Call Me Mother

Where did sunrise find you this morning?  Were you warm and snuggled up in bed, working, worrying, eating, chatting …?  I was painting a gate; a gate which had once been welcoming in red, funereal in black and which, due to its visibly expressed desire to return to jollity, was being restored to its exuberant redness.

Washing, stripping, sanding and painting the gate (twice) was a more than day long process.  Really? I hear you cry.  Well, when one begins the exercise in the afternoon whilst conversing comfortably with neighbours, it becomes a more than one day process!

With the world quiet and serene, the second coat of paint flew onto the gate in record time and in good order, this morning.  Marvellous!

Other sunrises, recently, have been characterised by thinking walks along the beach with the dogs, and heart-to-hearts with dear friends.  For a lark, it is the perfect time of day and the perfect introduction to what one hopes will always be a better, kinder more serene day than yesterday.

Recently, a discussion with a close female friend slowly meandered its way to the subject of being cherished.  (It’s an old fashioned word which evokes images of gentleness, honour, respect, courtesy, knights in shining armour and scented climbing roses.)  She has had a relationship with her husband for more than fifteen years and is blooming.  Whenever she speaks about him, she glows and her voice changes slightly.  How rare and precious.

Our discussion arose as my friend had noted similar responses occurring in me.  I needed to say nothing; the evidence of being cherished radiated from me – and continues to do so.  I have never been cherished before, so I am still adjusting to the wonderful warmth of it.  Being cherished means that one is cared for completely, respected thoroughly, thought of lovingly and treated with disarming dignity.  The difference which it has made to my life is a source of joy and astonishment to me.

Being cherished validates one’s identity, choices and existence.  It results in one walking a little taller, holding one’s head a little higher and smiling – a great deal.  It also results, inevitably, in reciprocity.

The peculiarity is that up and down the land, since time immemorial, couples have been vowing to cherish each other as part of their marriage vows.  Yet, it is a vow rarely kept and an opportunity sadly missed.

Change your circumstances by cherishing and being cherished.  Your life will never be the same again.

Don’t just take my word for it; try it for yourself.

During a pre-work “thinking walk”, last week, I stumbled upon an enormous colony of water lilies growing and thriving in an offshoot of the Rochdale Canal.  A beautiful and vibrant contrast with the detritus laden bays which usually assault one’s senses in canal country.  Standing on the adjacent bridge, basking in early morning sunlight, I was able to count fifty glorious flowers with petals outstretched to the heavens.  It was a delightful beginning to a work-filled day.

The weekend which preceded the discovery of the lilies, I spent driving around the South Downs with two friends as we supported a team of walkers.  The Oxfam Trailwalker Challenge truly is epic and, given the characters who formed part of our team, there was always going to be a combination of great good humour and frustrating ineptitude!  Bringing each other up to speed with the most recent goings ons in our lives meant that we, the support crew, had a fabulous time!  Listening to Skeletal Family and Keith Urban, shopping, chatting about new interests – mine anyway – reminiscing, shopping, not strangling any of the other personnel, shopping and laughing took us from Friday afternoon to Sunday afternoon in the blink of an eye.  We enjoyed ourselves so much that we set ourselves the goal of walking in Trailtrekker 2015.  It’s absolutely amazing what good company and a surfeit of gurkhas can do for one’s ambitions!

A revamped shower room further improved the last fortnight, but the piece de resistance is the new stained glass window which was fitted in the drawing room.  In common with all the other stained glass in the house, it was created by Paul Bradbury, a fabulous artist who has been commissioned to renew the stained glass at Manchester Victoria Station.  He is an absolute genius and I can’t wait for the designs he is creating for my porch.  Watch this space!

Wherever you are, whatever you are doing during August, I hope that you too will experience some fabulous and unexpected moments of blessing.