This morning I discovered I had mislaid my diary - a small (A6) black book about 5mm thick and of no commercial value whatsoever. But without it I was lost - I knew I had no meetings today but, good disicple that I am, not a clue what lay in store tomorrow or beyond without checking this little treasure. I wouldn't say panic ensued, but much parable-like (parabolic?!) high and low searching went on before deducing that it wasn't in my house but had been left behind last night at GB after I'd been temporarily distracted during my clearing up. Thankfully after an unscheduled drive to and from that church, my diary and I are reunited and I know what is happening in my little world.
What did people do before diaries? Did they have good memories, less meetings or both? Did they mark notches on sticks to tell them when it was Sunday and time to ring the bells for services (presumably the lack of bells in non-conformist traditions, even after they become tolerated and legal so didn't need to hide, reflects to some extent the point in history at which they emerged?).
It is a tad disconcerting to think that my life is, in some senses, in the 'hands' of a little black book - and not the type that ministers are meant to have surgically attached!
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Margie reminds me occasionally that, when they were but toddlers, our children's party piece, guaranteed to embarrass their father, was to run around the house frantically, crying out, "I've lost my diary, I've lost my diary."
I just cannot imagine the Apostle Paul saying "Well, if I can find a window in my filofax sometime next month, I'll pop over to Macedonia and help you...."
Hee, hee. But then he probably didn't have to make sure he wasn't already meant to be at a Deacon's meeting Corinth, a church meeting in Ephesus or a conference in Rome either...
Or, in my case, a deacons' meeting in Corinth, a church meeting in Ephesus and a conference in Rome all impossibly treble-booked on the same afternoon! This, dear readers, is one of the reasons why I'll never make apostle (there are other more compelling reasons, but diary management is probably in there somewhere)!