Wesley News
Life at Wesley, our community and, #ThoughtsFromHuw
February: A word from Richard
Dear Friends
I was taking a funeral the other day at Saltwell Crematorium. As we were waiting for the cortege to arrive I was chatting to the funeral attendant. It was a busy day at the Crem. After the Christmas closures the early days of January are usually fully booked. โYouโve done well todayโ, Ian said, โYouโve whupped the humanists 7-1!โ I looked up at the board and he was right, the list of officiants for that day showed seven clergy and one humanist. But that was only one day. Humanist funeral celebrants are something of a growth trend in the employment statistics.
December: A word from Richard
Dear Friends
There is no more evocative time of year than Christmas. All our senses are stimulated, creating impressions that remain with us and are awakened from dormancy each succeeding Christmas time. My favourite, best present ever was the Meccano set No 6 that I got when I was 9. I can still vividly remember the thrill of opening it and starting to play with it. From another stage in my life I have strong memories of carol singing around Teesdale villages on cold, wet December evenings, feeling so alive and enjoying the company of my fellow carollers as we sang Sweet Chiming Christmas Bells for the umpteenth time!
November: A word from Richard
Dear Friends
During the summer on a trip to London, I paid a visit to the Tower of London to view the art installation โBlood Swept Lands And Seas Of Redโ. Created by ceramic artist Paul Cummins, 888,246 ceramic poppies have been progressively placed in the Tower's famous moat over the summer. Each poppy represents a British military fatality during the war. The inspiration for the display came from a line in the will of a Derbyshire man who joined up in the earliest days of the war and died in Flanders. Knowing that everyone was dead and he was surrounded by blood, the man wrote: 'The Blood Swept lands and seas of red, where angels fear to tread.'
October: A word from Richard
Dear Friends
The recent Scottish Independence Referendum turned out to be, politically, the only show in town for a couple of weeks, even south of the Border. The result however was nowhere near as close as had been predicted. In the end the canny people of Scotland voted by a clear margin of 10% to remain within the union. It would seem the majority had decided that they and we were indeed, Better Together.
September: A word from Richard
Dear Friends
Growing up in a farming community I have always felt close to the land. Farmers are understandably fascinated by the land. They are passionate about caring for their own land, sometimes critical, sometimes covetous of their neighbours land; and when travelling outside their own area always keenly observant of the agricultural land elsewhere: is it well drained and productive, does it lie towards the sun, is it sweet and fertile?
