SNOW FALL ALLOWS PAUSE FOR THOUGHT
The Bishop of Ludlow has spare time he did not plan for, after falling on the ice and breaking his wrist. Bishop Alistair Magowan slipped in a car park on a visit to Telford in the North of the large very rural Diocese of Hereford, where he is the Suffragan or second Bishop.
“It’s been a different start to the New Year,” said the Bishop. “In a moment my plans and expectations for the coming weeks changed. Hopefully all will be well but in a small way it brought home to me the unpredictability and fragility of things.”
In a letter to all parishioners in the Diocese, Bishop Alistair is quite philosophical following his accident, which prevents him driving in an area where public transport provision is often limited or non-existent! His busy programme has been curtailed dramatically.
“Without planning it, it has given me time to think about the unpredictability and fragility of life,” he said. “We’ve just come through a decade where the word ‘security’ has frequently prefaced many of our activities and concerns. Examples include Internet security; financial security; travel and global security. In truth that decade held many examples of the insecurity of things not least by being book ended with a dot com bubble burst at the beginning and massive banking crisis at the end!”
The Bishop has found his enforced change of circumstances has given him more time to chat with people on the phone and has welcomed more visitors to his home. “I’ve spent more time in my office so all those tasks that I have been putting off have been done, so I have a very happy PA,” said Bishop Alistair. He was disappointed not to be able to attend a Conference outside the Diocese and some services have had to be taken by others.
“I hope to have the plaster off soon so life can get back to normal. It has been a timely reminder though that you are not quite as in control as you might think,” added the Bishop. “Soon we’ll be in the Church’s season known as Lent. It’s a time for reflection: a time to take stock and clarify priorities so that we can take each day hopefully and live them faith-fully.”
Bishop Alistair’s letter to parishes will appear in most Church magazines in February.