another year

After the grand celebrations of last year, this was always going to risk being a let down.

Still, past the decade year. Though as my cousin-in-law Simon says, I will try not to start looking forwards to my next just yet.

The photo is Matty & I in the garden at the end of the afternoon today; we had a good walk in the sunshine this morning, & then I went down to the Millennium Centre in the Bay to enjoy a piano recital (Chopin & Schubert) at lunchtime by Richard Lewis, music director at the big Pentecostal church in Cardiff. (Kirsty asked: which Schubert? Franz, I replied.) Dan, Kirsty, Matthew & Flo Jones joined me there, and Richard was excellent.

On my way down there I popped in to have communion with a parishioner, 92 years old, housebound, suffering from cancer, not on great form. It was lovely to pray with her and to see her visibly perk up as we prayed and as the Spirit touched her. She smiled for the first time as we stopped praying. Bless her, she doesn't deserve this pain.

And on my way back I called at the Heath hospital to see another member of the church, in her late eighties, suffering from some form of dementure and having had a recent hip replacement. Last time I called she had no idea who I was; this time I don't think she could quite place me in time, but she got my name right, and we prayed together - she remembering all the Lord's prayer, and being delighted to see me on my birthday. It quite made my day.