CHAPLAIN'S BLOG: We always seem to be in the middle of stuff

And looking at it in the light it didn’t look too bad.

Yes it is annual leave time and that means only one thing – sorting out the motorbike.

Now for you, dear reader, who is groaning because it is another blog about bikes, bear with me. Because looking at the panel, I took pleasure in a simple job well done.

A job that required patience and waiting for the paint to dry, but not real skill. And when it was back on the bike, it made me happy.

There is pleasure in looking at the result of a job and thinking “not bad”.

And it struck me that in my work life as Chaplain at the Royal, there are not many straightforward jobs which have a distinct beginning and end.

Eddie was happy to take steps to heaven

So this week I think of my friend whose partner is critically ill, still waiting for news and improvement; or the family of Eddie who are having to experience life without him and wondering what that will be like; or the lovely young couple whose baby funeral I took last week.

How different these events are to the simple, discreet spraying of a plastic panel.

That’s the difference with human relationships. They are complex. We always seem to be in the middle of stuff with no obvious end in sight.

Moving from, for example, the loss of a partner to a different life without them; a new normal. I suppose that is what makes life so interesting and challenging.

We are always travelling in a forward direction on to new things; even new adventures. Whether they be sad or happy; smooth or rough.

And there often seem to be loose ends, waiting to be tied up and small scratches needing painting over.

I try my best to do a good job in all my chaplaincy encounters, but you never know for sure.

Sometimes, it is just about taking a good stab at it, knowing that you can’t fix all the worlds ills, and taking some measure of pleasure in the little you can do.