Green Patches

Challenges

Ah the joys - of the Worldwide Web!  Being aware that Holy Week is approaching, I found a couple of blog entries in my feedreader this morning that  challenged me.

First off, as one who loves to wade around in personality-type theory like Myers-Briggs MBTI and the Enneagram, infpBlog's reflections on making relationships in  'special is as special does.'  packed a punch. I'll not quote any of it here; just go read the piece in its entirety. 

Then to Maggi Dawn and 'Fast? Slow!'

"Spirituality that bears fruit is not a fast food business. You can try to make the Kingdom of Heaven more efficient if you want to; you can try and maximize effort and produce more fruit per hour of work. But in the end, like growing wheat, real spiritual growth has an optimum speed, and accelerating the growth and maximizing the harvest will be about as much good for the soul as fast food is for the body. Some things just take time..."

Read the rest here.  Nothing revolutionary, simply  that some of us need reminding more than others. I think  these reflections should be made compulsory reading for all New Christians, Old Christians and Plodding Along  The Road Inbetween Christians.

Cats and colanders

I'm shattered - after - by Greenpatch standards  a draining week. GP cat and I are similar in not a few ways; including cussedness, love of solitude and an ability to snatch the odd forty winks, anywhere, anytime,  any place. Apart from the usual, the last few days have been big on company: saw my 'partners in crime' on Monday, somebody else Tuesday. I've a (for me) quite New and Significant Experience coming up later next week, so midweek met up with a friend to catch up and bolster self - confidence, Thursday ditto. All positive. Then yesterday saw me whizzing off down to leafy Surrey with a twofold purpose. Firstly to meet up with an old schoolfriend (What with 25 years to catch up on we got through a lot of chat and even more wine!). Then on  to visit an aunt. Sadly, our uncle died earlier in the week. This wasn't altogether negative, far from it; I think that the eventual funeral really will be a celebration of his life. On today to an excellent Enneagram workshop - of which more later - maybe. Sunday - church  - with BBQ (or given our climate - inside a queue). Monday, all systems go  for daughter's graduation (and get out those blister plasters for my posh shoes); Mr GP takes off again to climb ever'y mountain. Then to round it all off - New and Significant Experience. By the end of all that we'll have clocked up quite a mileage on the railway, and even more on the poor body, mind and soul. Stop the world; I want to get off!