Unexpected gift

Wednesday 24th March, 2021

An extraordinary day, but then all days are extraordinary in that life is miraculous and the fact that corn sprouts, grows, matures, produces grain and dies is momentous....a deep wise sentiment my beloved Grand Father made me realise. Nothing is to be ridiculed or belittled nor any person. And who said it takes courage to get up every morning when you suffer depression and fear? It most certainly can do. We need to marvel at what people call the ordinary. I saw four bumble bees today and each remarkable. Two of them I saw descend on some wild hyacinths, another marvel. Both bee and flower ultimately sustain us.

I started the day with a reading of a meditation from the USA. The writer compared the poet to the prophet and then analysed Amanda Gorman's poem at Biden's Inauguration seeing in it the poetic and the prophetic. Part of the meditation piece mentioned the Dunkirk Signal "but if not" which was sent to the Admiralty in London from the troops massing on the beaches of Dunkirk as the German armies closed in. It was the three words used by the three threatened by Nebuchadnezzar's Fiery furnace. The Admiralty recognised it and knew that the soldiers would fight and not surrender or give up their faith in Country and God. The writer went on to talk of 'fidelity in front of threat' and gave many examples of it from children being cut down in front of their parents to horrors of hell but never would there be denial of the faith held, in this case Christianity.

Then I received a letter from two friends. They enclosed something the likes of which I have never received. It was a gift so generous that I needed to calm my bewildered amazement. It is the second time I have been startled by such unexpected overwhelming kindness. In fact once recovered it took me immediately to Dundee, again seemingly unpopulated.

At midday I walked. I have been a little concerned of late at mildly dizzy spells. Walking helps. So I took my grabber and sallied forth knowing that I had to be at the local medical Centre for my shingles jab at 13.30. The wind was bitter. Foolishly I did not take my bobble hat so over the next hour developed a headache brought on by the cold. Two bags of detritus collected but also the bees seen and out of the wind the joy of a warm sunshine. I arrived at 13.25 and was let in to 'Fife's Fort Knox' as the Centre is known. I was dealt with appropriately but it seemed even emptier than Dundee. A receptionist and a nurse were the sum total of human life I saw in 25 minutes. The jab was easy once I had read the warnings and answered the appropriate questions. After I was told to sit for a while and not to be concerned if I developed flu symptoms or a sore arm. I felt faint again but walked home.

On reaching home I have been in bed. Twice I have gotten up and felt dizzy so I shall spend the rest of the day and the night in bed. I am reading. I came across this in Virgil's Aeneid: " The gates of hell are open night and day

Smooth the descent and easy is the way,

But to return and view the cheerful skies

In this the task and mighty labour lies"

As Lent comes to its closing days and as Palm Sunday beckons the innocent Saviour in to the City of Jerusalem so somehow Hades figures with open jaws before me. Yet again as Virgil noted " Amor vincit omnia, et nos cedamus amori". That is basically love won't let us go. So hang on tight.