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church : revd jo's letter : august 2006 added 13/07/06 People often ask me what I most miss about teaching, and I suppose the honest answer is the holidays. Not because I’m short of leisure time now, but there was always something special about the first day of the summer holidays, in particular, with the prospect of all those weeks of rest and relaxation stretching ahead of me after the pressure and stress of a busy term. Nowadays, there’s less of a contrast between my working and non-working days; in fact I sometimes find it hard to decide what is and isn’t work. Drinking coffee with some of the lovely people I go to visit may be technically work, but it feels much more like pleasure. Visiting young couples who have enquired about Baptism, and having the chance to hold their babies is, in theory, work, too, but I can’t imagine a nicer way of working. But we all need a time to rest and relax, no matter what we do. We need to recreate ourselves, to take time to reflect on our lives, and to enjoy God’s gifts of the many beautiful places in which we find ourselves. My favourite holiday places are the Yorkshire dales and Teesdale; hills, rivers, meadows, sheep and stone barns, and the chance to walk all day, often without seeing or hearing a single motor vehicle. That’s where I feel the presence of God most strongly, and where I feel my heart lift in praise. Yet while I love to be away in the hills, I‘m always glad to get back to the rhythm and familiarity of working life. The cycle of the school year has been replaced by the cycle of the church year, and I love to watch it unfold as we mark saints’ days and festivals, and enjoy the familiar liturgy of our Sunday services. Some of the more peripheral members of our royal family have been pilloried by the press for their constant holidays. My reaction is to feel sorry for anyone whose life is so empty that the pursuit of endless holidays is all it has to offer. There is no contrast, no sense of appreciating the familiar and well-loved, only a rootless search for fulfilment, and that can’t be the right way to live a life. George Bernard Shaw said ‘A perpetual holiday is a good working definition of hell,’ and I think he was right. June saw two wonderful events, the summer fair at Castle Bytham and the fete at Little Bytham. To my shame I had never been to either before, and I so enjoyed the sense of community and enjoyment that pervaded both events. The amount of work that goes into organising them is huge, and I am so grateful to both sets of organisers for two lovely days. Centuries ago, these were in all probability feast days, held around June 8th, St Medard’s day, and July 25th, St. James’ day; times when agricultural workers were released from their toil for a half day (probably their only holiday of the year) to celebrate their village’s saint with some good ale and a large meal. It’s good to think that we are, to some degree, perpetuating this link with the past. The holiday season may affect our congregations, but has little effect on our services. The only one which will not take place in August is Compline at Creeton on Sunday 6th., when all the ‘regulars’ will be away. You will read elsewhere about the Silent Auction to take place on September 1st. This is a great opportunity to get rid of all those items you’ve longed to get rid of but never quite found the time to do so. All proceeds go to the churches, which is an even better reason to have a clear-out. Whatever your holiday plans, may you enjoy the rest of the summer and find rest and re-creation. Jo |
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