Time is a Gift

Anita's reflections on our use of time in Dreaming Beneath the Spires this morning have sent me back down memory lane to an old and favourite prayer of mine, 'Lord, I have Time,' by Michel Quoist. Here are the closing lines:

For time is Your gift to us -

But a perishable gift, a gift that doesn't keep.

Lord, I have time

I have plenty of time,

All the time You gave me,

The years of my life,

The days of my years,

They are all mine. Mine to fill,  quietly, calmly, 

But to fill  completely, right to the brim - 

To offer to You, that of their stale water

You may make a rich wine, as once at Cana for a 

human wedding feast.

I don't ask this evening Lord,

for time to do this or that.

I ask for the grace to do conscientiously,

in the time that You gave me,

the thing that You want me to do.

They made enough of an impression on me as a teenager; now that I can safely say I'm over my half century, they ring even more true. I've had the odd few health blips these last few years, and, although thankfully nothing sinister has made an appearance, each 'all clear,' (or rather - all clear as far as we can tell),  doesn't half jerk me out of my lethargy and make me assess my priorities. As I've been working these out in my rule of life, for instance, I'm realising that a) Worrying overmuch about others' (perceived) opinions of me is such a waste of precious time and  energy, and b)  The trickier choices aren't necessarily between 'good,' and 'bad.' In a  part of the world where many of us are blessed with a comfortable lifestyle , it's more often between a number of good things.

Discerning which of these God wants us to do - that's the rub...

Rule of Life - Finding a Pattern to Live By

Puffin Club Founder Members' Competition 1967

I've found it at last.    In 1967, I penned my list of rules 'to help some Puffins who had suddenly become "as clever as people" live wisely and happily,' I never guessed that 45 plus years later, I'd be chewing over my own 'rule' or 'way of life,' as a Franciscan tertiary. Those cheery little seabirds do have a habit of popping up for me, don't they? Would that I was so straightforward and uncomplicated now as I was at eight years old!  Here's what I wrote:

• Puffins should not leave their babies alone.
• Puffins should not fight at all.
• Puffins should not leave their eggs to be eaten.
• Puffins should be a little less shy.
• Puffins should be very happy all the year.
• Puffins should be as comical as they like. 
• Puffins should be very sensible.  

Makes me smile, that last one; I was such a serious, conscientious little girl.   Yet, from a quick skim down the list, I can see that even then I'd an awareness of the areas where I needed to grow; a good rule of life challenges you to streeeetch yourself to the edges of your comfort zones, and shyness, negativity and anxiety are issues all too familiar to me even now. (Not sure about the eggs bit, though!).

I wonder where the other competition winners are now and whether  any element of their 'rules' still hold true for them  in later life? 

 

Gazing into the mirror - St Clare

Look into this mirror of Christ daily,

ponder there your own face,

see what you need to become ready for God,

contemplate in this mirror Christ and his stupendous poverty,

look at his work on our behalf

consider his humility,

contemplate his love,

consider, look and contemplate
- from Clare of Assisi's letters to Agnes of Prague

Finding that quiet place - St Clare

Douai Abbey June 2012

I've been busy relating the alarms and excursions of last weekend to a fellow tertiary who missed our local area retreat . In all fairness, these only made up a tiny part of what I found a refreshing and challenging time out learning about the prayer  of St Clare of Assisi: she who exemplifies the more  contemplative strand of Franciscan spirituality and who, IMO tends to stay very much in the shadow of Francis. She's certainly challenging me  several years after my profession into TSSF, and at a time when my own rule of life is becoming, shall we say...slightly 'motheaten,' to look, pray, and ponder once again how I can ground my way of being.  Her life and actions really were congruent with what she believed. 

Any old way - to get back to the alarums: namely the fire alarm going off twice during the wee smalls of Sunday morning; all this against a soundscape din of some nearby 'do,' which rumbled on until dawn despite phonecalls from the monks and intervention by the police: As I lay there fuming, (hearing the dawn chorus being drowned out was particularly galling!), I  pondered again the necessity of being able to find a quiet place within myself regardless of the distractions coming at me from all sides. I didn't find that space just then, of course. If anybody has any handy hints do say. I'm sure many many have succeeded in finding peace amidst chaos; Saints all, I guess, which I very definitely am not!

Grotty as we all felt though, pity the poor monks who had to be up and doing at silly o'clock for the first office of the day.  A real gathering of Saints!

Waundrynge heere, theyre ande everiewheyre

Start and finish - The Swan at Wilton

Is that rain I can see?

Ye olde Roman Road

Wilton to Crofton

Mr GP and Greenpatch dog stride forth.

Crofton Pumping Station

Our exercise for the week; a walk out into the wilds of Wiltshire earlier today. If you wondered at the faux Middel Englisshe  in the post title, this is a reference to an epic trip we made in 2010. This morning we revisited one of the places we hiked through then.

An English Country Garden

Here's a bouquet from the Greenpatch garden for you.  I love the scent of the blooms in the second photo. Does anybody know what this shrub is called? It flowers every year for a few weeks only,  bringing back memories of an elderly lady I used to visit many years ago. B lived in a nearby care home.  As she was going blind I made a point of choosing highly scented flowers as gifts and these were ideal.  She's long gone now, but whenever I smell these beautiful blossoms I'm reminded of her.

Mr M's Tour de France

Mr M, aka Mr Greenpatches, is back in the saddle. If mean maximal power curves are your thing, you should find plenty to keep you amused over on his blog.

He's also the man behind The Ultimate Why.