I took this photo whilst visiting my Mum in the care home where she seems to be well settled, well cared for and the happiest I have known her in a very, very long time. When I looked at the photo I suddenly forgot all the hassle and heartache of the past few months, this was a moment to savour. Every mile travelled, every penny spent, every phone call, email, text, meeting... All worth it for this one moment.

Jesus once used the analogy of a woman giving birth and how, once she saw her child, she would forget the pain. I think I just about understand that now!

Sorry for extra dodgy typing... I am doing this on my snazzy phone!

This morning was, for me at least, a wonderful experience of church at its relaxed best.

The Sunday School - which is small and most children very young - really excelled, serving an absolutely marvellous spread including fresh fruit, juice, cereal, croissants, cinnamon buns, toast, tea, coffee....  They explained to us why they were holding the event, told us their target was £250 and led us in prayer.  They raised over £400... a marvellous achievement for a fairly small church.

Then we moved into the service, still around our tables.  We shared in a quiz about the history of Christian Aid.  We heard Rowan Williams (on video) explain why it matters to him.  We read some scripture communally.  We were reminded of the Christian Aid values.  We reflected and responded privately in words, drawings or thoughts to what we had read, sung, spoken and heard.  We prayed and took away pieces of woven jute to remind us the women of Bangladesh.  And we shared a very informal communion around small tables, serving each other.

At the end of the service we discovered that including the envelope collection, we had raised around £1200 for Christain Aid, which really is wonderful.

I expect everyone is needing a rest this afternoon - but we had a fantastic morning, and I am very proud of everyone who took part.

The above quiches, decidedly rustic, but I think acceptable, will be served this evening.  Somehow, though, they serve for me as a sort of parable or metaphor or something!

It's no secret that I like to have things well organised, in plenty of time, and that I can get more than a tad ratty if my plans don't work out.

I knew the week ahead was going to be decidedly bonkers, but I had it all worked out, transport booked, cat-sitting sorted, blah blah.

I also knew I had (have) guests coming for tea, and had decided to make a quiche for that purpose.  Cue disasters!  The first attempt at the case went in the oven for blind-baking and came out shrunken and flat.  No problem, I had more pastry, a second attmept was possible - deeper, thicker.... and it too came out less than ideal.  Meanwhile, I had prepped all the ingredients for the filling, so was pretty much committed.  In a moment of "nothing ventured, nothing gained" I filled the cases and baked them - and they don't look too bad.  I made a couple of mini quiches from leftover pastry, and filled them with the cheesy custard mix... they actually tasted pretty good.

In the background I was busy multi-tasking on other things (after all 20 minutes, twice, for blind-baking and 40 minutes for a quiche to cook is plenty of time to use usefully) and watching the plans for the week ahead unravel before my eyes due to factors I could not control.  If only I hadn't been so organised and booked the travel, it would have been quicker to adjust my plans (and probably cheaper, I still have to work out the most cost effective way to change them)... but it'll be alright.  Just like the quiches, the revised plans will be rough around the edges, not as I had imagined them, but they'll work just fine.

Sometimes my perfectionist, organised, even bossy nature gets in the way of imperfect, slightly chaotic, more laid back and perfectly acceptable options.  Whether I'll ever fully learn from that, I don't know.  But for now, I have "servicable" quiches, a house to tidy and clean and guests to enjoy preparing for.  Everything else can wait.

In a little over three weeks I will once again be taking part in a charity fundraising walk - this time the relatively short, 10 mile, option of the 'Glasgow at Night' Pink Ribbonwalk.  Having been persuaded by various friends to do so, I gave in and purchased the above ridiculous outfit (the tee shirt comes with event registration) and shared the photo on social media.

One friend commented "you wouldn't see the Archbishop of Canterbury in an outfit like that."  I guess we can be grateful for that, but I know what she meant, and the compliment that here was an official Christian who was sufficiently normal (?) and batty to enter the spirit of the event.  So it has left me with much to mull over as to how we come across and what opportunities we might miss when we get hung up on decorum.

Another friend queried the litrugical significance - so I told them it was Gaudete Saturday (Gaudete Sunday is the pink candle in some Advent rings).  And it will be a gaudete day... celebrating life, remembering absent friends with affection, raising money for a good cause and rejoicing in it all.

Mission as pink tutu... who'd o' thunk it?!

The interweb reminded me that Volunteers Week starts today, and that it lasts for twelve days... guessing whoever thought it up wasn't to hot on arithmetic!

On the basis that churches rely so heavily on volunteers I'd like to say a thank you to everyone who...

• is on a rota
• looks after a rota
• gets out chairs
• puts away chairs
• buys refreshments
• makes refreshments
• serves refreshments
• washes up
• picks up litter
• empties bins
• buys cleaning products
• orders bin sacks
• manages bookings
• arranges flowers
• distributes flowers
• prints service sheets
• contributes to the magazine
• edits the magazine
• runs the creche
• runs the Sunday School
• plays a musical instrument
• sings in the cjoir
• read the 'lessons'
• leads the intercessions
• sets up for communion
• serves communion
• clears up after communion
• looks after the PA
• looks after the website
• Looks after recording of services
• keeps the books
• counts the offerings
• banks the money
• pays the bills
• looks after PAYE, NI etc.
• visits other people
• organises outings
• serves as a Charity Trustee
• takes notes in meetings
• reclaims Gift Aid
• looks after the noticeboards
• runs midweek groups
• gives lifts
• leads evening services
• hosts BBQs or meals
• works on the redvelopment project
• who does everything I've managed to forget in this list
• - and anyone who tries to keep me in line :-)

Bascially, without volunteers churches are toast!