WHAT A JOY...

...to have not just one but two meetings with friends today.

I met Rachel, on the left, at Jack’s this morning for coffee and we chatted non-stop, catching up with one another’s news about Church and family.  Rachel and Frank, her husband, have kept in touch with us since we left Lawn Church after the lockdown and moved on to Gorse Hill Baptist Church.  It is always a joy to meet with her;  there was no lull in our conversation and there was also a lot of laughter!  Rachel is quite a lot younger than me, but that doesn’t make any difference at all to our friendship - in fact, being with younger people makes me feel younger too!

We took our leave of one another and I dashed home, had a quick lunch, and then we were off again to meet Dorothy, the lovely lady on the right, who is staying with her son, David and daughter-in-law, Louise for a couple of weeks.  

Dorothy lives in North Wales with another son and his wife.  She and her husband, Denzil, used to come down to visit their son and daughter-in-law and came with them to Lawn Church, several times a year and we grew very fond of them both.  Denzil died a few years ago, but as with Rachel, it is always a joy to see Dorothy and she still comes down to Swindon regularly.  In the last few months, she has had both hips replaced and is walking very well, so when David and Louise brought her to Church on Sunday, it was lovely to see her walk in just using walking sticks, because although she always came to Church when she was visiting, she was often in a wheelchair.  I did whisper to Dorothy as we left, asking how young she would be on her birthday in two weeks time, and she told me she would be 96 years young;  she is such an inspiration!

We are so pleased to be counted in the circle of friends of both Rachel and Dorothy and I pray that if and when I get to 96 years old, I will look as good as she does.

Now it’s time for quick meal and then out for Worship Group Practice this evening and then Community Fridge tomorrow morning.  I am so grateful that I am able to do all these things and thank God that He has given us such wonderful friends, who pray for us regularly.

It has been a challenging day weather-wise - with torrential rain at times and a hailstorm a few minutes ago - and I have to say it has been quite cold - just hope it stays dry this evening.