This morning I went to the supermarket, the first time I had been to a shop for a week.  There is absolutely nothing unusual about that. But it was the first time since lock down.

It was a really positive experience.  The queue of people waiting to go in was short and well spaced.  The staff member on the door was friendly, polite and authoritative.  Most, though not all, people in the queue exchanged smiles and greetings, and I had a lovely distanced chat with with the woman two metres (and two minutes) ahead of me.

Once inside it was an intorvert's dream!  Most shelves were well stocked, with plenty of basics, so I was in and out within ten minutes having bought all I need for another full week, plus a couple of treats.  OK, I forgot to buy cheese, but I can live without that!

Like many others, my skin is paying the price for increased hand hygiene, and I wanted some lotion for that.  Not a huge choice - well not a choice actually, just good old E45.

That was a throw-back of almost a decade, as it was the one lotion I was allowed to use during my chemo.  It's good stuff but it doesn't smell all that nice.  Back then my sense of smell was practically non existent, and has never entirely recovered, but today I am really grateful for the smell of E45, for the awesome staff at Sainsbury's in Partick and for the fact that I was able to go there to shop.

As a church, we have a good friend who serves as a hospital chaplain, and who is very stretched right now.

A couple of days ago, she put out a request for wooden crosses that could be offered to sick or dying patients as a tangible expression of love, faith and hope in these strange times.

Today the palm crosses we cannot use, the 'stock' of holding crosses I keep for precisely this purpose, and my rosary will be picked up from the end of the path to our flats.

Please pray for R, and for all chaplains, in healthcare, hospice, prison, military, educational and workplace settings at this time.  And for those to whom these crosses - and a few cross-shaped cards and angels I am also sending - may be a comfort.

It's probably selfish, but the holding cross in the image is the one I have used for many years, and it, along with last year's palm cross, is staying put.

One of the house-warming gifts I was given a decade ago from friends who were, then in Dibley (now in Northumbria).  Beautiful words from the Northumbria community.

Celtic Caim, or circling prayers, can be both comforting and powerful. 

When praying a circling prayer, we may like to imagine ourselves stanidng, sitting or kneeling at the centre of a circle.  Some people find it helpful either to turn themselves round, or to trace a cricle in the air as they say the words.  

This is a simple circling prayer I have valued over many years.  Of course you can add extra petitions of your own

Circle me, Lord.
Keep protection near
And danger afar.

Circle me, Lord
Keep hope within.
Keep doubt without.

Circle me, Lord.
Keep light near
And darkness afar.

Circle me, Lord.
Keep peace within.
Keep evil out

I, for one, was relieved when, finally, last night, decisive action was taken to move from 'please be good and do the right thing' to 'do as you are told'. 

I mistakenly thought that people as a whole would be sensible and grown up, and only a couple of weeks ago was naive emough to believe this epidemic could be contained if only we were sensible.  I was wrong.  In this broken and disordered world, sin greed, finitude - and even well-intentioned naivety - have brought us to this place of lock down.

This morning I had a first attempt at recording a video to post on the church's Facebook page.

I haven't yet mangaed to get it to this blog, but for now, if you follow this link (it may take a while to load, and be sure to 'unmute') you will hopefully find it - and yes, I did cry at the end.

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