[Magdalen] Happy New Year

[Judy Fleener]

Happy New Year to all of you.  It has been a long time since I found you
all.  I remember some wonderful characters that I got to know here.  I have
met many of you in person and I value the memories of those travels.

It was very icy here overnight. I was supposed to deliver communion to 6
people today so that they could have it with the Eucharist streamed
tomorrow. When I called them they said in one voice, "Stay home." We do
this once a month for about 50 people.

Our priest, much loved, was with us for 2 1/2 years.  He was retired and
worked at St. Paul's part time.  His health took an unexpected turn and he
has retired for a second time.  Our new priest is currently a deacon. She
will be ordained to the priesthood on the 16th in a closed liturgy.  Two of
her 4 children will be there as the limit is ten people.  She is a local
person and a good friend.

I spent a lot of time reading last year. I read too many books of little
consequence in 2020.  I will be trying to make better choices in 2021

On Sat, Jan 2, 2021 at 11:57 AM Marion Thompson <marionwhitevale at gmail.com>
wrote:

> it's wonderful to hear from you, Sally, and in such rich detail!  Thank you
> for persevering with the typing despite the difficulty it presents.
>
> Onward and upward in 2021.
>
> Marion, a pilgrim
>
> On Sat, 2 Jan 2021 at 02:43, <sally.davies at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> > Happy New Year to everyone still in the Pub!
> >
> > It is lovely to hear from you all. I have finally managed to clean up my
> > formerly unusable Gmail account and made it a NY resolution to keep
> > clearing it. The Spam was unbelievable - much if it due to my addiction
> to
> > US politics. Honestly I do not know how you guys stand all these PACS and
> > people pretending to be Nancy Pelosi!!
> >
> > These days I do everything on my phone or iPad so typing is less fun and
> > much slower unless I dig out the Bluetooth keyboard. Still, I have a new
> > phone which allows me to sweep what Malcolm Guite calls the “Twenty Six
> > Summoners” into life, and I just need to master this peculiar new trick
> to
> > befriend social emails again.
> >
> > We are still in the Eastern Cape, in a village called Blue Horizon Bay.
> > Both kids out of the house though Evan (our younger son) is studying in
> > nearby Port Elizabeth and starts with my sister in town so we see him
> > often. Keith has been at home the whole year with very little work but we
> > get by somehow.
> >
> > I’m still working in InPatient rehab which has not been much of a fiesta
> > this past year but continues to provide an income and a wonderfully
> > supportive team. It’s been a sad and uncomfortable year togged out in our
> > PPE; I am not working with known Covid patients (due to what my young
> team
> > mates, with unnecessary frankness, consider to be my advanced age) but of
> > course you never know who will unexpectedly test positive in a so called
> > Green Zone. So far only one of us has been infected so we did well; she’s
> > now finally back at work but struggling with post Covid symptoms -
> further
> > reinforcing my conviction that however inconvenient life may be, we are
> not
> > taking any chances with this awful thing.
> >
> > Unfortunately the young tend to consider themselves invincible (‘twas
> ever
> > thus) and when what has undoubtedly been a very tough year dragged to its
> > end they wanted to celebrate and to party. So now we have a second surge
> > and even a new variant of the Rona that appears to be both more
> contagious
> > and more inclined to affect children. Our city was the first to hit
> crisis
> > with this; TBTG our numbers are going down now but other places are
> really
> > struggling.
> >
> > After gathering frustration and concern about the platform’s ethics and
> > willingness to accommodate bad actors of all types,  I deactivated my FB
> > account so regrettably have lost touch with Pub friends of yore who were
> on
> > there. I persisted with Twitter @sallyshuttle - but if you seek me there
> > currently, you will not find me. Owing to an Unfortunate
> Misunderstanding,
> > sooner poor phrasing, and inability to resist tweeting historical
> minutiae,
> > I am exiled to “Twitmo” and currently have little hope of escape from
> that
> > lonely isle since their idea of investigation is “when did you stop
> beating
> > your wife”.
> >
> > I am therefore exploring and so far enjoying the visual feast that is
> > Instagram - will gladly follow any of our number who is on there - let me
> > know how to find you. IG handle is Sally_D_in_SA.
> >
> > Being confined to home when not at work, I’ve been improving the shining
> > hours by delving into Shakespeare plays throughout 2020 - with occasional
> > diversions into other delightful works such as the Ancient Mariner,
> > Wuthering Heights, and Neil Gaiman’s Coraline. I don’t read much anymore
> -
> > eyes tire too easily - but YouTube is a firm friend. Theatre productions,
> > including some wonderful American ones, are available and sometimes
> movies
> > as well. I haven’t had to pay for anything yet!
> >
> > I can’t imagine how tough it would be to get through a year like 2020
> > without the boon of IT - from Zoom to What’s App (yes, I know that’s also
> > FB, to whom I bite my thumb)- to YT, Twitter and Netflix. Also Apple
> > Podcasts...
> >
> > In August, our little Mimsy cat passed away quite suddenly from kidney
> > failure, leaving us sadly reduced. But in October, just as our elder
> child
> > and physics boffin Donal headed back into the wilds of Cape Town after 7
> > months confined patiently at home, our fur family expanded to include
> > Gimlet, a silky, slinky and highly adventurous black kitten. He’s now
> four
> > months old and growing by the day. Our bush surrounded home is full of
> > dangers for small cats, not least our own dogs in the back yard and next
> > door’s 3 cats, but Gimmi is fearless! So once again we are parents of a
> > “teenager”, caught between his angry meows at being kept indoors, and
> > anxious scanning of the yard as we wonder where he is and who might be
> with
> > him!
> >
> > Whatever 2021 may hold for all of us, let us hold fast to our own guide
> > rope. We are not yet even close to the surface of this deep, gloomy dive
> > into which 2020 has plunged us but we slowly rise toward the light; and
> > blindly cling on, knowing Whose hands are firmly grasping the other end
> of
> > the rope.
> >
> > Love and blessings
> >
> > Sally D
> >
> >
> >
> > On Fri, 01 Jan 2021 at 02:02, Roger Stokes via Magdalen <
> > magdalen at herberthouse.org> wrote:
> >
> > > If I had any doubt the noise of fireworks would remind me that 2020 is
> > > making way for 2021 as I write. Some aspects of 2020, such as Covid
> > > restrictions, will necessarily still be around for a while and here in
> > > the UK we are now in a different relationship with the European Union
> > > but we are called to face the future with confidence and faith.
> > >
> > > Roger
> > >
> > >
> >
>


-- 
Hope is a thing with feathers that perches in the soul.
Judy Fleener, ObJN
Western Michigan