Benefice-Priest in Charge
Katrina Dykes
June 2018: MESSAGE from KatrinA
How lovely it is to sit here writing the June Magazine article with the sun shining outside, looking forward to 4 months of long sunny, warm summer days!
We’ve already been treated to some stunning weather, not least for the May Day Bank Holiday and the glorious day we had for the Upper Clatford village fayre.
We have much to look forward to in the coming weeks, days out, barbeques and picnics, dips in the sea and lazy holidays. Strawberries and cream, ice cold Rosé and delicious ice-creams. There will be those eagerly anticipating the World Cup, Wimbledon, Tour de France and The Open championship as well as those who will be enjoying being out in the garden or tamping the beautiful countryside.
There will be those of you reading this who will be thinking – yeah well we’ll see! It’ll probably be another summer wash out, days rained off and, ‘you won’t get me in the sea round the coast of the UK – its freezing!’ England won’t get through the group stages of the World Cup, there’ll be stories of drug cheats in the cycling and there’ll probably be a hosepipe ban!
Who knows? There are those of us who are eternal optimists and those who don’t like to set our expectations too high, in case we are disappointed. There are those who look for the best in any circumstance and those who will only see the negatives.
I am not a great journaler (apparently this is a real word!), but I do reflect back at the end of every day using a five year journal. There is a page for each day of the year and each page is divided into five small sections, one section per year. Each section has space enough for a sentence or two only. Thus, on any day in a given year, I can see what I wrote previous years on that day. It is interesting not only to be reminded of what happened, but also how I interpreted and recorded it at the time. Of course we all have good days and bad; days when we fly and others when we crash and burn. Days when people are kind to us, and days when we feel the world is against us. We can’t be happy all the time.
The Bible doesn’t set personal happiness as a goal in life, but it does advocate thankfulness in all circumstances. The Psalmist in the Old Testament: ‘I will bless the Lord at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth.’ (Psalm 34:1). Paul in the New Testament: ‘In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.’ (1 Thessalonians 5:18). Even on the darkest days, there is something to give thanks for, even if we don’t feel thankful; the unconditional love of a family member or friend, the care of medical staff, food to eat, somewhere to sleep, some beauty in the world around us and I would say the knowledge of a God who loves us and is for us.
If you don’t set much store by The Bible, try typing ‘gratitude’ into Google! You’ll find a host of sites advocating the benefits of gratitude, from helping with sleep and combating stress to having healthier immune systems and more friends.
Whatever the long summer days bring, sunshine or rain, success or disappointment, may you find something in each and every day for which you can give thanks.
Grace and peace to you.
Reverend Katrina
We’ve already been treated to some stunning weather, not least for the May Day Bank Holiday and the glorious day we had for the Upper Clatford village fayre.
We have much to look forward to in the coming weeks, days out, barbeques and picnics, dips in the sea and lazy holidays. Strawberries and cream, ice cold Rosé and delicious ice-creams. There will be those eagerly anticipating the World Cup, Wimbledon, Tour de France and The Open championship as well as those who will be enjoying being out in the garden or tamping the beautiful countryside.
There will be those of you reading this who will be thinking – yeah well we’ll see! It’ll probably be another summer wash out, days rained off and, ‘you won’t get me in the sea round the coast of the UK – its freezing!’ England won’t get through the group stages of the World Cup, there’ll be stories of drug cheats in the cycling and there’ll probably be a hosepipe ban!
Who knows? There are those of us who are eternal optimists and those who don’t like to set our expectations too high, in case we are disappointed. There are those who look for the best in any circumstance and those who will only see the negatives.
I am not a great journaler (apparently this is a real word!), but I do reflect back at the end of every day using a five year journal. There is a page for each day of the year and each page is divided into five small sections, one section per year. Each section has space enough for a sentence or two only. Thus, on any day in a given year, I can see what I wrote previous years on that day. It is interesting not only to be reminded of what happened, but also how I interpreted and recorded it at the time. Of course we all have good days and bad; days when we fly and others when we crash and burn. Days when people are kind to us, and days when we feel the world is against us. We can’t be happy all the time.
The Bible doesn’t set personal happiness as a goal in life, but it does advocate thankfulness in all circumstances. The Psalmist in the Old Testament: ‘I will bless the Lord at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth.’ (Psalm 34:1). Paul in the New Testament: ‘In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.’ (1 Thessalonians 5:18). Even on the darkest days, there is something to give thanks for, even if we don’t feel thankful; the unconditional love of a family member or friend, the care of medical staff, food to eat, somewhere to sleep, some beauty in the world around us and I would say the knowledge of a God who loves us and is for us.
If you don’t set much store by The Bible, try typing ‘gratitude’ into Google! You’ll find a host of sites advocating the benefits of gratitude, from helping with sleep and combating stress to having healthier immune systems and more friends.
Whatever the long summer days bring, sunshine or rain, success or disappointment, may you find something in each and every day for which you can give thanks.
Grace and peace to you.
Reverend Katrina