Carol Purves

It was a day when everything seemed to be going wrong. I was rushing from one thing to another, with the clock running away from me. As I hurried to yet another commitment, the traffic was extra heavy and I was catching every red light.

As I stopped at yet another red light, a wonderful thing happened. The traffic seemed it quieten and over the clear air I could hear a lone bird singing for all he was worth. He wasn’t fazed by the traffic, the dirt or the need to rush along.

As the lights turned to green I thanked my Maker for this glimpse of sanity. A lone bird singing praises to his maker, which I could join in.

Ps 46:10 of the Message says ‘Step out of the traffic. Take a long loving look at Me, your High God.’

Carol

My visit to the dentist was only painful to my wallet. Without proper care and attention decay would set in. The job of my dentist is to make my teeth as perfect as they can be.

As I sat in the chair I realised how like Christians teeth are.

Without care and attention sin will take hold and we are no longer beautiful and useful to God. He can take away our sin but it is at a cost to Him. Jesus died for our decay.

To eat with one tooth on its own is not very effective, but a mouthful of good teeth makes eating a pleasure. One Christian alone is not very useful, but a group working together is an effective way of telling Good’s good news.

Carol

I love working in my garden with the blue sky overhead, the perfume of the flowers and the song of the birds. One day I found I wasn’t alone. I was being followed by not one but two robins.

As I moved to another part of the garden, they followed me. Of course, they weren’t interested in me; I was providing their next meal.

They reminded me of our God. We might move away from Him, or even try to hide, but He is always there, right by our side helping and directing us.

‘Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin, and not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father’s will. Do not fear there, you are of more value that many sparrows. Matt 10:29 & 31.

Carol

My cousin had moved to a different part of the country and I proposed driving over to see her. I thought I knew the way and relied on my own instincts as I went. It wasn’t long before I was completely lost.

Then I remembered I had a  map of the area in the car boot. I soon realised where I’d gone wrong and worked out my correct route. Before long I was drinking a very welcome cup of tea with my cousin.

That really is the story of my life. I try to manage on my own and fail. I need to remember God has given me a map to help through life. All I need to do is read his Bible.

Carol

As the pressure of life increases, prayer can be one the first things we cut down. In our busy lives we rush from one thing to another and often complain that life is getting faster. Even in our prayer life we can flit from one topic to another in a rush to get everything covered. Wait on the Lord, we are told in the Bible.

The saints of old spent hours and even days in prayer and quiet contemplation. They focused entirely on God, banishing all distracting thoughts. We would feel that we can’t spend that amount of time but we need to practice the presence of God, seeing him in everything we do. The menial, boring tasks can be sanctified when we dedicate them to Him.

Carol

I have spent a considerable amount of time attempting to find out more about my great grandfather who I believe was born in Scotland before moving to the London area.

It was an excuse to visit the beautiful city of Edinburgh again, but unfortunately I didn’t have any success. Even if human families are difficult to trace, I rejoice that I belong to the ‘family of God’ and am loved by the chief of the family.

Carol, loved of God.

This morning we went out to clean our streets of rubbish. We also wanted to re-connect with people who we had been in contact with after the floods. It was very sad to see so many houses still empty even though it is now almost five months after they were flooded. Some people are living upstairs and other houses are up for auction.

Although the rest of the country have forgotten, here in Carlisle we are still feeling the effect of the dreadful weather just before Christmas. Fortunately it was lovely sunny morning as we worked and were pleased to make contact with a number of people.

Carol, in a still suffering Cumbria

I had the occasion to visit the Southern Lakes – Windermere, Bowness and Ambleside.  I made a mistake in my thinking about parking the car. I thought as it was still April and the A591 was closed, these towns wouldn’t be very busy. In actual fact I believe I found the very last parking place in the whole of the region and even then only by negotiating with a driver who wanted to share my space.

I had forgotten how beautiful these towns were; the sun shining on the lake was a bonus. It was almost a 100 mile trip. To get there I chose to go by Ullswater and the Kirkstone Pass. I returned via Kendal, mainly because I couldn’t find the road leading to Ullswater.

The devastation of the December floods was still evident – fields piled high with stones in Glenridding, waterfronts boarded up in Bowness, plus roads and bridges closed. Maybe the news propaganda has increased interest.

Carol in southern Cumbria.

It’s great having friends in different parts of England. We’ve met a few times since we were students but my friend Chris now lives in Coventry. A good excuse for me to visit the Midlands. She actually lives just a few doors away from Kenilworth Castle. A  reason to take a few spectacular photos! Went into Coventry, itself visiting the Transport Museum and walking past Lady Godiva in the shopping precinct. No time left for the cathedral. I wanted to know why Coventry grew up where it did, but that was a question too far.

Also spent time with Jen, now living in Buckingham, also a former student friend. A very different place;  quiet, quaint and  quintessentially English. (Oh, that was good).  Much time during these days was spent – Do you remember?

I still have some more ex student friends round the country, so look out for more travels later.

Carol, travelling again.

This book by James Rebanks has very recently been in the Best Seller List. Having read the book, which was given me as a gift, with my friend I was delighted to see the play at the Theatre by the Lake in Keswick.

It was so professionally acted and the antics of the the sheep dogs were delightful. I think their acting skills overtook the performance by the actors. That’s not running down the actors; they were brilliant.

I was also impressed by the empathy of the audiences. I could almost hear them saying ‘Yes, I’ve been there.’ I’ve suffered that.’ A wonderful day out in stunning scenery.

Carol, the theatre-goer