Money in the Post!

Oh the joy of receiving! And the Joy of Giving!

How wonderful, I received payment for playing the organ in church. I get £15 every time I play. Now, my instinct is to say, no, keep the money, but the truth is I think the church already has a pot of money, in fact, I know it has, as meeting after meeting is called to discuss how to use their pot to benefit the community.

So, I have decided to donate a part of my music making money, to someone who is homeless, and I know there are plenty of those people. I remember when I failed miserably in business and ended up with no house, no car, no job and very little self respect. It's a bad place to be in, believe me. But what I did have, was a wonderful partner who loved me, two brilliant children who supported themselves, and most of all, a fantastic, (in the face of all our problems) positive attitude. So what! You know, there is one thing much worse than not having a roof over your head - death!

My mother died when she was 43 years old, I was then 21. There is nothing, more devastating than to lose someone you love, nothing. But you know what? Down, is down, but it's not out! David and I may not have had a home, we may not have had a job, but we had love, and were loved in return, and most of all, we were alive and knew we could build again. The last 20 years have been a bit like one of those electrical wire games, where you have to cautiously move a loop over a zig-zag of wire, and if you touch it the alarm goes off, and you have to start again. We have progressed three steps forward, two steps back. But after 20 years we have emerged, having achieved so much.


Now we live in a cozy flat, we can travel the world, we take holidays, I have taken up my music studies again, we have lots of friends and our family has increased by three grandchildren. We are alive, and for every breath we are grateful. I never want to have to live in a tent again, but I know there are lots of people, right now, who find themselves in that position. I've been there, and I know how it feels.

I believe that everyone can improve themselves, but only they can do it. And it may take time to get where you really want to be. The secret is to know where you want to be, and to never give up until you get there. And, you know what? The journey can be so much fun. There is always a positive side to any situation. You know how the song goes, 'Always look on the bright side of live.'

My immediate goal is to increase my confidence as a speaker, as for possessions, I want a modern flat, with a lovely fitted kitchen, a luxurious bathroom, and a balcony overlooking the lake. One big enough to have a piano. Of course, by then I will be traveling all over the world telling people how I achieved it all.
Anyway, I have decided to seek out someone at the beginning of their journey and share my good fortune.
I'll let you know how I go on, in my next blog post.

Now, did you know that Beckenham High Street is getting two new town signs and new street furniture, all thanks to the Town Centre Workiing Party chaired by Copers Cope Councillor, Michael Tickner. Not only that, but a Beckenham Heritage Trail will be launched with points of interest marked with special paving slabs. It is all being funded by a special capital grant from Conservative run Bromley Council. Hooray! Well done! That's action. I'm going to join a committee at Clock House Church to discuss, and if I have my way, ACT on their findings, as to how to make use of the building at Clock House, to benefit the community.

And if you want to improve your lot, take a look at how I'm improving mine. I've found a little secret that I'd love to share with you. It's working for me, and it's worked for thousands of other people all over the world. Take a look. Make things happen. I do.

Plan to Prosper

Out for a Spin in West Wicomb

Last week passed quietly, in glorious sunshine. I took a walk in Kelsey park, treated myself to an ice cream from the little van in the park, and walked up as far as the Chinese garage. I hadn't realized that there is a butcher's shop in the little shopping precinct in Wickham Road. And a couple of nice looking cafe bars. I shall have to investigate them further. My exercise over, I settled to my cello practice, and relaxed with a good book, or two.

Poetry is one of my passions, and when I am not writing (which has been most of the summer) I am reading. At the moment it is Carol Anne Duffy's book, The Bees, and Rainer Maria Rilke's sonnets to Orpheus, translated by Martyn Crucefix. Two totally different books, both brilliant in their own ways.

Today I have been out and about with Joanne, a mother and daughter day, lovely. She took me to look at a car, which she took out for a spin, and decided to buy. It was all very exciting, she had been talking about buying a new car for ages. And I recon she deserves it because she works so hard, and in such a worthwhile job. Anyway, we had to celebrated of course, so we went to La Racasse (I think that is how you spell it) in Beckenham. We had a glass of bubbly, and lunch, and chatted for about an hour.

I have spent the rest of my day doing my cello practice, and making videos for Empower Network. We have high expectations for our little enterprise, it is certainly keeping me busy, and we get to meet such lovely people.

And now I am going to watch the last night of the proms, before bed. It's church in the morning, but I'm not playing the organ this week, so it isn't so stressful. And then I shall meet up with Jo again.

So, only a little adventure today, but I am tired so will say 'goodnight.' I hope your weekend is full of smiles.

Love and hugs,
Jane x

It's a lovely car, isn't it?

Does this make me a Professional!

Allow Yourself to Be Led Now and Then

The story of how I returned to my Methodist routes, is quite funny. It was all by chance really, if there is such a thing. I like to think that God had a hand in pointing me in the direction of Clock House.

It all started when David and I went to the St Barnabas Church, in Beckenham, on Christmas Morning. St Barnabas, being Church of England, and being the Church that we live right next door to, was our obvious choice. We had just moved to Beckenham, and thought that we would get off to a good start, and try to integrate into the community. We also wanted to thank God for our good fortune in life. The Christmas service was lovely, and we did have a little chat with the vicar afterwards.

When the next Sunday came round, we thought we would start the New Year as we meant to go on, and returned to the Church for Morning Prayer, at 10 a.m. Oh dear, although we could hear the music inside, the door appeared to be locked. No matter how much we pushed and pulled at the handle, we could not get in, and short of banging on the door, which we were not inclined to do, there was nothing for it but to leg it out of the churchyard. We decided to take a walk anyway, thinking the whole thing most unusual.

And that is when we saw a host of people entering the Methodist Chapel, on Bromley Road. 'Let's go to the Methodist service,' I said to David. So that's what we did. And we were made very welcome, in fact, we stayed for tea and biscuits, and a chat. Everyone thought it very amusing that we had gone to the Methodist service by default, as it were. But in my heart, I knew that we had been directed there. It was as though God had had his foot behind the door at St Barnabas Church, I could hear this little voice saying, this is where you are meant to be.

A week later I met Mary Sawyer, the organist from the sister church at Clock House. And the rest is history, as they say. When Mary found out that I played the piano, she asked if I would be her assistant, and play the organ for the Clock House service. Her regular assistant was having a baby, and that left a vacancy. Of course I said, yes. Fate, or whatever was sweeping me along. I had to go with the flow.

As a child I was christened in the small Methodist Chapel, at Long Preston, in the Yorkshire Dales. I went to Sunday school, I attended the Wesleyan Guild meetings, I went to fellowship gatherings. All that was a very long time ago. At the age of twelve or so, for some reason, a transferred my allegiance to the Church of England. It probably had a better (or so I thought) Sunday school. Anyway, I stuck with the Church of England. But now, I am very comfortably back in the Methodist fold, and if truth be known, I don't really mind which church I worship in.

There are several churches in Beckenham, I haven't been into them all, yet. But I have been into the big church on the high street, The Church of St George, and it is splendid inside. I haven't been back to St Barnabas, though I expect I will pop in from time to time.

So, that is the story of how David and I became connected, or reconnected with the Methodist Church. And today I received a lovely little cheque of £90 as payment for playing the organ at Clock House. Does this make me a professional? It is a bonus, (£15 every time I play) that I am going to put to very good use. I haven't quite decided what yet.

It's funny how things work out, isn't it. A little phrase that has cropped up more than once this week, is 'giving to get.' How true it is, when you give wholeheartedly, as they say, you receive ten fold.

Have a wonderful weekend dear reader,
Love Jane x

This is a picture of the lovely little Methodist Chapel in Clock House Road, between Beckenham and Penge