Lent

Saturday 27th February, 2021

Another glorious Spring day. Sun shone brightly all day and at 4.30pm it is still bright. The days get longer. Well, I was off to the shop at 10.30am to get a newspaper. I returned home a longer way as I felt sprightly and Spring like myself. Back home I plunged in to the news about Sturgeon and Salmond. Who is telling the truth? What really is going on? It is terrifying to realise one has not got a clue. It fitted in with the saddest story I read on the BBC website of James Le Mesurier and the ' White Helmets ' a force for good in Syria. It was a long article and also a podcast. It explored the horror of misinformation and disinformation. It showed how good acts, a moment of forgetfulness and the slander and cynicism of public bodies could not only destroy a great force for good but also cause, it seems, a suicide of an excellent man. The whole scenario of Assad, the civil war, Russia and other powers and the consequent search for approval and world opinion corrupted a deep charitable selflessness of many people. Charity being politicised and perverted. I truly felt sick.

Then an email arrived after I had hacked through the opinions and gossip of the Telegraph writers. The email told me that a friend who had gone to hospital yesterday with peritonitis had died overnight. May he rest in peace. He was a loyal good friend. We disagreed over faith and politics yet had a mutual respect for good. He was a high ranking free Mason, myself a Roman Catholic. We tussled and respected each other. He will leave a gap on earth but create an interesting Mansion in heaven.

As a good deed, possible a Lenten penance, I ironed bed linen. Duvets are hell to iron, sheets for king size beds are not much easier. The satisfaction having ironed is not particularly great either!

At 13.45 I went for my walk with the litter grabber. A warm afternoon and the birds in full throat and the flowers of Spring coming through. I also had much to ponder as a friend who is on a virtual retreat sent me some notes. The first session had been on goodness. It was divided in to three sections: 1. Feeling good. 2. Knowing good. 3. Doing good. Interesting distinctions.

Part two was on the power of the Word, that is of the Biblical writings. Now that there are no public services so we need to turn to the word.

And then I thought of Captain Tom whose funeral is today. His words echoed and resonated with many. Good words. Good deeds making us feel good.

Words for good in the bible and from Captain Tom. Words of evil from the trolls and disinformation hacks re the White Helmets.

And now to watch the Wales against England rugby match!!

What a Topsy Turvey world. I love it.