On the pilgrim way: Not all change is decay

25/09/2013 | Reform

“Change and decay in all around I see,” says the old hymn; and although the sentiment rings some bells for me, I am not happy lumping “change” automatically with “decay”. Certainly I am conscious of bodily decay – especially first … Read More

On the pilgrim way: The ghosts of Berlin’s past

01/09/2013 | Reform

We spent five hot days in Berlin this summer, and I am still trying to sift through the experience – the layers of history, the various perspectives and my own reactions.

My mother came from south Germany; she never visited … Read More

On the pilgrim way: Prayer and pain

15/07/2013 | Reform

I treasure my early morning prayer time – when I shut my study door, light a candle and just sit/kneel quietly. When I choose a holiday cottage I look for a good view so that I can get up a … Read More

On the pilgrim way: Yearning for normality

22/05/2013 | Reform

My heart sank as I walked into church this morning: the chairs were all back to normal. The old straight lines had replaced our semi-circle, carefully arranged to improve the singing and bring the thinly scattered congregation closer together. “Back … Read More

On the pilgrim way: Ageing relatives

24/04/2013 | Reform

I am the youngest among all my cousins; and, as I see them up ahead of me in the journey of life, I find myself taking a keen interest in how they are handling growing old. Perhaps I can get … Read More

On the pigrim way: Revisiting some painful memories

25/03/2013 | Reform

I am re-reading the weekly letters my mother wrote to me from Scotland between 1964 and 1979. I approach 1974 with some reluctance.

For most of this 15-year stretch my parents lived next door to my eldest sister, Mary, and … Read More