Pic Life

By Moira Billinge

We are now in the early days of a new year – days when hope really does spring eternal in the form of the many resolutions we make.

Those who have made fresh resolutions, or re-made those of previous years, do so with the best of intentions but give it a month or two and for the majority of us, perfection will likely be back where we last saw it – as a distant dream. Still, some of us will plod on valiantly, attempting to keep that initial spark of determination alive a little while longer.

It goes without saying that we do not have to wait for 1 January to descend on us each year before making changes in our lives. However, it just feels easier to make them when others around us are perceived to be doing the same. Perhaps there is a kind of camaraderie whereby we are all being miserable together while battling whatever flaws we have decided to eradicate.

My new year’s resolutions got off to an unexpected start before Christmas after listening to a homily on Saint Matthew’s Gospel: ‘So stay awake, because you do not know the day when your master is coming.’ (24:37-44) The homily included an exhortation to live each day as if it were our last and concluded: ‘One day you will be right!’

Yes, the final sentiment was very amusing as it was intended to be, but it also served its purpose as food for thought. Making changes does not have to mean giving things up; it can also include taking things on and putting aside more time – our scarcest and most precious commodity – for the good of other people.

Unfortunately, God can be one of the ‘casualties’ of our busy-ness, and we sometimes put Him on the back burner in the hope that He will not mind too much, or better still, will not notice if we get everything else in our day’s schedule completed before affording Him any serious thought. How often have we ended the day without Him even figuring in the ‘Any other business’ item of our crowded agendas?

We all have faults and failings and do not usually need to have them pointed out to us. For the most part we are only too aware of the areas in our lives that we struggle with, and which we know we should work on. Even if we fail in our resolve, we will have scored a few brownie points for at least having tried. Embracing change is never easy but it is necessary if we wish to achieve our full potential and become who God intended us to be.

Serenity prayer ‘Lord, grant me the strength to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.’ (American theologian Reinhold Niebuhr)

Begin the new year with a trip to the beautiful medieval city of Salisbury. The city’s original site at nearby Old Sarum dates from an Iron Age hill fort later reused by the Romans, Saxons and Normans. Growing tensions between the Church and the army put the original settlement in question, and legend states that an archer shot his arrow from Old Sarum to decide the heart of the new city – the spot where the cathedral stands today. The cathedral’s chapter house is home to one of only four surviving copies of the Magna Carta. Issued by King John I in 1215 in an attempt to prevent civil war, this historical document details numerous rights which form the basis of our modern-day freedoms. The adventurous visitor can book a tower tour and climb the 322 steps to gain amazing views of the city and the iconic cathedral spire. The spire rises 55m above the tower, ensuring a combined height from the ground of 123m (or 404 feet) – the tallest in Britain. After all those steps, I’d recommend a visit to Greengages on Catherine Street for tea and cake. For a tower tour or to see the Magna Carta, tickets must be booked in advance via www.salisburycathedral.org.