Categories: uncategorized
Date: 23 July 2004 16:08:10
I am sure there was a whole one waiting for me when I woke this morning. I mean, the alarm went off at 6.50am and it was only ten minutes after that when I crawled out of bed and turned the computer on for morning prayers in the Church of Fools. (Definition of a fool - someone who volunteers to stand in and do morning prayers on the first three lie-in chances of her holiday!)
Feeding the three of us, making myself decent for the day, sorting Dad's bags out, hiding from the window cleaner, making lunch, putting the bin bags out in rather a hurry, phoning to book my ferry and arrange a babysitter for Saturday.... before I knew what had hit me, it's nearly four o'clock in the afternoon and I haven't done half the things I planned.
The morning was slightly taken up first of all avoiding the children and then acquiescing to their insistance that Dad and I attend a church service on the front drive. To the amusement of the local workmen who were working on the house opposite, we were positioned in our patio chairs in front of the front door steps/pulpit, where Tiddles appeared to lead worship, dressed in his vestments (OK, wrapped in an old blanket, but you have to use your imagination here).
The service began with a moment of silence while we thought about what Jonah did. Yes Jonah, didn't I mention that was the theme of the service? Smudgelet did the organ voluntary. He was going to do this using the demo button on the keyboard but, as a mean mother wouldn't let them bring the keyboard outside, he resorting to singing "la la la la" to a tune vaguely resembling "here comes the bride". Fortunately we didn't have to sing along.
Then grandad was called upon to read from the Bible, the story of Jonah and the Whale. He read it very well, I must say! This preceded the most succinct sermon ever heard - one from which many preachers of today could learn. "OK, anybody got any questions?" And, when Dad asked a rather tricky question, there came the response "Let us close our eyes in silence for a moment and think about what this story means and what Jonah did for us". This lad'll go far! He then led us in the Lord's Prayer and told us to go in peace and make ourselves a cup of coffee in the kitchen.
Amen
Still, at least he didn't make the mistake I nearly made leading prayers in the CoF this morning where I prayed for the "grease of our Lord Jesus Christ".