Despite being a lifelong churchgoer, naturally this morning she'd forgotten all about it being Easter and was most confused when I gave her some chocolates with her morning cuppa. I think she thought I'd lost it (that's irony for you Alanis). St. Anne's was very very busy today of course, practically standing room only! Good sermon and some rousing hymns to sing. These days Ma tends to consider church to be a bit of a social club and will wander over to talk to people so I make sure she goes into the pew first. However this doesn't prevent her from standing up and waving... We played hymn book swap all the way through because it's easier for her if I find the relevant hymn rather than letting her struggle. She does get a bit cross about it occasionally and then obstinately sings the index, but on the whole it works fine. Fortunately like any regular churchgoer she doesn't need to read the order of service.
As chaplain to the Queen, the Vicar is off to the wedding on Friday. I do hope there will be some gossip when he gets back!
We're at the point with FIL where he doesn't like coming to church now as he can't cope with the standing & sitting, let alone hymn & service books - I wonder how much is because it's an unfamiliar church now. Hope the gossip's good!
ReplyDeleteHere in America we've done away with hymn books. everything is on big screens so you are looking forward all the time. Mom has a church meeting on Sunday afternoons at the nursing home, and she got upset last Sunday because she thought she was suppose to give a speech and wasn't prepared. Left the meeting early to prepare it and then insisted she see the pastor to apologize. Of course, she had no speech or anything that needed to be prepared. But my dad was a pastor and she was the preacher's wife, and sunday school teacher all those 65 years so I guess it is only normal to think she was to give a speech.
ReplyDeleteGosh that's very 21st century of you! I can't imagine that happening here, there's usually an enormous amount of debate about any change so something like that would take years to reach an agreement :)
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