The word 'epiphany' is overworked, a point I will be making on Sunday when we mark the arrival of the magi to visit the young Jesus.  The significance of the festival - the Light to the Gentiles/Nations, the 'en-light-enment' of those deemed other is more important than the name we use.  I am sure the purists will tell me that the festival must be done today and not 'transferred' to Sunday, but frankly I'm not too worried. 

There are lots of hymns/songs I COULD have chosen other than those I did, one of which would be this one:

Christ for the world we sing!
the world to Christ we bring,
with loving zeal;
the poor, and them that mourn,
the faint and overborne,
sin-sick and sorrow worn,
for Christ to heal.

Christ for the world we sing!
The world to Christ we bring
with fervent prayer;
the wayward and the lost,
by restless passions tossed,
redeemed at countless cost
from dark despair.

Christ for the world we sing!
The world to Christ we bring
with one accord;
with us the work to share,
with us reproach to dare,
with us the cross to bear,
for Christ our Lord.

Christ for the world we sing!
The world to Christ we bring
with joyful song;
the new-born souls, whose days,
reclaimed from error's ways,
inspired with hope and praise,
to Christ belong.

Samuel Wolcott (1813-1886)

Whether you are taking down your decorations because it's twelfth night, marking Epiphany in an act of worship, or even having Christmas Day (Eastern churches), I hope you have a good day, and that new light, new understnading just might dawn on your horizon.

Today I've had a bit of a blog tidy, moved things around a bit, corrected some of the long-standing typos, updated some of the lists (though not all by any means) and added a new loosely 'worship and spirituality' section on the side bar.  This is something people might like or hate, might find useful or might confirm their worst fears that I'm an unreconcilable heretic, but it's there, because they are sites I find useful and others might too.

It seemed right to move the cancer links down a bit but not to take them off - people still land here seeking cancer info, and it still lurks in the shadows of my own life, sometimes sneaking up on me unawares!

I will get round to updating the blogroll soon - there are some defunct or all but defunct blogs still linked at the moment.

Now back to preparing for Epiphany Sunday when our wise men finally reach the end of the their journey around stairs, heaters and tables en route to their encounter with Jesus!

Recently I was gifted two fans for my more melty moments...

This oriental gentleman has a little battery powered motor within that causes his fan-blades to rotate... he is very cute and very efficient at reducing the temperature of my face!!

This manual model comes from Japan and the ice-cream design panels add a sense of coolness as I waft myself frantically.

Each now lives in my bag and goes whither I go, in readiness for the tropical moments that make life such fun.

I suspect I am still the only person in Glasgow with windows open and delighting in the cooler weather!

So today was a blobbing at home, buying food, catching up on emails, reading blogs, doing the washing, playing with the cat kind of a day.

I've had a great time away - Cheshire, Derbyshire, Northamptonshire, Leicestershire and Cheshire again before I returned to wind-swept, rain-soaked Glasgow, with a detour because a large chunk of M74 was closed after lorries toppled in the wind.  It was great to catch up with various folk, and all kinds of life was there to share, sad and glad, fun and serious, celebration and commiseration.  It's even greater to be back home, with my black 'n' white furry friend, and ready to pick up the reigns once more tomorrow.

I am looking forward to 2012 - my fiftieth year (scary! but good, so good) - with no mandatory journalling, no essay deadlines, minimal hospital visits and lots of opportunities to live life to the fullest.  Elsewhere I commented that the last sixteen months has taught me to value every precious moment and (consistent with personality) to seize the day.  I am looking forward to lots of routine ordinariness but also some chosen adventures as the year progresses.

Posted ahead of time!

Wishing all readers a very happy, healthy and hope-filled 2012

This photo shows me with hair that has not been cut for a year... but come January 2012 all that will change as it finally gets a much needed tidy-up!  Holly on the other hand is hoping to avoid any more hair cuts for a very long time!