Hi and happy Sunday!

It’s been a long, hot, busy week, including: a meeting with our nursery manager, prayers with colleagues, local clergy meeting, nursery trustees, nursing home communion, ecumenical prayers, a trip to IKEA, a book launch in Formby, catching up with Mum, Dad, Granny and Grandpa, some chill time with Sophia, a Thorpe family meal and going to a service with the wardens so they can officially be the Bishop’s officers for another year.

Highlights: this might sound odd, but the big funeral we had in church on Thursday. The family asked a former vicar, Les, to take the service because they’ve been good friends since he left in 1992. I’ve never been to a funeral where the minister knew the deceased so well and for so long before. It was extraordinary. The whole service had such depth and authenticity to it. It was a privilege to be there and do the readings.

Sharing a bowl of chips and a pudding with Nathan after the book launch on Thursday.

Seeing Nathan’s Godson and his family over the weekend.

The biggest challenge was the very hot Wednesday. I reckon that for me, being pregnant makes me feel 6° hotter than it really is. So when it hit 34° on Wednesday afternoon, I really started to struggle.

Ta-Dah Moment: yesterday I cooked dinner for 4 adults and 3 children, I sold some face scrubbies at the soft play and I put together a little chair from IKEA! I felt very accomplished!

God moment: I visited a nursing home and took them communion. It was chaotic. We were late gathering everyone together, some people were asleep, somebody spilled soup all over themselves, somebody bit their lip and bled down their chin, somebody was calling me ‘Father’, somebody else was saying ‘I can’t have communion because I’m pretoestant’.

We’re quite new to this home, so the residents aren’t used to the words or saying liturgy together… but somehow, the words of Jesus’last supper seemed so powerful. It doesn’t matter if people can’t hear properly, or don’t understand, or stumble across Jesus by mistake; they’re welcome. These words, this bread and wine, are for all people, not just the smooth and polished and ‘got it together’ people. Jesus is very present in the chaos, also. And his words need to be spoken there.

Mum moment: a day with a too-poorly-for-nursery-too-well-for-a-day-in-bed Sophia.

When I was swilling out a sick bowl at 5am, it occurred to me that Nathan and I had got a several months in the planning, 4 and a half hour, meeting starting in just a few hours. And sick = no nursery. Thankfully, she woke up three hours later full of beans demanding yoghurt, which makes me sure it was the heat rather than a bug.

So we took her with us to the meeting. She was so good. She coloured for a bit, played with her toys, played on my phone, took Nathan outside for walks in the garden, ate biscuits and explored the church for a bit. The loudest she got was when she stood in the pulpit singing the opening lines to Circle of Life from The Lion King. We are very blessed that she’s so comfortable doing work stuff with us. But I’m also grateful that she’s usually in nursery for half the week!

What Sophia said: When I got back from the visitation (wardens becoming wardens service) tonight, I was raging because I noticed 2 men stand up and turn pointedly away as we welcomed the new wardens and declared that we are members of the body of Christ together. I don’t know (although I could guess) what they were protesting and I have fired off an email of complaint about it, because no matter what their issue was, it was terrible behaviour in a church service where they were being admitted to the office of warden.

Anyway, breathe. I’ll get off my soap box. Sophia was still awake when I got back and heard me telling Nathan about it. She and I then had a long conversation about lady vicars (who are great), our friends who have two mummies or two daddies (who are great), and people behaving badly in church (which is not great).

Next week I’m looking forward to seeing how the election turns out!