It's weird being the same age as old folk

 

Recently retired… 66 years of age, far out, I guess I am old. 

I know I have my Seniors card but why do I still think like a 20 something year old?  Where has this slightly creped skin come from on my arms? I am sure it was normal last week.  With having moved to a warmer climate last summer I had to wear sleeveless tops for the first time ever… immediate What the Heck moment… where did those Bingo wings come from?  Because of Covid and the fact that we are not socialising so much I haven’t bothered keeping up with dye in my hair, also because the dye doesn’t cover the white wisdom highlights for long between dyes I let the dye grow out…. Not too bad a look, but when did my hair turn so grey? I also need my glasses to read the information panels on products at the supermarket and to read the daily step tally on my Gamin Fit Watch..

Walking to school, no matter the weather

 

I certainly do, of course this was in the UK.  Living in Grimsby which was on the mouth of the River Humber and The North Sea meant that through winter we got snow and we also at times got thick fog.   I remember loving the snow and wanting to get to school early because we would make slides in the playground and have a lot of fun before school actually started.

The fog I also remember well as there were times when we wrapped our scarves around our necks, covering our mouths and held on to the scarf of the person in front of us, the fog was so thick at times that you could barely see 3 - 4 of yards in front of you.  Mum always walked us to school on those days.   In the UK we also came home from school for lunch, Dad came home from his work on the docks and we had our hot meal in the middle of the day.   This always meant that mornings were quite a rush for mum, getting us kids off to school, housework and cooking a hot meal for 12 noon.  We didn’t have a refrigerator so meat was bought daily which also entailed a walk to the butchers or to the local Co-operative supermarket. 

Macksville Salvation Army

 

Nambucca Salvation Army

I attended a morning service today for the first time earlier in the year and thoroughly enjoyed the service. I decided to stay back for the luncheon to find out more about The Salvation Army and meet some people in our local community having moved here in September and not knowing many people at all.

As I sat at the back of the church I glanced at the cross and the background wall (with a similar feature in the foyer) I thought how apt it was to have this feature wall.  Made up of odd shapes of wood, different species of timber, thick and thin, smooth and rough looking, new and old, some odd shapes but all fitting together like a jigsaw puzzle, all having a place to rest, each piece complete on its own, but coming together to make a spectacular background for the cross.

As I sat pondering on this it made me think of us as Christians, some young, some old, some new and some older in our faith.  Some of us more careworn than others, different backgrounds but all fitting together in the one place finding acceptance in Christ and I felt that this symbolised just what The Salvation Army stands for.   All Welcome, no questions asked, all shown love regardless of our appearances and backgrounds.   Lots of different people, with different talents and gifts making up a very welcoming church.