Tuesday 14 May 2019

Pimm's and Patchwork

Hello, thank you for dropping in.  Are you enjoying sunshine?  We are, and after last week's cool temperatures, rain and thunderstorm we are revelling in it.  The Best Beloved and I spent several hours working in the garden on Sunday while the butterflies fluttered about and a buzzard was mobbed by crows overhead.  It was all quite blissful.
 
On Saturday I went to an event at a local church with some friends and I have been reflecting on it ever since.  I hadn't intended to share it with you here, but it seems to have become quite important in my head.  It was an event for Christian women, a day of relaxation, pampering and creativity and I went with a group of friends, none of us in the best of health at the moment.  We arrived to a breakfast of pastries and fruit,  there was a salad bar for lunch and before we left, Pimm's and ice cream ("because it's summer", they said).  Hot drinks and homemade cake were available all day.  It was definitely a day full of treats.  The day was topped and tailed with short acts of worship, there was a terrific speaker and there were workshops: one friend did some Gentle Pilates, another had her nails painted, one watched a demonstration of Indian cookery and I did some patchwork.   If you just wanted to sit and chat with friends, or do your knitting on a sofa, that was fine.  The tables were dressed with tablecloths and jam jars containing bluebells and cow parsley and bunting was strung across the room. 
 
 
I have been reflecting on what made this day so special - the event has run twice a year for the last five years and about seventy women of all ages attend each one.  I think that it's because it is a day for women to put aside our responsibilities and concerns and enjoy being in the moment, catching  up with friends, indulging ourselves with delicious food and creative activities without feeling guilty.  The organising team went to so much trouble to make us feel cared for, decorating the room, bringing in rugs and cushions and even sending us home with goodie bags.  Crucial to this, I think, is that the event is free, it is a gift given to all of us and it is brimming with generosity; donations are welcomed and in fact encouraged, to cover the cost of the food, and there is a small charge for some of the workshops, although most are free, but I am sure that the response to the gift is generous.  Best of all is that it is such a positive day, there was so much encouragement for each other - as I was leaving, a young woman who I hadn't met before and whose name I still don't know came to find me and thanked me for encouraging her with her sewing.  Never mind me encouraging her, that act of thanks encouraged me hugely, learning that my small words had made a difference to her. My friends and I went home feeling that our souls had been soothed.
 
There are lessons for me in this.  (And I think there are lessons for other churches in this.)
 
See you soon.
Love, Mrs Tiggywinkle x

32 comments:

  1. That sounds the most wonderful day! And I'm so glad about your encounter concerning sewing. I too wish this sort of eventcould happen more often.

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    1. It really was wonderful and it made me wonder why we don't offer more encouragement to each other. It's such a small thing to do but it has such a big impact. x

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  2. That sounds like a really lovely event. Our church puts on events called crowned a few times a year. I've not been so far but they have teaching, encouragement and food. I don't think it's pampering or craft involved but an emphasis on being crowned in beauty from the inside. Maybe I should go to one and find out lol. Your day sounds amazing and just what you needed. I hope you continue to feel stronger and restored to good health each day, Cx

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    1. Ooh yes, go to Crowned and tell us all about it! Thanks for your kind words. x

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    2. I'll try and find out the date of the next one, on Sunday Cx

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  3. What a lovely day, we could all do with pampering now and then, so glad you enjoyed it. x

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  4. That sounds like a fabulous day. I can see how you could come out of energised and relaxed at the same time.

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    1. You have described my feelings well, Jayne. Over a week on, I am still feeling energised. x

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  5. How wonderful that on Saturday I went to a very similar event organised by our Church but open to all women across the Island entitled Flourish. Like you I felt energised and look forward to attending again.

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    1. Isn't that funny that Revive and Flourish happened on the same day? Perhaps God was in that? x

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    2. I think He was definitely in that. We have just come back from a weekend away from Cliff Fest in Derbyshire's Cliff College grounds, Hope Valley. It was an amazing time for all ages, Christian music, celebration and teaching. Cx

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  6. Your day sounds very special. So important to have time to relax and chat and be creative and not feel guilty. Enjoy the sunshine 🌞 B x

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    1. I think many of us underline the importance of that, Barbara. x

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  7. Lovely post Mrs T. Sounds like a wonderful and inspiring day with lots to remember and think about afterwards. It has been good to get out in the garden now the weather is warmer:)

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    1. Thanks Rosie. Oh yes, it has been good to do that, hasn't it? And it's almost time for 30 Days Wild so I intend to try and spend more time out there. x

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  8. What a fabulous event. How lovely that all those women who attended will have gone home feeling just like you have. The organising team should be very proud of themselves. Enjoy the sunshine, it's gorgeous again here today.

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    1. The organizing team put a huge number of hours into the event, it's no wonder they can only manage it twice a year. We'd really like it once a month! x

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  9. I'm glad you had a lovely day. It's good to be among others where you can relax because there's no pressure and be yourself. I'm still feeling blessed by the volunteer lady at the abbey we visited yesterday who was so thoughtful and kind. I'm sure there's a team of volunteers at the abbey who work together to provide a warm welcome and it must have been the same at your event.

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    1. Yes, the event is organised by a small team of volunteers who give a great amount of hours and energy. Their leader was on her feet for all but about ten minutes of the day! I often think that we hugely underestimate the amount of work which is done by volunteers in our communities, and the difference they make. x

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  10. yes, I love sunshine....
    Thank you to share your wonderful story....

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  11. Sounds like a rich day. It's so good to follow through with encouraging words! Glad you got some. :)

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    1. Thanks Ellen. It did make me think about the big impact which can be made with little effort by a small number of words. x

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  12. What a wonderful day. Thank you so much for sharing this. X

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    1. You're welcome, Jules. I'm glad you enjoyed it. x

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  13. What a wonderful day for you and your friends. Getting together in community is so important for our well being and our society doesn't often facilitate events such as this. Kudos to the church for arranging everything so well.

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    1. The first time I attended this event I didn't realise what it would be like and how positive it would make me feel. The following day, I saw the church's vicar and I told him how wonderful it had been and told him that he had a really good team. His reply was, "They're not my team, they're God's team." He wouldn't take any credit for the work of his church's volunteers. I liked him for that. x

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    1. It really was, Nikki-ann. Lovely to see you here. x

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  15. It sounds like a lovely event. Best wishes for a week filled with beauty and blessings.

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    1. Thank you. It really was a lovely event, and you are very welcome here. x

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