I rather liked this post so am linking it for your delectation and delight

Yesterday I was diagnosed with De Quervain's tenosynovitis - a rather grand name for a sprain affecting the thumb and wrist of my left hand.  I have a rather nifty splint on my wrist and have to see the physio again next week to see how it's progressing.  This 'washerwoman sprain' as it's also known arose from my attempts to protect my 'at risk of lymphoedema' right arm which meant I over exerted my left arm... now I have two 'substandard' arms for a while, which is certainly an interesting experience.

I also have acute viral rhinopharyngitis aka the common cold, which is a bind as the sniffling, sneezing and shivering don't mix too well with the hot flushes and modifications to parts of my anatomy, but at least in a day or seven it'll be gone.

Today feels a bit odd, actually this week has felt a bit odd, remembering what the equivalent week last year held for me.  Having nothing more to disturb me than a soft tissue injury and cattarh in my ears is a remarkably pleasant place to be.

This link from todays BUGB e news-sweep got me in a spin!  I have no idea what Mr Robertson's views are more widely, but OK to divorce some because they Alzheimers and are already 'sort of dead'?  HOW DARE HE, how very dare he?

Two lines of thought...

Firstly, grounds for divorce would seem, to me, to include abuse, violence, neglect, cruelty and infidelity (not just sexual inifdelity at that) but never illness or disability.  Yes, it is hard, even soul-destroying to care for someone in this situation but they are not dead, they are people.  Grr, verrily grr.

Secondly I recall one of the most beautiful sights I ever saw was in a cafe in Dibley.  An elderly man wheeled his wife, who clearly had some form of dementia, in to the cafe, bought her a cup of coffee and patiently lifted it to her lips for her.  Some she drank, some she spilled.  Gently, he wiped away the spills, and held her hand.  With tears glinting in my eyes I spoke to him, saying how lovely it was to see them and how much he clearly loved her.  He smiled, then said softly, I promised on my wedding day...

I rest my case.

Lots of eating today!

This morning I meet my PAM (a Mc-NAM for BUGB readers) for the first time.  We will have brunch, she will show me her wedding photos, and we will set some plans for how I mentor her over the coming year.  Looking forward to it.

This afternoon it is the first week of this session's Bible Study group, which I am leading, so I need to nip into a shop and get some cakes.  We only have nice cakes, so that will be good too!  And of course we'll be very holy first.

Then after a relatively normal day tomorrow, it'll be the student tea on Saturday, for which I am making some sandwiches.  Having now successfull tested my breadmaker, that'll almost certainly involve homebaked bread.

Sunday is church lunch and church meeting; yesterday was coffee club, so all-in-all a real ministry of food this week.

Last night four us spent a very pleasant hour filling goody bags and making key-fobs for our student welcome event this coming Saturday.  If you read this stuff and if you know whereabouts in Glasgow we are, and if you know any students who will be around the West End on Saturday between 3 and 6 p.m. please send them our way.  I know you can link this blog from the Gathering Place website but I deliberately choose to avoid reverse linking to grant my peeps some privacy and separation from the worst of my heresies!!

Once term starts properly we will once again be running informal Sunday lunches with soup, bread, cheese and copious amount of homemade cake.  Students are welcome whether they worship with us or not, whether they believe in God or not, whatever their circumstances. 

For any students who are interested, Glasgow SCM meet in our premises on Tuesday evenings and offer an open-hearted exploration and expression of Christian faith around food and friendship (bit of a theme here!)