Recently someone sent me a quotation, which was attributed to Pope John Paul II.  When I googled it to try find out more, I discovered that the same quotation is attributed to such diverse people as Augustine and Wesley.  I think that's good, as an implied ecumenism is what it's about:

In essentials, unity

In non-essentials, liberty

In all things, charity

Whilst we may feel we want to 'unpack' or 'unpick' what we mean by 'essential' or 'non-essential', and that can be demanding and dangerous, if we focus on the third statement - the over-riding attitude of love, humility and compassion that inform 'charity' then maybe we are on the right road.

Love God, love your neighbour, love yourself.... love is the greatest Spiritual gift.... God is love

Words like this trip easily from the tongue; living them is a lifetime's endeavour, and then some.

Apologies to Gatherers, you will see this quote again soon in church, but it seemed too useful to keep locally.

So, I've updated my sidebar photo yet again, as my hair gets longer and more bushy and I still can't quite bring myself to get it cut!  That it is crazy and increasingly untidy there is not doubt, but I'm still not sure how short I want to live with.  Anyway, I also took this photo of the back, which showed a mass of crazy curls - not even I could claim these were waves anymore!

When it is wet, it will comb out quite straight and the top will lie fairly flat; the back is another story altogether, as fast as I comb it it recoils into its favoured formation.  The thing is, I don't yet know if the curls will 'grow out' leaving me with fine straight hair or if they are here for good - and unless/until they cut off that remains a mystery...