Dear Friends
This week we have had hopeful and encouraging news! The Government laid out their roadmap to bring us out of lockdown, subject to conditions at every stage. So, if this goes to plan, we will reopen to residential guests in early June. To begin with, it will be for a limited number of guests but, at last, we can see some light at the end of this very long tunnel – how life-giving and warming is that. Thank you for the journey that we have shared, and continue to share, through this time together. It gives us hope.
By the beginning of May, we will publish a programme that will take us through the Summer, at this point we will start taking bookings for these residential stays. In July another programme will be released which will take us through to the end of the year!
In the meantime, we will continue to offer an online programme and in the new post-lockdown world Scargill will continue to offer an online presence alongside residential events.
The online programme until Palm Sunday is on our website, and we will soon be releasing details of what it looks like for Easter and beyond.
We would like to highlight a few of the events coming up – we would love to see you online:
‘Heal the Land’ next week led by Russ Parker – Tuesday 2nd to Thursday 4th March
‘Quiet Days’ (same content on each day) led by Phil Stone and Mike Leigh – Friday 5th and Saturday 6th March
‘Dust and Glory’ – Lent Retreat led by David Runcorn – Tuesday 9th to Thursday 11th March
‘Scargill Forum’ – Wednesday 10th March
‘Younger than Springtime’ led by Adrian and Bridget Plass – Friday 12th to Sunday 14th March
Additionally – Scargillians are invited to a free special online concert put on for us by Simeon Wood at 7pm on Saturday 20th March. The link for this, and more details, will be publicised nearer the time.
I hope that you enjoy Di’s hopeful reflection.
Diane writes:
“Yours, LORD, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the majesty and the splendour, for everything in heaven and earth is yours. Yours, LORD, is the kingdom; you are exalted as head over all.”
1 Chronicles 29:11
February always feels like a long month that drags on at the best of times, not much happens except perhaps the start of Lent! But last weekend I went for my COVID vaccination, a very pleasant experience, in fact the highlight of the week / month. The icing on the cake was driving back home listening to Karl Jenkins’ “The Armed Man – a Mass for Peace – Benedictus” being played on Classic FM. As I listened I, quite unusually for me, became aware of the goodness of God, of a deep inner peace and a sense that ’all shall be well, all manner of things shall be well’. (Julian of Norwich)
Then on Monday, following rumours and speculations, the plan forward was laid before us, it was going to be a slow move out of lockdown. Excellent News of course, but there were also anxious thoughts and uncertainty about what the future might hold, how do we leave the safety of our homes, however small and begin again to meet friends and family without fear?
So what should I write about this week? Well instead of a painting I found two poems that excited me and gave me hope. One written in 1860 and the other in 2020. Emily Dickinson wrote ‘“Hope” is the Thing with feathers’ 160 years ago and it still speaks to us today, well to me anyway!
“Hope” is the thing with feathers –
That perches in the soul –
And sings the tune without the words –
And never stops – at all –
And sweetest – in the Gale – is heard –
And sore must be the storm –
That could abash the little Bird
That kept so many warm –
I’ve heard it in the chillest land –
And on the strangest Sea –
Yet – never – in Extremity,
It asked a crumb – of me.
Emily Dickinson’s poem has been described as a kind of hymn of praise, written to honour the human capacity for hope. Recently I read (‘writers-on-line’) ‘If ever there was a poem that reminds us not to give up hope, it’s this one – hope can take flight even in the darkest of times, and if that tiny brave bird can keep singing, then so can we’. The poem portrays hope as a bird that lives within the human soul, that dwells inside the human spirit and sings a wordless tune come rain or shine, gale or storm, good times or bad; not stopping under any circumstances. This ‘tiny brave bird’, for me, is the Holy Spirit, often seen as a dove! God’s Spirit that keeps me in tune with His grace, truth, goodness, mercy, justice, knowledge, power, majesty – all that He is. Paul reminds us (Corinthians & Romans) that Christ isn’t outside of us as some kind of Helper in our time of need. No he actually lives in us and is with us all the time. ‘…that the Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit, that we are children of God’.
I smiled when I read this second poem ‘The Orange’ by Wendy Cope and remembered Sister Jane’s quote “Humour is near to holiness, and love to laughter” and that a good healthy laugh relieves tension and stress and so allows us to hope. Many of us will be able to recognise ourselves in this amusing and in many ways light hearted poem. But, at its core, this poem holds a deep truth for all of us. It shows us how to make the most of the small, quiet pleasures, such as sharing a fruit with loved ones and that these small pleasures enable us to get through difficult times. The poem ends with counting the biggest blessings – love, life itself (and of course laughter) – as a reminder of what is really important. And both these poems remind us of the power of hope and how little it requires of us, it is a gift freely given by God.
The Orange
At lunchtime I bought a huge orange –
The size of it made us all laugh.
I peeled it and shared it with Robert and Dave
They got quarters and I had a half.
And that orange, it made me so happy,
As ordinary things often do
Just lately. The shopping. A walk in the park.
This is peace and contentment. It’s new.
The rest of the day was quite easy.
I did all the jobs on my list
And enjoyed them and had some time over.
I love you. I’m glad I exist.
With love and prayers