Green Patches

Green Patches - Five Years On

As we've been here in blogosphere for nearly five years now I think  that  new readers - who might have stumbled upon us  in the mistaken impression that Greenpatches is all about midwifery - are owed an explanation.  So, here for your edification, we have...'Greenpatches - Five  Things You Wished You'd Always Known.' 

1. Greenpatches began in February 2007 when I accepted the Methodist Church's No New Shoes Lenten challenge to Live Simply.  I was following a module on environmental issues and vocation with St John's College Nottingham at the time and taking my first tentative steps into simplicity with  the Anglican  Franciscan Third Order ; No New Shoes was a useful way of helping me to remain accountable. Have I succeeded? Who knows...

2. TSSF, Third Order Society of St Francis  part of the Anglican Franciscan family is a dispersed community whose members try to live a life  of simplicity, love, joy and service after the manner of their founding Saints Francis and Claire -  in the midst of their everyday lives.  I was professed into TSSF in Spring 2009 after three years of discernment and formation.  For the moment I'm convening our local small group. (For the uninitiated, each larger area is divided into three or four smaller groups; much of everyday tertiary life and community takes place at local level). I'm not sure what Francis would have made of me; to be honest, I'm more Claire than Francis, but so far they've not thrown me out.

3. For any confused cyclists, Mr GP has in the past taken part in La Marmotte, the LEL, Kelloggs Tour of Ireland and many other competitive events. I blogged a fair bit about him in the early days as well as co-authoring his own blog for a while, which might account for why you ended up here in the first place!

4. The metaphor of the search for God as journey has always spoken to me and has taken me to places I'd neither have  imagined nor had the confidence to go.  Moving churches gave me valuable  space and time for reflection which in turn led me to some  wonderful experiences of formation in spirituality and spiritual direction skills. The journey continues...

5. Look here to learn about some of our experiences of pilgrimage. Since I made that decision to move, Mr GP and I have walked  along sections of  the Way of St James, the Wayfarers Walk and, finally last year a wonderful 200 + mile trek through the North of England and the Western Scottish Highlands to Iona.

So there you have it. Greenpatches in a nutshell...or a rucksack.  Whether you're a confused cyclist, midwife, methodist,  tertiary, oblate or other religious (of whatever denomination), pilgrim or spiritual searcher, I hope you'll enjoy reading along with me for the next five years.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Advent Blog of The Week - The Mercy Blog and Weeble's Wonderings

 

Advent Prayer

 

Lord, still us this today and in this Advent Season – keep us wide awake in these days of waiting. Take from us our anxieties and our preoccupations, our distractions and our despair. Let us be empty in this time before, awaiting your coming with empty hands, and open hearts…

 

Lord, prepare us for your coming. Fill us with the hope of your judgement, and a longing for your justice. Let our hope and our prayer be always for this broken creation of which we are part. Have mercy on all who suffer, human or animal. Help us to bring the good news of your coming, the comfort of hope, the joy of this new kind of waiting…

 

Amen

 - with thanks to Mike F of The Mercy Blog

One evening last week, I was  in  our contemplative prayer group at church, when, towards the end of the session, I was suddenly, as I've described it to myself 'hi-jacked' by a memory  of an item which I'd read in the paper earlier in the day: a particularly horrible example of  pure, gratuitous violence towards a poor, helpless animal, the which defies all belief and about which I simply can't bring myself to give any more details here.  There followed  a  fraught few minutes whilst I  tried alternately to a) push the distraction aside, or b) give  it to God, which last unfortunately and again without giving any details (shudders) seemed unavoidably to involve 're-living it.'  All clever theological explanations seemed pretty irrelevant  just then, and to be honest, pretty feeble, too. We're back to that evergreen topic of theodicy 'How could you, God?'

I've since re-commbobulated myself, so to speak...just, and can see, I think, that this struggle was likely the latest in a series of 'answers,' to a prayer I made leading on from what I brought out of retreat. Why I should be surprised, I don't know. I do think prayer should come with a health warning, though.  Do Not Be Surprised If You Get What You Ask For. 

So the petitions in the prayer "Have mercy on all who suffer, human or animal..." resonates with me as we begin Advent.

 

 

Over on A Weeble's Wonderings Avila reflects on the ever-present struggle with life-work balance and the need to know when and to press those 'recharge' buttons. I chose it for personal reasons; thanks be to God their situation is not my own although some of the issues mentioned do touch several loved ones close to home. It was the final paragraph that spoke to  me however. The 'Who Am I? What Am I?' question and my tendency to define myself solely in relation to the role (I perceive) other people see me in and to whether I shape up to that perception,  has been around now as long as I can remember. We Are Improving slowly....which is good...yet still very much a Work In Progress...

I started with the title 'Who am I? What am I?' - when we can no longer answer these about ourselves, rather than just in relation to other people or roles, then it is a sign we need to find respite, and to find ourselves again.

 - A Weeble's Wonderings - Who Am I? What Am I?

 

  

 

 

Late but not 'late' Blog of The Week - Rory is Available

Yes, I know that this is Wednesday, not Monday.  Yes, I know that Greenpatches hasn't been vocal over the last few weeks; partly due to ennui, partly because she's been holed up in the wilds of North Wales, contemplating her navel.  To be blunt: I'm speechless. More later maybe...

So, what better way to begin to shift the 'bloggage' by sounding the trumpet for another faithful blogger and long-standing member of the blogroll over on my other blog: the keeper of the witty, wise and wonderful Mr Gnome, Rory Keegan. Rory says:

 

Bravo for brilliant visionaries! 

I’m privileged to work with many such men and women, enabling them to turn dream to reality: finding the format, perfecting the text, sourcing the packaging and liaising with a legion of creative professionals (illustrators, video producers, graphic designers) to deliver projects on time and on budget - in short, the whole kit and caboodle.

I'm Rory Keegan: resourceful, reliable and ready for new opportunities. 

 - Find out more about Rory's work  over on Rory is Available

 

Oh, and while you're there, don't forget to say hello to his equally witty and urbane friend, Mr Gnome

 

 

 

 

 

 

Three Ways of Making a Rule of Life

With Francistide and review of my TSSF Rule of Life still fresh in my mind,  here's some advice on the process applicable to anybody looking to live life more intentionally and holistically:

 

A rule is a document embodying the values which are central to your life, and the praxis which allows you to live this out with genuine integrity. 

 - Hermit Sr Laurel from notes from stillsong.

Developing a Rule of Life 13 Tips - from soulgardeners

 

and

Balancing Life by The Rule by Debra Farrington

I came across a wonderful piece of advice yesterday -  that  rule of life should not be a list of 'to do (s)' but of 'to be (s).'

Words, words, words...Over on the Franciscan Support Thread on Shipoffools posters are asking - Is it possible to make a rule of life without using them ? It's been suggested for the TSSF Principles in the past. Could you sign it? Paint, sing or dance it? Any other medium? Suggestions please...

For Franciscans I"d have thought creative ways like these would be spot on, given their sprituality and the famous "Preach the gospel. If necessary, use words," saying popularly attributed to our founder.

Granted we might have problems at annual renewal presenting them all at the altar - still I'm sure there are ways and means of getting over that one!

Widgets, randomness and serendipity

I've been directed  into the bowels of this blog - thanks to the delightful randomness of a new toy, the weird and wonderful widget linkwithin . Thanks to another newcomer on the blogroll, Filey Gardener, for twas on her blog that I stumbled across this tool for linking together similarly themed posts and, at least, (according to the site),  to enable you to give some of your old, dusty and forgotten bon mots an airing. 

Whether this always happens in actuality? I'm witholding judgement for now; from what I've seen so far, its system is, shall we say, 'eclectic', random, and with a certain illogicality that makes me wonder what on earth the Myers-Brigg's MBTI system would make of it. INFP, anybody? Why else would my self-indulgent wofflings about Greenbelt the other day be linked to the terse and succinctly-named post 'Dung!' Or, reviving my rusty ex-pat French, 'Crotte!' 

Still, to give it credit for perseverance, it's obviously determined to sharpen its accuracy, and, when I logged on earlier, I couldn't help smiling  when I noticed it had linked to two far more apposite reflections, written in the midst of my more embarrassing bouts of existential angst a few years ago: 'Vocational Self-Assembly Pack,' and 'the d-word: Dancing with the music of the spirit,'

Plus ca change...

 

Blog of The Week - Nun other Than a Franciscan Sister

We're back on time this week.  The last few days I've spent on pilgrimage with church,  the which has influenced my choice. With matters of journeying, physically and spiritually,  being very much on my own mind,  Nun other Than a Franciscan Sister 's  post on transition seemed pretty appropriate. What really grabbed me here was Sr Patricia's quote by Dr Howard Thurman:

"Don't ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive and then go do that. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive." 

 

Thank you.

 

Last week's Blog of The Week - Opinionated Vicar.

 

Blog of The Week - The Mercy Blog

...comes earlier than usual this week - time being in short supply over the next few days.  I've chosen a long-standing member of my blogroll, Mike F of The Mercy Blog, Franciscan tertiary and contemplative. His was one of the blogs I stumbled across early on in my own vocational wanderings and I've watched it grow and develop over the years.  At risk of totally embarrassing him, IMHO it's one of the top-league Francisan blogs (and yes, I know classing blogs must definitely run contrary to the Francisan ethos!); however, I'm referring to quality and integrity here. He's been brave enough to  share some of the joys and struggles of his journey honestly, often at great depth, yet with a humble simplicity that's an inspiration to others.  He's also a great encourager.  

Mike, ongoing wishes and prayers for you as your journey takes  a new turn. I hope we'll still be able to read your reflections in future, even if you're not able to blog as frequently as before.

Peace and all good.

 

Last week's Blog of the Week:  Adam McHugh's Introverted Church and Aubry Smith's My Offerings.

My Top Four July Posts (1): Get Knotted

From yesteryear. Seeing as we're nearly in the summer silly season, I thought I'd have a trawl through the Greenpatch archives and rake out some favourites from The Month of July. (Shades of Sesame Street; no , that's not Kermit in the photo - Ms GP won't thank you for thinking that!).  So, our first Greenpatch is:

 

From this time last year - Get Knotted. The whole month fell into the 'vocational angst' category, a theme that runs and runs as far as I'm concerned. I was finishing a year long spirituality course and wondering about the next step.   Get Knotted still makes me smile (Who says The Almighty doesn't have a sense of humour?!). I've more knots than a Girl Guide, and a year on, the both of us are still busily engaged on the untangling process; a process which, like the angst, is set to run and run.  

More thankfully - 2009-10 was also The Year of The Medical Test for me - much waiting and worrying about the state of the Greenpatch internal plumbing. These all came clear, thankfully, but the process has been an incentive for me to keep going with the vocational wanderings whenever my confidence has faltered.  There's nothing like gaining a perspective on one's own mortality to make you make the most of the time you have.

 

Next up: Graduation.

'Rule of Life' - Commitment to transformation

"The keeping of a rule is not an end in itself. It is not so that  we can feel more in control or that our lives might be in order. It is not even so we can feel closer to God. Its purpose is transformation: that we make become more Christlike... It is not about a one-off change. It is rather about an ongoing, life-long openess to keep on being changed, with and by the communities which we are committed to."

 - from Alan Hargrave's Living Well: Finding a 'rule of life' to Revitalise and Sustain Us, SPCK Publishing 2010

'Living Well' is one of my current reads.  It's compact, accessible and practical  yet deep. Would that it had been around when I was working out my own rule  with TSSF (Third Order, Society of St Francis). He uses the ancient rule of St Benedict as a structure for his reflections, but the book is designed for anyone who is searching for life-giving transformation and a pattern to their lives.  And 'community' includes : family, partners, work, church, friends; any and all of the groups we live and work with day by day.

Do not worry

 

Weekend Fisher asks "What Bible Verse are you?"  Which  verses really speak to you personally, encapsulate your call?  I was about to come over clever and counter the question with another one: about  Francis of Assisi - "Consider the lilies..." yes,  very appropriate. The verse that I associate with him though is:

"Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me."

Isn't that more Francis?

Oh...yes...what were you asking? "Answer the question?" OK then - (this is so like one of those addictive "What Muppet character are you?" quizzes that turn up in the blogosphere with monotonous regularity!) Bible verse? Hmmm....? Errr... "Do not worry." Now where could that have come from? A quick trawl of the colander-like depths of the Greenpatch memory and  an even quicker one of Biblegateway reveals...ta dah...! Yes, "Consider the lillies..."  How embarrassing!  Could be I've more Franciscan traits than I thought.

 

Moving on....hastily - a question for readers, especially anybody who's chanced on this blog via TSSF.  I've referred  before now to tertiary Anne Spalding's challenge to Third Order members to explore what a non-prose -based commentary on our Principles might be like. 

"Franciscan life, as I understand it, is a whole

 

life, not solely word-based. So what I would like to see is some Third Order groups

 

explore what a non-prose-based commentary on our Principles might be like ...

 

music, action, poetry, drawings and paintings ... What would you do?"

 

Tomorrow some of us  intend to ask fellow tertaries  to do just that, (no, they've not been told anything about this).  Quite a challenge. It'll be interesting to see what people come up with.

So to you , gentle reader;  "What Would You Do?"  For purposes of bloggery, prose is permitted.  (I've never yet seen a commenter responding in music or dance). I'd love to hear some of  your ideas.