Geoff turned 40 today. I guess we should have figured this out for ourselves since we knew in the back of our minds that he has been 39 up until now, and that Pam mentioned last weekend that it was Geoff’s birthday this Saturday, but we forgot to make the connection. There was no party or celebration planned, but we hung around for lunch and birthday cake after Good News Club which we actually cancelled because so few kids arrived. I had a load of washing going though so we needed to hover around the manse area, so we chatted with Steve and Maureen who were working on the kitchenette in the schoolroom. The whole schoolroom has been painted now, a creamy colour (I think it’s called Magnolia) and is already looking a whole lot better. Most of the building rubble and junk has been removed although there remains the scaffolding and a few other bits and pieces, but it will be ready for the official and grand reopening which will also coincide with the induction service of the incoming pastor.
And I don’t know of any other country in the world where onions make great gifts. It’s not a weird cultural thing; it’s simply a matter of practicality. If someone gives you an onion when there is a shortage and you’ve just used up the last of your spring onions, and this is following a conversation in which shortages were discussed, you know that it is more than just the sharing of produce. It is a token of care and empathy – even an affirmation of friendship!
And I don’t know of any other country in the world where onions make great gifts. It’s not a weird cultural thing; it’s simply a matter of practicality. If someone gives you an onion when there is a shortage and you’ve just used up the last of your spring onions, and this is following a conversation in which shortages were discussed, you know that it is more than just the sharing of produce. It is a token of care and empathy – even an affirmation of friendship!
1 comment:
Yes onions can be so much more than onions when you know that person may have given without having very many onions left for themselves as well. It is that level of sharing that distinguishes SH for me. We had several occasions when people shared with us and I was humbled and amazed and certainly felt that I was learning a new lesson in "community".
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