Team Rector’s Letter January 2019
Pardon me mentioning a household matter, but I recently tidied my airing cupboard where I store spare bedding and towels, plus stocks of shower gel and loo rolls, and curtains from other houses I have lived in, but which don’t fit the windows in the Vicarage.
Now you may have a wonderfully organised airing cupboard, with sheets and towels in neat, colour-co-ordinated piles. Or your airing cupboard may be like mine was... a disordered muddle where you have to pull out every item into a woeful pile to reach the only duvet cover that fits the bed in the spare bedroom.
I am delighted to report that my cupboard is now a delight of orderliness. Let me tell you how I reached this happy state of affairs!
First I had time! On my recent Sabbatical, I realised I could not read every hour of the day, however interesting the subject, and so I took time to get on with doing gardening and tidying in the house. I set aside a day to sort through the contents of the cupboard and it was time well spent.
Secondly, I had a companion! My friend Hilary was staying with me, and she is wonderful organiser, and we have known each other long enough for me to feel quite comfortable with her sorting through my belongings, tatty though they may be.
She encouraged me when I was flagging, and even took a photo of me standing by the newly tidied shelves as an inspiration to keep them that way in the future.
Finally, I took courage to get rid of things that were of no further use to me, but could be given to others, or passed on for re-cycling. Sometimes I had to be ruthless, but I felt better for it
So why am I telling you all this...
It struck me that it might be wise to approach life like this.
Give yourself time to restore order and calm.
Be with good friends whenever you can.
And have courage get rid of the things in your life that burden you and weigh you down.
God has a way of restoring order and calm to our lives and the new year is a good time to let Him have a free hand.
God bless
Reverend Ren Harding
contact me at The Vicarage, 6 Tile Kiln Lane
01322-528923 renharding@hotmail.co.uk