The Atrium, Camberley

What does the model's expression say to you?

This advertising poster amuses me.  The expression on the model's face looks like she's totally fed up about something - her experience of The Atrium, perhaps?

April Moon

Beautiful Glowing Golden Moon Tonight!

Music for Health Annual Seminar: Sunday 10th April @ Field Place, Worthing

As one of the newest Local Directors, this was my first time.  I didn’t know what to expect.  With the seminar not due to start until 1 pm, my friend and I arrived in Worthing around 10 am.  We scoped out the destination and then drove onto Worthing seafront to make the most of the beautiful summery weather.  I liked the idea of arriving at the seminar with sand between my toes and salt in my hair – of bringing that fresh energy that wild swimming invigorates us with - but my swimming costume didn’t come out of the bag once I saw how far out the tide was! 

Where's the sea gone?

  Instead we walked along the promenade into town and found the Salvation Army setting up outside Costa’s.   We bought coffee and sat in the shade enjoying the music for spiritual health, and just as I might encourage others to do, I sang along lustily to the hymns and choruses I knew.

Salvation Army in Worthing 

Field Place is an 18^th Century Manor House set in eight acres of well-kept grounds.  We arrived a little before one and strolled through gardens in their spring colours, busy with the sounds of birds and bumble bees. 

Lunch was a cordial affair, a chance to put names to faces as I met other Local Directors.  We munched our way through the grand banquet spread before us, the buzz of small talk overlaid with the strains of music played by Sally Whitaker on her full-sized harp.  From time to time my gaze would wander to the intriguing collection of small gift boxes on a card table near the stage.  What could they be?

The full programme included guest speakers such as Sue Mason, an Activity Manager, who confirmed the benefits of the Music for Health workshops for her residents.  Angus Ewing provided Neuro-Linguistic Programming tips on ‘anchoring’ ourselves in the positive, on creating an inner resource we can draw on when we’re facing doubts or fears.  Cathy Steinman from Age Concern shared her passion for ‘enabling’ people – not doing for them what they can do for themselves.  For example if an elderly neighbour needs shopping, much as it might be easier and more convenient to do it for them, Cathy would encourage us to go the extra mile and support our neighbour to participate in the shopping trip as this is potentially of much greater benefit.  In between the guest speakers, MfH Local Directors shared their talents and Helen demonstrated how to use our props with panache.

It was a lot to pack into one afternoon.  At last, revived and fortified with a final plate session followed by tea and cakes, the mystery of the gift boxes was revealed – there was one for everyone, a small but luminous gift of a mechanical torch to remind us not to hide our light under a bushel.   Thank you, Helen, David and all my fellow Music for Health team for welcoming me into the family.

Jesus and Buddha: The Common Ground

Tulips in bloom in my garden

Today I was invited to join the Woking Friends for a workshop on the topic of Jesus and Buddha: The Common Ground.  It was facilitated by Geoff and Bev Hunt, a married couple who live the topic.  Geoff is, amongst other things, a Professor of Philosophy and a Buddhist Chaplain.  Bev is a non-stipendiary Anglican Minister.

The workshop was divided into 5 sessions:

1. Love for Enemies
2. Materialism (wordliness)
3. Judging/Criticizing Others
4. Worry
5. Love

For each session, Geoff had chosen some relevant teachings of the Buddha and Bev had chosen relevant Gospel passages.  Below I've provided links to the online Bible Gateway if you want to read the Gospel passage, and quoted the Buddha teachings in full (as I don't know of a single unified online source of the Buddha's teachings).

1.  Love for Enemies

Gospel readings:  Luke 6: 27-36 

Dhammapada Bks 1, 10, 17 

Buddha said ...

3.  "He abused me, he struck me, he overpowered me, he robbed me." Those who harbour such thoughts do not still their hatred.

4.  "He abused me, he struck me, he overpowered me, he robbed me."  Those who do not harbour such thoughts still their hatred.

5.  Hatred is never appeased by hatred in this world.  By non-hatred alone is hatred appeased.  This is a law eternal.

129.  All tremble at violence; all fear death.  Putting oneself in the place of another, one should not kill nor cause another to kill.

133.  Speak not harshly to anyone, for those thus spoken to might retort.  Indeed, angry speech hurts, and retaliation may overtake you.

134.  If, like a broken gong, you silence yourself, you have approached Nibbana, for vindictiveness is no longer in you.

221.  One should give up anger, renounce pride, and overcome all fetters.  Suffering never befalls him who clings not to mind and body and is detached.

223.  Overcome the angry by non-anger; overcome the wicked by goodness; overcome the miser by generosity; overcome the liar by truth.

224.  Speak the truth; yield not to anger; when asked, give even if you only have a little.  By these three means can one reach the presence of the gods.

After Geoff and Bev had read the passages aloud, they invited those present to discuss them.  I found myself drawn to the Buddhist teachings as they were new to me.  Once I'd explored the novelty, I focused on the last sentence:  By these three means can one reach the presence of the gods.  Aloud I commented that there seemed to be an unwritten assumption that that would be one's goal.  From there my thoughts went to the foundational lesson of  'A Course in Miracles':  What is unreal does not exist, what is real cannot be threatened.  Therein lies the peace of God.   I shared with the group the idea that 'reaching the presence of the gods' was perhaps another way of speaking of the peace that 'transcends all understanding'  (Philippians 4:7)

2)  Materialism  (worldliness)

Gospel reading: Luke 12: 15 - 21 

Khuddakapatha 8.9

The Buddha says ...

'Let the wise man do righteousness:  a treasure that others cannot share, which no thief can steal; a treasure which does not pass away'.

Udanavarga 1.20-21

'Truly, it is the law of humanity that though one accumulates hundreds of thousands of worldly goods, one still succumbs to the spell of death.  All hoardings will be dispersed, whatever rises will be cast down, all encounters must end in separation, life must finally end in death'.

In this session it was the Gospel reading that caught my attention, the parable of the rich man who built bigger barns to store his surplus grain, to whom God said, "You fool!  This very night your life will be demanded from you..."  Jesus closes the parable with the warning to his listeners:  "This is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves but is not rich toward God."  Recently I bought a new fridge-freezer.  There was nothing wrong with the old one, it worked perfectly well, but I told myself I needed a bigger one to store up the extra food I planned to cook so that I could have a stock of ready meals against the times when I might not choose to cook a meal from scratch.  No sooner had the new fridge-freezer taken its place in the kitchen than the washing machine died!

3)  Judging/Criticizing Others

Gospel reading: Luke 6: 37 - 42 

Udanavarga 27:1

The Buddha said...

The faults of others are easier to see than one's own; the faults of others are easily seen, for they are sifted like chaff, but one's own faults are hard to see.  This is like the cheat who hides his dice and shows the dice of his opponent, calling attention to the other's shortcomings, continually thinking of accusing him.

Dh vv 50, 51

The Buddha said ...

'Do not remark on the faults of others, but see what you yourself have left undone.  Then overlook the faults of others'.

'Like beautiful flowers that have colour but no scent are the eloquent but empty sayings of the man who does not act according to his words'.

This session generated a lot of discussion.  I put forward the suggestion that when we look into the world, it is like looking into a mirror that allows ourselves to adjust our image - if we see something we don't like 'out there', it offers the opportunity to observe an attitude of our own heart and adjust accordingly.  As we talked about those who judge, criticize and condemn others harshly, I offered the phrase that it's like beating up the reflection you see in the mirror.  

One participant told an amusing tale - she works as an office cleaner, going in at the end of the day when everyone has gone home.  She polishes the desks.  One day one of the staff members had spent some considerable time sharpening pencils over his computer, leaving the fragments for her to deal with.  She declined to do so (struggling inwardly at the same time), certain it was the wrong thing to do, and smiling to herself at the thought of him having to clear it up himself when he next came in.  I imagined my own reaction in such a situation, and amused myself with the idea I would have wanted to leave a comment for him:  

Keep practicing and you may make it to the Tate Modern!

4)  Worry 

Gospel reading:  Matthew 6: 25 - 34

Majjhima nikaya 27

The Buddha teaches ...

'On returning from his almsround, after his meal he sits down, folding his legs crosswise, setting his body erect, and establishing mindfulness before him.  Abandoning longing for the world, he dwells with a mind free from longing ... Abandoning worry and remorse, he dwells free from agitation with a mind inwardly peaceful..

Dh 90-93

The Buddha teaches ...

90.  The fever of craving does not exist for him who has completed the journey, who is sorrowless and wholly set free, and has broken all ties.

91.  The mindful ones exert themselves.  They are not attached to any home; like swans that abandon the lake, they leave home after home behind.

92.  Those who do not accumulate and are wise regarding food, whose object is Emptying, the Unconditioned Freedom - their track cannot be traced, like that of birds in the air.

Bev and Geoff gave us a chance to talk amongst ourselves in small groups.  I was with two other women and we talked about the difference between the freedom a Monk might have from considerations that a Mother has to deal with. 

5) Love

Gospel reading:  Matthew 22: 36 - 38

Sutta Nipata 149-50

The Buddha says ...

'Just as a mother would protect her only child at the risk of her own life, even so, cultivate a boundless heart towards all beings.

Let your thoughts of boundless love pervade the whole world: above, below and across without any obstruction, without any hatred, without any enmity.

We closed with a few moments of silence.  I found it a thoroughly engaging, interesting, energising workshop and very much enjoyed the company in which I found myself.  Many thanks to Geoff, Bev, and to Woking Friends for hosting the afternoon.

If life hands you an odd sock, make a sock puppet

On Saturday at around 3 am I was admitted as a 'Voluntary Patient to the ARC2 Ward at the Noel Lavin Unit in Guildford, there being no spare beds at the Wingfield Ward, the local Mental Health Inpatient facility where I've spent some time in the past.  I've put 'Voluntary Patient' in inverted commas because I wasn't offered another option.  Over the past few weeks I've been working out my notice at my current employment and preparing for a new venture into self-employment.  I've been coping well with the pressures, but a few lingering self-doubts led to me taking a couple of decisions which Vicky and David interpreted as relapse indicators: I'd phoned my daughter after midnight Thursday night - something I've never done before as she is generally in bed before midnight - and I'd walked barefoot to my son's house (a couple of miles) and woken him at 6 am Friday morning.  He wasn't amused.  They expressed their concern by taking me to the local Accident & Emergency hospital for a psych assessment.  I went willingly as I understood their need to 'do something' about their concerns, and I was confident that a psych assessment would find me perfectly sane.  We spent 11 hours sitting in waiting rooms Friday, then they were tasked to deliver me to the ARC2 ward where I was given a bed in a room with another patient peacefully snoring the night away.

Whilst I was there, we had some glorious summery weather - here's a view from the ARC2 Lounge taken on Wednesday 23rd, looking towards Guildford Cathedral as the sun sets.

Same view the next morning after the thick mist has begun to clear to the extent you can see the buildings nearby but not the Cathedral.

I attended a couple of the therapy groups, including one on Mindfulness.  On the wall of the Therapy Lounge was this piece of artwork/wisdom on coping with feelings.

The Strongest Link

Is Compassion the strongest link?

My current employment is in the voluntary sector working on the Community Innovations Team, a Hampshire County-wide initiative aiming through early intervention and prevention to reduce the number and severity of hospital admissions for elderly people, and to assist them to retain their independence for longer.

My role has been to identify and map the existing services and activities for older people in the area and to communicate with the Social Worker, Occupational Therapist and Community Support Worker to ensure they are able to signpost their clients appropriately.

I share an office with the Dial-a-Ride drivers and their co-ordinator.  Today one of the Dial-a-Ride drivers asked if anyone happened to have a spare shopping trolley - one of his regular passengers, an elderly lady, had recently had a fall and broken her arm and was now struggling to carry her shopping. I suggested we might find one for her through the Freecycle website, and promptly posted a 'Wanted' ad.  Towards the end of the day, I checked my mail and discovered a Freecycler had responded, offering a shopping trolley his parents no longer needed.  I picked it up on my way home from work and dropped it off at a colleague's home - I'm not going into the office tomorrow, and she had agreed to take it in and give it to the Dial-a-Ride driver who would deliver it to the passenger.

This evening I was watching the quiz show, "The Weakest Link", and the contestants banked a nice pot of money with an unbroken chain of 9 correct answers.  (In fact they could have banked even more as the next two answers were also correct).

It occurred to me that the story of the shopping trolley was a little similar - a chain of people each putting their small willingness and ability into the pot in order to bring a little joy into an elderly lady's life when she receives a timely gift  from the friendly Dial-a-Ride drivers who treat their customers like extended family.

Postscript:  After writing this blog post, I read the 'Word for Today' which concluded:

Leon Nacson says, 'Always anticipate the best outcome for yourself and others, because when what you expect is just more of the same, that's what you get!' Remember, '...Faith is being sure of what... we do not see' (Hebrews 11:1 NIV). So even when you can't 'see' it, trust God to work on your behalf, to arrange for you to be in the right place at the right time, and for others to go out of their way to help you - and watch God work.

Snow, so no go

Just when I was anticipating walking and swimming in glorious warm sunny weather, the snow arrives.  Last year I commented on the early snowfall on 20th/21st December - this year it's arrived even earlier, a winter visitor I could well have done without.  Today I was due to fly out from Gatwick to Tenerife.  After yesterday's snow, Gatwick was closed but looked set to re-open in time for my lunchtime flight today.  Fresh snow overnight put paid to that and my trip has been canceled.  What a disappointment.

To add to the disappointment, I've just come in from trying to build an igloo with absolutely no success at all!  The snow is very dry and powdery.  I suppose I could add water just like you do when building a sandcastle ... but it's not like I've even got a playmate to help me build it.  (Are you feeling sorry for me yet?)

In other news, I've bought a new camera to replace the old one after it developed an intermittent fault.  I asked a photographer friend for a recommendation and he made some suggestions.  In the end I went for a Canon Powershot SX30 with its super optical zoom.  Very nice too.  Sadly I won't be able to bring you pictorial delights of a trip to Mount Teide National Park - we'll both have to satisfy ourselves with others' photo-memories. 

If you're curious about the cartoon - this week I was sorting through some old photos and I came across my mother's autograph book.  I think it dates back to 1940 as there are a few cartoons in there signed like this one, 'C. Macpherson 40'.  I don't know who the cartoonist is, or how he fits into Mum's life, but he appears to have been extremely talented.  If memory serves correctly, Mum trained as a carpenter in the WAAF.  I also seem to recall she worked as a waitress in Croydon at some point before she became a mother, and I think the later entries (eg Donald Pleasance) relate to that post-war, pre-maternity period.