Spring has finally sprung in Harold and it’s lovely to see how the sunny weather is making everyone smile :). Sadly though the glorious sunshine has also lead to an increase in behaviours that are less welcome.
I’m a vicar not a nun and I accept that we all feel friskier in the sunshine but anyone walking down by the river of a evening is likely to see far more than the occasional dragonfly. However I must say that I was fascinated by someone’s – their face was about the only part of them I didn’t see – tattoo. I’d never have imagined that a tattooist would have been able to fit all four Golden Girls onto that particular space but they had. Most impressive! 🙂
As the weather improves we cast off our thick winter coats and sweaters and turn to lighter fabrics and brighter colours. This seems to cause a lot of anxiety for some parishioners and the proof of that lies in the sudden increase in people going running. I type running but for some of you it’s more a determined wobble, isn’t it? And for our curate Andy not even that. Put some effort in, man! Cassocks are very unforgiving on fuller figures. Look at Pope Francis, he looks enormous about the waist and other central papal regions. Be careful Andy or that could be you (not the being Pope bit, obviously).
Perhaps instead of obsessing about our bodies we should be obsessing about our souls. Your body, whatever state it is in, is just fine with God. For as the psalm says we are all fearfully and wonderfully made. God loves you whether you actually have some self-control and can happily eat warm tofu with drizzled with broccoli sauce in Veggie! Veggie! Veggie! or whether you join the rest of the village in the queue outside The Stephen Fryer. God doesn’t mind. But he minds terribly when we are cruel, when we are selfish and when we fail spectacularly to treat other people like we ourselves would like to be treated.
Going to the gym can’t fix that. But a little consideration and thinking before we speak certainly can. One young woman down by the river had the word ‘respect’ tattooed across her lower back in huge gothic script. That’s something we can all do. No, not get a tramp stamp they’re hideous, what we can all do is respect each other.
So while you’re out there pounding the streets or working out at the gym don’t forget that it’s what’s inside that counts more and it takes just as much work to make that beautiful too.
God bless,
Tansy
P.S The answer to last week’s catchphrase puzzle was ‘rusty trombone’. A lot of you seemed to find that quite a challenge!
