theBythams
the
church : rectors letter : august 2003 Added 01/08/03 Reproduced from Glenside News : August 2003 "Dear Friends This letter is being written early as Eileen and I are having a week away on our motorbike. It is also short due to the other things I wanted to include on my two pages (of the Glenside News). 'Thank goodness for that', I hear you cry! Like many of you I was horrified by the recent news, it has just happenned as I write this, concerning the death of six Military Policemen in Iraq. I won't discuss this event, I don't know all the circumstances, but like you all I feel for their families and loved ones. I would also like to commend their bravery, courage isn't not knowing fear, it's facing it and overcoming. I remember, many years ago now when I was serving as a Chaplain in the Army, going to the Isle of Man with a company of young soldiers on what the Army used to call 'Adventure Training'. It was a glorious week, perfect weather, more like a holiday than work, until the Wednesday morning. At a morning briefing the Commanding Officer announced we were all going abseiling, officers included! Now I'd seen this on TV, it looked easy, and I had a good head for heights, and I watched happily as one after another they all walked fearlessly over the edge of the cliff until only the instructor and myself were left. I knew the ropes were safe, in theory, but as I looked over the edge I wasn't sure. The cliff also seemed to grow in height and quite frankly I was terrified. But at the bottom of the cliff stood not only my fellow officers but a hundred odd young men calling up things like 'come on sir! if you can walk on water this is easy!' Well the time comes when you have to do what you have to do, so I shut my eyes and walked. During my time in the Army I did it many times, but I'll never forget that first time! Now in no way do I make comparison with the events in Iraq, and I chose it because it is light hearted, but it makes the point about fear and courage. To have no fear is not human, true courage, as shown by those men in Iraq, is to face fear and overcome it. This is what they must have done, but how, we can never know unless we've been there!" The Rev Bryan Bennett Castle Bytham Rectory |
 |