Today has been yet another day of true unveiled life.
In my life I have been blessed by many women who have been mothers and sisters to me. These are some of the names: Muriel, Ruby, Beryl. Ruth, Lorna, Liz, Helen, Helga, Kirsten, Chris, Di, Libby... the list could go on. But today I want to remember Molly. Molly was a proud generous Geordie whose sphere of influence extended to anyone who crossed the thresh-hold of her two-bedroom bungalow. She was crippled with rheumatoid arthritis, housebound and tiny. Her gas fire was always on full blast. She had the most rosy cheeks I knew. A knitted blanket across her lap, she'd sit perched in a high-backed arm chair with her feet barely touching the floor, so tiny was she. Mollie was born before the First World War. She worked as a housekeeper and cleaner most of her adult life. She never married. She spent her life serving others. As her life drew to a close, she'd welcome us hungry young students into her home for food, friendship and her prayer. Twice a month on a Sunday afternoon, Liz and I, fellow students at Durham University, would visit her in the former mining town of Stanley, Co Durham. Liz and I would often talk on the bus home about how much we just felt drawn to Molly, not because she was on our pastoral list but because we received something from her which far outweighed anything we gave her. It was like a grandmotherly benediction. After talking and laughing and praying (with our heads bowed and eyes closed kneeling on either side of her chair), she would say - 'Shall I say The Prayer, pet?' with sparkling eyes. And we'd both nod. This was her prayer, and when she got to the word 'holy rest' it was said with such warmth and truth and hope and fullness (you need to know the Geordie accent to fully appreciate it). Dear Molly passed from this world in the late 1980s. I'm ashamed to say I did not make it to her funeral. But I have two candlesticks of hers which she gave to me and are very precious. This is the prayer - the prayer of Henry Newman:
O Lord, support us all the day long of this troublous life,
until the shadows lengthen, and the evening comes,
and the busy world is hushed, and the fever of life is over,
and our work is done
Then in thy mercy grants us a safe lodging,
a holy rest and peace at the last. Amen.
International Women’s Day is a day to celebrate and say thank you to all the women who enrich our lives. I remember especially my teenage niece who in the last weeks of her life, showed me true unconditional love. Even in her suffering and weakness she gave me more than anything I could give her. She will never be forgotten.
ReplyDeleteIt is also a day to be thankful for and acknowledge all those women who refuse to be dragged down by the abuse and discrimination they face, who are determined and have strength of character to rise above the insults. I think of a very special social worker whose work this week was refused by a client because she was black. She responded with great dignity, knowing that these incidences do not define her, choosing to respond with kindness and love instead of hatred.
It is a day to celebrate all those women priests (why do we never hear about “men priests”?) who have remained faithful to God’s call on their lives even though some feel unable to attend a Eucharist service when a woman is celebrating. A report about this in today’s Church Times makes painful reading.
It is a day to continue to challenge injustice. I’ve read today in the local paper that the gender pay gap between men and women at Sandwell Council is now 7.1%. How long must women wait for equality?
And it is an international day. I’m currently on an international WhatsApp group of mainly, but not exclusively, women from across the world as we support a mutual friend in hospital. Technology brings us close together even though we are miles apart, bringing messages of love and support to a woman who has always been a shining light in our lives.
I thought about the words ‘Unveiled life ‘ : a life without a veil. I wondered if I would be happy for every aspect of my life to be unveiled. I am grateful for Michelle Obama’s unveiling of significant parts of her life through her book, ‘Becoming’ . She speaks with candour about her childhood , the difficulties she faced in her marriage, their struggle to conceive a baby and her life at the White House. She is an inspiration to all women and girls on International Women’s day.
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