Thought for the Week

For many people January is a very difficult time of year.

The days are dark and long, the weather cold and wet.

It’s also the time when we are reminded that we start a new year without loved ones.

Last week I had the great privilege of taking the funeral service of the oldest member of my congregation, who was 107.

But it wasn’t just remarkable that she lived so long and her mind was so sharp but how she lived every moment of her life.

Peggy was a wonderful lady who had enormous courage, strength and love for her family and she dedicated her life to caring and helping others, regardless of the cost to herself.

There is a poem written by Linda Ellis called ‘The Dash’, which says: “He noted that first came the date of his birth and spoke of the following date with tears, but he said what mattered most of all was the dash between those years.

“For that dash represents all the time that he spent alive on Earth...

“For it matters not, how much we own; the cars...the house... the cash. What matters is how we live and love and how we spend our dash.”

Peggy lived her life with the golden thread of faith running through it, constantly talking and praying to God.

Her faith gave her strength to get through many difficult times. She loved God and loved her neighbour. She treated with care and respect all those who journeyed with her even a short time.

Wouldn’t the world be a much better place to live if we followed these two commands of Jesus and lived like Peggy?

During the first weeks of 2017 perhaps we could reflect upon our own lives and how we live and love. Rev Sandra Boyd King’s Park Church