A story with a view

One for the Godly Play community...in the most recent GP newsletter they included a few stories about unusual locations for storytelling - on a frozen lake from Rebecca Nye probably comes top! However, I recently had the chance to tell The Great Family in one of the world's most beautiful - and famous spots. 

The team I am part of at L'Arche had the rare opportunity to spend the day together - with the previso we didn't go too far and didn't spend much money! Hmm, a challenge. Happily we are less than ten miles from Loch Ness, so we planned a day on the beach there, with a barbeque.

There is always one tiny problem with planning such days in Scotland...the weather. But we prayed and hoped and trusted. And had one of the most beautiful days possible, it was calm and wonderfully warm. Being on a beach, albeit a rocky one, was a good place to wonder about Abram and Sarai's journey, as we pondered on our journey together in L'Arche. Seasoned and sharp-eyed Godly Players will spot a few extra stones in the desert. Each of us placed one in response to ourselves in the story. 

We also broke bread together and thought about the hospitality of Abraham, and what that means for us in L'Arche as we welcome folk, well known and new, each day. This icon sits in the house at L'Arche and often reminds me to go beyond the necessary in my welcome, as well as to take my own part in the feast to which I am invited.

PS No, Nessie did not come to join us for the story - maybe she's just not ready yet!

Emerging

 

 

This is just a wee post to pop my head up and say 'hello!' - our last month has been overfull and a few things just have had to be dropped - poor old blog - it's you again. The days have been packed with birthday celebrations, Jubilee parties, family reunions, work on our house - new flooring at last - hurray! There has also been lots and lots of storytelling, and baby steps towards a new Godly Play Circle in Inverness. Finally the school holidays have arrived - and my own, so high on my catch up list is Featherglen...emerging from its' cocoon. 

My youngest son is an avid observer of wild life. Our house and garden is full of jars - which we try to get emptied out each day - of his catches. A month or so back he found a huge furry caterpillar, a real beast of thing, which we managed to feed until it built its cocoon. And then we waited...and waited...it looked dead...very dead. But  what did we know? Suddenly, there it was, a strikingly patterned and utterly beautiful Garden Tiger, Arctia caja. They are a bit unusual, so we spent time enjoying its' unfolding before releasing it - in the hope of more to come. 

I'm grateful that my son draws my attention to things so small. So very small, but with its' own story to tell, one that touched me deeply.