Some years ago (five to be precise) I came across the idea of 'Blessing of Backpacks' as a back-to-school thingy for churches.  It is a bit cheesy but I also like the idea of saying to children and young people... and indeed students... that they matter and that how they feel about school/college/university/starting work matters.

When I did it in Glasgow, I was especially moved when our refugees brought their backpacks for blessing, as they continued with English language courses, as well as university students and children of all ages.

This Sunday I am hoping our children will be able to attend, and have a few extra tags for anyone else who brings their backpacks.

I paid for the inserts from a couple of Etsy sellers, and scaled the 'cards' to fit business card sized laminating pouches.

I'm looking forward to blessing some backpacks - and if any are left may even tag my own school bag!! 

it's been lovely to have a whole month (almost) off, and especially this last week when I had a proper holiday, just a few miles along the road at a canal-side apartment with a very longstanding friend.  So many things I could share, but among the standouts were...

• Long walks, including ending up literally knee deep in mud on one occasion
• The 'Secret Nuclear Bunker' which far from glorfiying war sets alongside a whole range of exhibits on communications a really hard-hitting banned at the tome documentary on what nuclear war might have looked like in the 1970s (the views of the Church have changed dramatically since then). 
• The Velocity zip slide, a delayed 60th birthday present!
• Celebrating 14 years since my cancer diagnosis and still being a NED - a lovely meal out.
• Slowing down and simply being without any expectations.

Unfortunately the zip slide video is too big to up load, so settling for s screen shot from it!

A year ago to the date I preached my last sermon at the Gathering Place, drawing to a close fourteen years (plus or minus a couple of months, depending how you count) of ministry in Scotland.  I was certainly showered with generous gifts, and blessed on my way with a lot of love and good wishes.

A year on, I am pausing to look back over that year (I was, technically, still minister there until the end of August) that has elapsed... a year during which I have had a lot of fun learning two new roles in two very different contexts, and adjusting to life in a small (by my reckoning anyway) town and as a commuter several times a week.

During that last weekend of working in Glasgow, I came into contact with someone who had Covid, and spent half of my annual leave recovering from that whilst organising the move south and cancelling a range of fun meet-ups to say 'farewell' to other folk in and around Glasgow.  Although I recovered well and the move went smoothly, I certainly didn't arrive in Railway Town rested!

I have loved my first year at Vicar School, getting to know colleagues and beginning (I hope) to bring some 'added value' to the areas of work which fall within my remit.  Working with students, MiTs and NAMs is joyful (and sometimes frustrating!) and it definitely feels like the right focus for my final years pre-retirement.  Working to update materials and refresh formats, organising residential events, visiting students in placement, leading chapel worship, helping to develop new modules...    

Likewise my first year as a Transitional Minister, where we have achieved so much together already, and where I can begin to see the shape of our remaining time together over the next couple of years.  A Baptism, two new Members, a new Deacon, lots of people leading services, Advent and Lent on Zoom, another brush with Covid, and some new ideas to move forwards...

As I wrote at the end of my first year in Glasgow, so I I say again now: for what has been, 'thank you'; for what's to come 'yes'.

For the fourteen years I lived in Glasgow, I was always appreciative of friends coming north who brought gifts of decent cheese, proper Eccles cakes and the like.  Now I am grateful fro friends who can bring tatty scones and butteries*!

* The butteries aren't strictly authentic as they are vegetarian, but hey!

Lovely catch up with my former cat-sitter... looking forward to enjoying these treats.

Monday just gone, I took a train to Liverpool to meet up with three friends with whom I shared a cancer treatment journey, and who have stayed in touch.  Out of fifteen who began as a UK-wide support network, five have died, and mostly the rest of us keep up some degree of infrequent contact.

The four of us had a lovely time in this beautiful city, rode  the tour bus, strolled along the  water front, and stayed in a Travelodge overlooking the Albert Dock.

Yesterday I watched news reports of riots and fights... violence and abuse where just days earlier we had strolled and watched the world go by...

Tomorrow I'm back to Liverpool to meet another friend, who I met as a 'cancer blogger' back in the day, and we will intentionally go to the waterfront for lunch.

These friends and I have little in common, other than a medical diagnosis a long time ago.  We live in different places, have different political opinions, have different views on faith/religion/spirituality, different hopes and different fears... but we do have love... and tolerance, respect, tenacity, determination.

I guess one can focus on violence of a minority or the respect, tolerance and resilience of the minority.

Jesus told us to love our neighbours, and to pray for those who persecute us... sometimes either of these feels impossible, but that's maybe when they become all the more important...  All you need is love?  Well, so long as it is love lived out...