together 69
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Community magazineTRANSCRIPT
Plus:
• Getting ahead • Michael Caine will go far • More tha just a helping hand • Confessions• Where to now? • A golden summer and more...
A free community magazine published by St James and Emmanuel, Didsbury
Holy hostsEnjoy looking for hidden angels inDidsbury’s shops this Advent
together
Winter 2012
For further information please call 0161 434 7045 or 07527 377 502Email: [email protected] Visit us: www.choicehometutoring.co.uk
Choice Home Tutoring is a professional and personalservice which aims to safely find you the bestpossible tutor.
Based in Didsbury, we match the needs of the learner to the most appropriate tutor,someone who can motivate,encourage and drive your childtowards achieving their goals.
We can help if you’re looking to:
n improve knowledge & understanding
n prepare for examsn develop confidencen receive ongoing advice
Jo Murphy, Director.
GCSE English RevisionWorkshop • Preparation for AQA GCSE
English – ideal for anyone sitting the January 2013 exam
• Led by qualified andexperienced teachers
Monday 17 December 5pm to 7pm
Entrance Exam Workshops• For children in years 4 & 5 • Maths, English, verbal & non-
verbal reasoning
Wednesday 2, Thursday 3 and Friday 4 January 9am to 12noon
Monday 18 to Friday 22 February9am to 12noon
Workshops held at 6 Barlow MoorRoad, next to Emmanuel church.
Future Workshops
together
Together is a magazine where community, businessand church meet. You can suggest articles for ournext issue by visiting us online atstjamesandemmanuel.org/together
In this issue:
2 Getting ahead4 More than just a helping hand6 A golden summer8 Michael Caine will go far9 Didsbury Angel Trail10 The Christmas story11 Angel Trail form13 Christmas services14 Give and it will be given to you15 Carols with Corrie16 Where to now?18 Confessions20 Beattitude
Executive Editor: Nick Bundock. Editor: John Conibear.
Articles are written by people who live or work in the parish ofSt James and Emmanuel. The views expressed in the magazineare those of the contributors and are not necessarily the viewsof the editorial team or the church.
Winter 2012
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Winter edition, issue 69, published November 2012.
© Parish of St James & Emmanuel, Didsbury.St James and Emmanuel, Parish Office, Parish Centre, 6 Barlow Moor Road, Didsbury,Manchester M20 6TR. Registered Charity 1131669.
Cover image of angel by Lizzie Finlay.
Getting aheadJulia Robertson confronts a seasonal condition that canchange well-balanced human beings into nervous wrecks.
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It all starts around Octoberfor me. Those earlyunmistakable signs that
simply won't go away. For ashort while you can indulgein a little denial, busyingyourself with other things.Yet, wherever you go you arereminded of the inevitable.You realise that soon, toosoon, you will be wearingdifferent clothes, yourthoughts will turn more andmore to food and to planningahead. You will start spendingcompulsively and, towardsthe end, eating compulsively.Relatives will have to becontacted. Friends will inviteyou round for, yes, more food.You will have to decorate,bake, cook, wrap, unwrap,taste, toast and eventuallycollapse, making sure youavoid being in any of thephotos. I write of thecondition which dare not speak its name: Pre-Christmas Tension.
There are, of course, those ofus who revel in it. They call it‘getting ahead’, as ifChristmas will only comeabout by our jumping a seriesof hurdles before we arrive at
our destination, havingconferred on ourselves thesomewhat dubiousqualification of having ‘doneChristmas’. “I did it last year”we triumphantly chime, “sothis year we'll be going to mysister’s” and we awardourselves the biennialsabbatical.
Something seems to havegone wrong somewhere. Yes,we all want to avoid theMartha-like route adopted bymy grandmother, whichinvolved being first in thecrush of the January Sales tosecure next year’s Christmascards at half-price. Her ‘PCT’hence lasted a whoppingfifty-one weeks.
Modern culture advocatesthe wise men route. Plenty offorward planning, a longsteady journey, arrival in best
bib-and-tucker with presentsthat are not just pertinent butpriceless. Enviable perhaps,but think on. Did the wisemen really get the best dealon arrival? Some scholarsargue that the Christ Childcould have been as much astwo years old by the time themajestic knock sounded atthe door. If my experience ofa boy toddler is anything togo by, Jesus would have hadthe gifts opened and emptiedout before the formalintroductions, and you couldimagine the mess. He wouldhave been out having awonderful time clamberingover the resting camelsbefore his flustered parentslocated a dustpan and brush.More stress.
In fact, we have the wise mento thank for the post-Christmas angst of Twelfth-Night-and-trees-down-by-midnight malarkey.
No, I think I'm with theshepherds on this one. Thewise men may have been wellorganised, but apart from thefabulously energetic ChristChild, there really can't
You will startspendingcompulsivelyand, towards the end, eatingcompulsively.
have been that manysurprises. The shepherds,however, had not done theirhomework, and were caughtcompletely off guard. What atreat. They got to hear theangels and look up andactually see them – all ofthem – singing over and overand over again what it was allabout. It was sung to themwith one of the mostbeautiful sounds ever heardon this planet. And the light.It was the sort of light you feltyou wouldn’t survive it wasso all-encompassing. Whenthey closed their eyes andopened them again theywere astonished theycould still see. They wereeven more surprised thatsuddenly they seemed to be able to see evenbetter than before. In fact, all of theirsenses appeared tohave woken up. The cold somehowmade everythingclearer and the
song seemed to come fromsomewhere so far away, yet itpoured into them like liquidtruth. And the truth was soreal and so wonderful that itdidn't really matter whetheranyone believed them or not.
And they got to go therestraight away. They were firstat the hospital, so to speak.They got there while it was
still dark. They got there atthe time of quietness andholding before all thecraziness started. And theygot to go home before anyoneelse had woken up or anyoneelse even knew.
They got there becausesomehow, without knowing it,they found themselves in theright place at the right time.Stuck in the back of beyonddoing a dead-end job. On oneof those nights when youfight to stay awake, but evenif you get the chance to sleepfor a while you can't becauseit's just too cold. And thatwas how He came to them.Just as He'd planned. AndHe'd been planning it forquite some time.
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Didsbury GoodNeighbours Ltd (DGN)is a volunteer-led
scheme formed in October2009. It serves the needs ofthose in the local communitywho are isolated or excludedfrom day- to-day communitylife due to loneliness, illhealth or mobility issues.
The scheme has charitystatus and is funded mainlyby Manchester City Council.
DGN knows how important itis to establish meaningfulrelationships and providereliable volunteers. That iswhy it is focussed onproviding social and creative
activity and befriendingservices. Ultimately, theobjective is to reduce theisolation and loneliness ofelderly people in the areawho find day-to-day livingdifficult.
Didsbury Good Neighbours ismanaged by a committee of
More than just ahelping handA thriving local charity providing friendship and support,Didsbury Good Neighbours is always looking for volunteers.
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local people drawn frombusiness, industry, wardcouncillors and residents. It is proactive in recognisinghow best to help residentswho are at risk.
DGN recruits, trains andsupports volunteers to delivera unique befriending serviceand to assist and supportlocal people to maintaintheir independence in theirown homes for as long as ispossible. It also needsvolunteers to help with coffeemornings and transport andthe future development ofthe project.
If you are interested in volunteeringplease contact Marie or Judith:
[email protected]@yahoo.com
Follow DGN on Twitter @DidburyGNor visitdidsburygoodneighbours.com
Didsbury Good NeighboursMon-Fri: 9am-5pm Didsbury Sure StartChildren’s CentreDidsbury Park
Judith: 07891 928571Marie: 07749 504298
Volunteers arean integral partof the continuedsuccess andsustainability of the scheme.
Coffee MorningsIf you would like to attend or you know someone whowould benefit from joining us, please share thisinformation with them. Didsbury Good Neighbours hasfunding from United Utilities and Simplyhealth to runthe coffee mornings. There is hot buttered toast, tea,coffee, newspapers and magazines, plus a lovelyatmosphere and opportunity to chat and find out moreabout what Didsbury Good Neighbours could offer you.Cost £1 per session
Computer ClassesThe computer classes have been a great success andattracted far more interest than we thought possible.There is now a dedicated space at Didsbury Library withthe use of 10 internet accessed computers for drop-insessions. Facilitated by a volunteer from the RSVP, thereis plenty of room for new students. If you are interestedin the basics, want to brush up on your skills, want todrop in and shop on line or look at comparison websites,learn to Skype or send emails come along on aWednesday mornings at Didsbury Library at 10am -11.30am and join in.
Art ClassesClasses are run on Wednesdays from Didsbury Library,1pm-2.30pm. Aimed mainly at DGN’s target group butopen to anyone who wants to ‘have a go’. Facilitated bytwo talented local artists, why not come along andrelease the inner creative in you.Cost £3.50 per session
Exercise ClassesDGN offers weekly exercise classes aimed mainly at ourtarget group but open to anyone who wants to have a go.Delivered by a qualified instructor.Cost: £1.50 per session.
There is a small charge to our clients for all transport toand from DGN activity.
Some DGN Activities
It all started in 2002 withthe ManchesterCommonwealth Games,
when we decided that if anOlympic bid was won by thiscountry, we would volunteerto be a part of the ‘Games’. In 2007, London won the bidto host the 2012 Olympic andParalympic Games and wewere among the 250,000applicants to become ‘Games Makers’.
Tough interviews were held in2011 and 70,000 volunteerswere accepted, includingourselves as volunteer drivers.Early in 2012, initial training
sessions were held, followedby the collection of ‘GamesMaker’ uniforms and specificdriver training sessions wherewe were introduced to thebrand new BMW cars andsome of the routes we wouldbe using.
During the Olympic Games,we were based at Park LaneDepot, which meant our carswere housed in the car parkunder Hyde Park. This meanta half mile walk from ourteam base, but we were all‘Games Makers’ together anddidn’t mind the walk, even at7am! Our role as T2 drivers
meant we were drivingmembers of the InternationalOlympic Committee (IOC)who were based in the hotelson or close to Park Lane. Paulwas assigned to the WorldAnti Doping Agency (WADA)and drove delegates to andfrom meetings and to theOlympic Park in Stratford.Sue had a number of differentclient groups, such as TheCourt of Arbitration for Sport(CAS), the Medical group andthe Media group. She alsodrove delegates to and frommeetings, to the Olympic Parkand transported a brand new Olympic torch to TheBritish Library.
We soon got to know theOlympic Routes, Games Lanesand the location of handytoilets – which proved to bereally useful. To enter any ofthe Olympic Venues meantgoing through strict securityprocedures each time both forcars and personnel inside,undertaken by the armedservices. Once clients were‘dropped off’ at the OlympicPark, we were able to parkour cars and walk intothe park and wait for
A golden summerPaul and Sue Good share their memories of being GamesMakers at this year’s Olympic and Paralympic Games.
them. This allowed us theprivilege of meeting the manyvisitors, enjoying their day atthe Olympics and watchingthe action on the big screens.We had tickets for an earlyday of action and this allowedus to see live sport and toenjoy the beauty of the park,its wildflower meadows andwaterways. Paul’s highlightswere driving clients toWeymouth for the sailing and
spending the day with theBrownlee brothers after theirsuccess in the Triathlon.Whilst he was doing this Suewas waiting to drive Sir SteveRedgrave; however all she got
was the car, as he didn’twant to travel anywhere on
the designated day.
Olympic action soon gave wayto The Paralympics and theneed to discover new venuesnot used for The Olympics.For the Paralympics we werebased with our cars at theExCel Arena, an exhibitioncomplex in East London andParalympic venue. Despite thedistance we had to travel tobe at ExCel for 06:00, thesuperb infra-structure of theTube and the DLR got us therein time to see the sunrise overthe Thames each morning.
Paul was designated driver forEva Loeffler, daughter of SirLudwig Guttman, the doctorwho founded the ParalympicGames. Eva was ‘Mayor’ of theAthletes’ village and Paul hadaccess to the village on a dailybasis, meeting many of theathletes from competingcountries. He drove Eva tovenues and events, whichincluded painting a post-boxgold and presenting goldmedals at the Equestrianevents, where he saw SophieChristianson win gold forTeam GB.
Sue meanwhile was thedesignated driver for the head of the InternationalWheelchair FencingAssociation, who, along with his team, were collecteddaily from the ParalympicVillage and driven to theExCel Arena, for thewheelchair fencing. She sawmany paralympic sportsincluding Seated Volleyball,Wheelchair Fencing, TableTennis and Boccia. The bighighlight was meeting andtalking to David Cameron on the Tube.
The skill and brilliance of theParalympians was the abidinghighlight of the Games,together with the wonderfulpeople we met and withwhom we shared ourexperiences. The Parade ofAthletes concluded ouradventure and as the lasttruck passed the Gamesexperience was over and thegolden summer seemed tobecome autumn, but goldenmemories will live with us for ever.
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Paul was driverfor Eva Loeffler,daughter of SirLudwig Guttman,the doctor whofounded theParalympics.
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Patrick Russell always says hewants to move back to ourcampus, but I’m pretty sure
he won’t. When my office partnerKirstie gets a new job, he ringsacross from the other campus witha proposition.
‘But I’m already sharing myoffice,’ I say. ‘With Michael Caine.’
Not so much as a chuckle, so Isay not the Michael Caine, and tellhim Mike’s a new appointment inEducation. ‘If I’d known they weremoving him in, though,’ I say, ‘I’ddefinitely have asked IT to swapKirstie’s laser printer for my inkjet.’
I laugh, but Patrick still doesn’t.
Sophie Picton, our resident Post-Situationist, pops her head roundmy door. `Coming to therecruitment meeting?’
‘I’d like to.’ I roll my chair backfrom my screen. ‘But they need meat this employability thing.’
‘Tragic.’ She looks at the outsideof my door and points to the newname card where Kirstie’s used tobe. ‘Michael Caine?’
‘Mike? Education couldn’t find anoffice for him in their block, so…’ Iindicate the desk opposite, wherean old briefcase of mine sits. I’vetaken to leaving a Word documentopen on the PC next to it. ‘Actually,you’ve just missed him. He’steaching.’
Ten days later, Patrick makes arare appearance at my door. He
asks me how I am, whatever andblah blah blah. He nods at the baredesk opposite. ‘I still haven’t runinto this Michael Caine.’
‘Mike? Giving a paper inBirmingham today, something todo with counselling.’
‘Really? A guy with thatbackground would be ideal for ourStudent Staff Committee. Think hemight be interested?’
‘I’ll get him to drop you an email,Patrick.’
I call in a favour with an IT geek –[email protected] the email groups of twodepartments, three programmesand four committees. Mike tendsnot to be able to make meetings,but the word on both campuses isthat his e-contributions are muchvalued.
Somebody from TechnicalServices calls round to do theannual equipment check. Niceolder guy, quite chatty.
‘Listen,’ I say. ‘Do you think youcould swap these printers? You see,Mike isn’t keen on the laser and Idon’t mind having the inkjet.’
At my annual review, Patrickobserves in passing that MichaelCaine is a good man and will go far.
‘I think he will,’ I say, but I’mpretty sure he won’t.
Robert is a novelistand a lecturer inCreative Writing
at MMU.
Michael Caine will go far
RobertGraham
has made a newfriend. He tends not to be able
to make meetings.
DDiiddssbbuurryy AAnnggeell TTrraaiill
This Advent, you’ll find angels hiding in several shops in Didsbury. Collectthe names of the angels and enter the prize draw to win a hamper full oflovely Christmas goodies – all donated by local businesses.
Simply pop your completed entry in the special box in Didsbury Libraryand you’ll also receive a free Christmas booklet. The draw for the hamperwill be held on 22nd December outside the library at 2pm, followed bythe Nativity story performed by local people for local people.
Until then, why not read the Christmas story on the next page and colour inthe picture below. We’ve even left a space for you to add your own angel.
DDiiddssbbuurryy AAnnggeell TTrraaiill
The Christmas storyOn 25th December, we celebrate the birthday of Jesus, who
was called Christ.
Angels were involved in this world-changing event right from the word go. It all started with an angel visiting Mary and herfiancé Joseph. He told them that God had a grand plan to sendhis son into the world. But not in a spectacular way, accompaniedby armies of angels – he would come as a baby and Mary was tobe his mum. Joseph and Mary were stunned by this, especiallysince God had sent an angel to tell them about it.
A few months later, Mary and Joseph had to travel toBethlehem to be counted as part of the government census.Though it wasn’t what they planned, that was where the babyJesus was born.
Not far from the city, shepherds were getting on with thebusiness of looking after their sheep. It was freezing cold andthey were bored and fed up. Suddenly, from nowhere, an angelappeared in the sky! He told them that he had come to bringgood news about a baby born that day. Then, he was joined byloads of angels – all singing praises to God.
Wow! Fancy seeing all those angels in real life! We have lots of angels hiding in our shops here in Didsbury, all waiting to be found.
Jesus was someone very special and the angels came to makesure people knew that. We can remember just how special hewas as we hunt for the Didsbury Angels.
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The Angel TrailFind all the angels in Didsbury and write down their names and the shop you found them in.
Angel name
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Thank youWe hope you’ve enjoyed hunting for angels throughout Didsbury during Advent.
Have you found the names of all the angels? Have youwritten down their names and the shops you found them in?
If the answers are ‘Yes!’, then here’s what you do now:
1. Write down your details below as clearly as possible.2. Cut along the dotted line.3. Keep the half with the picture and the Christmas story.4. Take this entry form to Didsbury Library and pop it in thespecial Angel Box. Don’t forget to pick up your freeChristmas Story booklet.
Name ..............................................................................................
Telephone .......................................................................................
Address ...........................................................................................
......................................................................... Postcode ...............
Email ...............................................................................................
The grand draw for the hamper will be held on 22nd Decemberoutside Didsbury Library at 2pm. It will be followed by a performanceof the Nativity Story by local people for local people. If you have anyquestions, telephone the Parish Office on 0161 446 4150.
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...toddler groups, drama groups,youth club, children’s groups,children’s parties, weddingreceptions, dance classes, fitness classes, businessmeetings, parenting courses, concerts, communitymeetings, film clubs...
Services every Sunday, plus activitiesevery day of the week in our
purpose-built Parish Centre and nearby No6...
All year round
If you want to join in or book yourown event, then contact Christine on 0161 446 4150 or [email protected]
For the full picture, visit: stjamesandemmanuel.org
Parish Office, Parish Centre,Emmanuel, 6 Barlow Moor Road, Didsbury M20 6TR
21st December Outdoor Nativity
2pm at Didsbury LibraryA retelling of the Christmas story
in dramatic form.
22nd December Nine Lessons and Carols
6.30pm at St JamesA traditional candlelit festival of
music and readings.
Christmas Eve, 24th December
Christingle3pm and 4.30pm at Emmanuel
A magical candlelit carol service specially for children
Midnight Mass11pm at St James
A thoughtful, candlelit service with traditional carols
Christmas Day, 25th December
Holy Communion9am St James
An uplifting and traditional Christmas morning Communion service
Family Communion10.30am at Emmanuel
A family friendly celebration of Christ’s birth withtraditional carols and Holy Communion
Christmas
Registered Charity 1131669
Colin Hardicre is challenged to question his generosity.
My mum used to say“It’s better to givethan receive.”
Maybe she knew that thissaying stems from the Bible.Many Bible texts have foundtheir way into modern useagebecause they carry more thana ring of truth, although theycan get slightly distorted.
In this case, the actual textsays that it is more blessed togive than receive. Slightlydifferent, meaning that theact of giving brings moreblessing on us than evenbeing treated generously bysomebody. Blessing? Fromwhom? God, if the Bible is tobe believed. That means thatGod blesses us whenever wegive generously. If that’s true,what a promise!
There’s a huge amount ofjoyful giving and receiving atChristmas time. But there’sanother kind of giving, wherewe won’t be getting anythingin return. For many, givinglike this is a way of life, goingon all year round, by rich andpoor alike. Bill Gates andWarren Buffet, two of the
wealthiest men on the planet,have vowed to give away theirfortunes in their lifetimes. Atthe other end of the scale,many people in faithcommunities, not justChristian, and often on verymodest incomes, give to theirchurches, temples, mosquesand synagogues. Often, theytithe. This means that,instead of only giving if theyhave anything left at the endof the day, they give away thefirst 10% of what’s coming in.In other words, they live off90% of their income and giveaway the rest. This practicegoes back into the mists oftime, as a way of realthanksgiving for all theblessings that have beenreceived. Christians are stillcalled to gladly give to theirchurches and to those in need.
You would think that it’sbest to get your house inorder and clear any debtsbefore starting to give moneyaway. Yet, two people havechallenged me to thinkotherwise.
The first was Joyce Meyer.
Whilst leading a Christianconference and talking abouttithing, a woman from theaudience interrupted her andprotested. “I’ll think abouttithing when I’ve got out ofdebt!” Joyce paused and thenreplied, “Until you starttithing, you’ll never get out ofdebt!” That made me think.
The second was JohnKirkby, who founded CAP, theChristian debt managementcharity. When he helpssomebody struggling withdebt, he encourages them toconsider starting to give,however little, as they beginto get on their feet.
Let’s be clear – Joyce andJohn are definitely notsuggesting that somebody inserious debt should startgiving a lot of money away,pushing themselves deeperinto debt. Yet, both are clearlyconvinced that somethinghappens when people start togive. They are both Biblebelievers, so what’s in the Biblethat makes them so sure?
There are many versesabout generous giving, of
Give and it will begiven to you
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which these are just a few:
“Good will come to thosewho are generous.”
“One person gives freely,yet gains even more;another withholds unduly,but comes to poverty.”
“A generous person willprosper; whoever refreshesothers will be refreshed.”
This is all very well, but is ittrue? Does God bless us whenwe give generously?
By way of answer, there’san intriguing true story of apastor by the name of RickWarren. He founded a smallchurch about 30 years ago.Back then, he and his wifewere tithing 10% of theirincome but felt called toincrease it year by year. By2012, they were giving awayover 90% of their income.Along the way, their churchgrew to be one of the largestin the world. Rick wrote abook called The PurposeDriven Life, of which tens ofmillions of copies were sold,generating huge revenues,nearly all of which he gaveaway to help people in need.
It’s possible that all thiswould have still happened ifhe had never given anythingaway, ever. Yet it doesconfirm what the Bible says.And it does make you wonder,doesn’t it?
In late November, Russell Watson, Aled Jones, Jonathanand Charlotte and a host of Coronation Street stars joinedthe people and clergy of St James & Emmanuel for afestival of readings and carols in the ancient and hallowedwalls of St James church.
Russell sang O Holy Night with the Didsbury CE PrimarySchool choir, while Jonathan and Charlotte performed theirsong, The Prayer. The entire service was infused with theChristmas Story, narrated by the stars of the nation’sfavourite street.
Everyone can enjoy the service by tuning in to ITV on theevening of Christmas Eve.
Carols with Corrie
Shobna Gulati Sally Dynevor William Roache
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Where to now?
Life: the journey that weonly get one shot at: a wonderful, yet
wounding gift of loss, joy and sorrow. Ever wonderedhow much of your life youhave already travelled? Ever wondered what lies atthe end?
I’ve made many journeys inmy life: developmental oneslike the adventure that tookme from home to universityand independent living;mundane ones like my driveto work and my dashes toAldi; and my summerholidays which, if I’m lucky,are journeys of delight.
But there have been otherstoo – unwanted, unwelcomeones: like my journey intochronic illness; the isolating,private, hidden grief ofchildlessness and my journey into the crushingdisappointment of the failureof deeply held desires.
Just as joy and gift touchall of our lives, so life seemsto require each of us to take
these unwanted sojourns into sorrow. I wonder where
life has takenyou?
Perhaps the sorrow oflong-term unemployment;broken love; depression; orgrief for loved ones lost.
These unwanted journeysshape us in profound waysand often leave us asking bigquestions about the meaningof life. These questions inviteus on another journey – toexplore the spiritual side tolife: is there a spiritual side tome? If God exists what is helike when the world he hasmade is so full of joy andpain? What lies beyond deathand does Christian faith haveanything to say into real life?
If you have ever askedquestions like these then you may be interested in‘Journeys’ – a DVD voyage ofdiscovery which asks thesevery questions. It doesn’t offerneat and tidy answers, butrather it offers a chance tohear the stories of ordinarypeople who have taken sometruly amazing journeys: theatheist surfer who journeyedinto death, came back to lifeand now preaches about thelove of God; the father whofound the strength to forgivethe murderer of his six yearold daughter and the
Christian nurse who hadcountless angry questions forGod as she worked in Rwandaafter the genocide. Each ofthese people has discoveredthings about God andthemselves which havetransformed their lives. Alongwith others, they share theirstories in the hope that theymight help us to explore ourown questions in what could
be for us a life transformingexperience.
A number of us will beembarking on this voyage ofdiscovery in January. If youare interested in travellingwith us, please get in touchwith me, as we would love tohave you join us.
Ali is team curate at St James & Emmanuel. For moreinformation about the course,call 0161 446 4150 or [email protected]
Unwantedjourneys shapeus in profoundways and oftenleave us askingbig questions.
Ali Oxborrow invites you to join her as she explores thechallenges of life in a new and dynamic course.
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One 90 minute session a week for 5 consecutive weeks,beginning week commencing 14th January 2013
• Monday evenings 8:00pm to 9:30pm or• Tuesday evenings 8:00pm to 9:30pm or• Thursday daytime 11:00am to 12:30pm
To reserve your place or for more information, contact Ali Oxborrow on 0161 446 4150 or email [email protected]
We are on our way tosee the puppies nextdoor. I have
unashamedly lured my eldestdaughter home from herhectic London life with thepromise of seeing, and beingable to hold, seven wrigglingadorable bundles of fur. I feela bit like a creepy man in araincoat – but she’s too old tobe lured by sweets nowadays,so puppies it is.
They are adorable, and theinevitable question comes.“Can we have one mum? I could come and visit?”
“No, we already haveMuffin – it wouldn’t be fair onher. She’s old and couldn’tcope with a boisterouspuppy”.
“But Muffin’s boring – shesmells and can hardly walk.Oh go on mum, pleeease let’shave one?”
Of course, all of this is true.I have recently taken tospraying Muffin behind theears with a little Dolce &Gabbana eau de toilette justbefore my gardening classarrive at the house. This is myfutile attempt to disguise hervile odour (a combination offish breath and eye wateringfart), but I fear it is having
little effect. I suspected thatthis was the case when myChristmas presents from thestudent lodgers were ascented room candle, and apack of ‘English Garden’ reeddiffusers to, and I quote, “giveyour home that fresh summergarden fragrance.”
As we walk home,downcast and puppyless, I notice that every other housein our road seems to have askip outside. “It’s a sign ofprosperity”, Hannah informsme. “Wherever you see skips itmeans that people havemoney to spare and that theroad is on the up.”
I am often amazed by whatshe knows and say so.
“Speaking of money,” shesays (which we weren’t),“could you pay my phone billthis month because I don’thave any?”
“But neither do I darling”
I retort weakly, looking at ourpeeling paintwork andcrumbling roof. The truth isthat I am now consumed by‘skip envy’. I too want to havelots of disposable income anda house with a new roof,gleaming paintwork, a newkitchen inside and, most ofall, a skip outside to prove it.
I share these morosethoughts with my youngestdaughter, Ellie, who iscooking in the kitchen. Wehave only been gone fortwenty minutes, but thepreviously tidy kitchen nowlooks as if a bomb has hit it.
“I like our house just theway it is mum,” Ellie saysbrightly. I notice that she hasused the leg of lamb boughtfor tonight’s special dinner toconcoct one of her‘experimental’ dishes –usually inedible. “All myfriends say they like ourhouse,” she continues. I brighten visibly. “They sayit’s great ‘cos it’s so messy youcan really relax in it. And thefloors are always a bitmuddy, so they never feelthey have to take their shoesoff or mind if they spillsomething.” I slump.
I decide to get some fresh
ConfessionsAnne Britt comes to terms with a serious case of ‘skip envy’ .
Suddenly, I’movercome byhow much I loveher, even thoughshe is old andsmelly.
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air – yes, Muffin has justtrumpeted again. “Come onold girl – let’s go for a stroll” I bellow at the snoring bundleon the sofa. (Did I mentionthat she’s deaf too?). Downshe struggles and excitedlywaddles to the door waggingher tail. She licks my hand
gratefully as I put on her lead.I am suddenly overcome byhow much I love her, eventhough she is old and smelly,how much I love our home,shabby as it is, and howfortunate I am to have somuch in this world where somany have so little. I say a
little prayer of thanks to Godfor it all under my breath,and lead Muffin slowly downthe road.
Sometimes, the best thingsthat God gives us are rightthere under our noses all thetime – we just needreminding.
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BeBelongingBelievingBecoming
Yes, I know it’s commercialpropaganda on a grandscale, but there is
something about the annual John Lewis Christmas advert that tugs at the heartstrings. Last year’swas particularly good; the littleboy eagerly counting down thedays until Christmas and justwhen you wondered whatamazing toy he was about toreceive, your expectations wereturned on their head. The little ladjumps on his parents’ bed andthrusts a gift into their hands asthe caption appears: ‘For gifts youcan't wait to give’. That, frankly,was marketing genius, andcombined with nice music wasenough to make millions of peopleburst into tears, or so I hear.
The BBC and other media outletshave long known that the bestheadlines are the ones thatsurprise. ‘Dog bites man’ isinteresting, but hardly surprising.‘Man bites dog’, on the other hand,is funny and surprising all at thesame time.
So, from advertising agenciesthrough to headline grabbinghacks, it must come as a bit of a shock that the idea of twistingexpectations in order to make agood story is nothing new – theBible is full of such stories. Take
the Christmas story as anexample. Just when the wholeJewish world was expecting aMessianic king to overthrow theRoman oppressors, what turns up?Not a warrior, that’s for sure. A baby, that's what, and one lyingin a manger and born to a singlemum! In fact, read any account of
Jesus’ life and what comes upover and over again is a twistingof expectation that results inlaughter, surprise and delight. If he hadn’t been so busy beingsaviour he could have made afantastic ad man for John Lewis.
So when you’re unwrapping thepresents this Christmas, justremember that Jesus is the giftGod ‘couldn’t wait to give’.
Nick Bundock isRector of St James
and Emmanuel
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‘For gifts you can’t wait to give’. That,frankly, wasmarketing genius!
Beattitude
Nicola Owen and her team have been offering qualitydental care at The Dental Health Centre for over 20 years in Didsbury village.
• New patients welcome.• Cosmetic and routine dental treatment.• Emergencies usually seen same day, even when patients are
not registered at the practice.• Special care for nervous patients.• Please contact reception to book your appointment.
Also introducing our NEW Dental Phobia CentreHTo finally overcome your dental fear HSpecial care offered
Nicola Owen and her team have successfully managed phobic patients for many years
1b School Lane, Didsbury, Manchester, M20 6RDt: 0161 445 5459, e: [email protected]
w: www.didsburydentalhealth.com
together