating Anniversaries and for those who have special sorrows.

God’s blessing be yours,
and well may it befall you;
Christ’s blessing be yours,
and may you be well treated;
the Spirit’s blessing be yours,
and well may you spend your lives,
each day that you rise up,
each night that you lie down.

Church of Scotland Book of Common Order

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