Moments of Grace

Last week held moments of grace, and the loving energy they created has followed into this week.

I am blessed to meet special people, and after a recent service, I was thoughtfully invited to join family and friends at their gathering. I am always touched to be asked, yet I can rarely go. We met in an old pub in a village with a charming literary history. It was a gloriously sunny Monday morning, and the loving energy from the service was wrapped around us all as we sat in the oak-panelled room sipping coffee and quietly chatting. Our lovely couple had given their beloved Mum and ‘Mrs Mother-in-law’ a wonderful send-off, and grace was all around. I met some lovely people and got to know them a little. I felt blessed to be there. The gifted grace from those moments spent with special people has stayed with me, and I am deeply appreciative.

The following Saturday, Tim was invited by a steam society to run his roller at a gathering, funnily enough, not far from the charming pub I visited on the Monday before.

The setting was a well-kept yard with barns, amidst fields, with a large pond, trees, and sewn together with abundant hedgerows.

We met old friends and made new ones. Tim had a great time steaming his roller round and chatting to fellow enthusiasts. The thoughtful organisers had booked a mum and son team to come and keep us supplied with tea and coffee, and a delicious fish and chip lunch. It was another sunny day, and we’d taken our gazebo, so friends gathered in the shade and chatted. A friend’s grandson took me round on his engine and let me steer, which I loved. We grinned and waved at Tim as we went past. Little ones got to ride around on trailers, and it was the best steam gathering we have been to for many a long year. The full-size steam engines got to ride down the farm track, and they were a sight to see above the hedgerows.

No matter what age in earth years, faces are transformed by a youthful glow when a passion is being pursued.

We had a magical day.

Upon returning home, happy, sooty and weary, we made short work of putting the steam roller and trailer away, as we chatted to the children who were out riding their bikes. One little lad lost a toy under our van on the road, and we couldn't reach it. We promised to return it when everything had been moved and put away, and walking up the road to his home later, I met a neighbour coming home from a hard day’s work. He is a specialist in herd fertility and travels many miles for his business. We have lovely chats when Tim is steaming up on our driveway, and he comes across to ‘sniff the steam’. We asked about each other’s day, and I went to hug him.

‘Ohh, Jane, you don’t want to do that. I’m covered in cow s**t.’

We both grinned.

I replied, ‘Be still, my beating heart.’

🩷