Parents often are all too much occupied with their Smart phones, and children can feel neglected. But when you really listen you would not have to search for loving words in reply.
Following her advice, you would also have to become more courageous and do something nice for strangers. Tell the shop assistant that she was very helpful and give her a smile; this would also result in a good feeling for you. And if you are getting angry about some slight, don’ t give in to road rage, or quarrel with the family, but if you do, apologise, and you would be feeling better. Just tell your colleagues something nice, give them encouragement, a compliment, it will become natural. Maybe you would also give another penny to a beggar, at least give him or her a smile. Maybe, best for yourself would be reading a good book, or taking part in a Bible Study. I am sure there will be one at St Oswald’ s during Lent, which would make you feel better! And it will include prayer for the community or for people in need, that way you would be following St Augustine. Just try to live differently for those seven weeks!
As for myself, I intent to give up‘ things’ for Lent, I will take my shopping trolley and every day I shall put in one thing which I don’ t need, and at the end of the week wheel the trolley to the charity shop – that might be of benefit to somebody else!
Brigitte Williams
A HOMEOPATHIC CHRISTMAS MIRACLE
In last Sunday’ s sermon, Lesley-Ann was talking about the different ways in which God talks to all of us all the time; not in a big Hollywood production style( think thunder and lightning and booming voice coming from the parted clouds) or in a“ I-see-the-face-of-Jesus-in-the-seeds-formation-of-a-splitaubergine” kind of thing, but in our simple everyday life. It is what we usually call“ coincidence”,“ sixth sense”,“ serendipity”; yet, if only we pay attention, sometimes we see how all these little coincidences actually form a pattern. I have had many examples of this in my personal life, so I thought I would share the most recent one.
As you may remember( possibly because I keep going on about it), I am a training homeopath and have recently started my practice under supervision. Back in November, my supervisor Gill had suggested I take the case of a seventeen-year old boy we’ ll call Oliver with severe depression. Gill had been treating him on and off for a few years, but with little success and she now felt that things were reaching a critical point and the best way to deal with it was to re-take the case from scratch. At this point I would like to point out that my supervisor is a respected practitioner with thirty years of experience, yet she felt she had run out of avenues on this case and trusted me enough to let me take over; no pressure then!
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