Earth is crammed with heaven

I had a swim this morning. I know what you're thinking, 'Here she goes again. Can we talk about something else?' The thing is, I've had to learn to swim again over the last week or so. Not just because I can swim in the lake again,  or that I can glide forward while swimming,  or even that I'm no longer tethered to the washing line. It's more that I'm no longer clock-watching, or distance-checking, or adding things up, wrongly as it turned out. My Channel swim is done. I'm free to swim, when, and where, and how I want to, when I'm not working,  obvs. I'm not a natural clock-watcher. I respond better to a vague routine, rather than a rigid timetable. And when I pray, there is no concept of a 'quiet time',  or even a prayer-time, more a sense of God's presence with me wherever I am. A noticing,  a pondering, a reflecting... Then turning my thoughts and reflections heavenwards. It works for me. I know it wouldn't work for everyone. B...

It's Saturday afternoon. It's cold, windy, and we are still in lockdown, more or less. There's nowhere to go that doesn't involve getting cold. What do you do? You could go for a swim of course, which is what I did. We've had a bit of a technical hitch with the pool so I wasn't able to swim for a few days. Cue drop in air temperature, a rise in wind speed, and a freshly-filled pool at 14 degrees. I'm now wrapped up, drinking coffee and eating chocolate. The other thing you could do of course, is something I highly recommend. You could think of the money you would normally spend on a day like today, if the shops and restaurants were open. Then you could click on this link Karen's Channel Swim is almost done! The thing is, after today's swim I've completed 32238m. Just over 20 miles. I have about 2k to go. Just over a mile. And after an initial fundraising target of £250, I'm currently at £880. I...

So that’s it then. May has passed in a flash, and here we are on the first of June. Consider yourselves pinched and punched. The lockdown restrictions have changed again today, and we have had a day off. It’s been good to pause. Full days off have been few and far between since lockdown began, but I think it’s time to have a break. At least for now. So I’m not going to be writing every day from now on. I need to prioritise my mental health for a while, and re-build my reserves. Thank you for sharing the journey with us. Thank you for the love, prayers and encouragement, particularly for my writing. We’ll still be around. We’re just signing off for a while, as we attempt to discover what life looks like from here-on-in. Pray for us as we pray for you. And remember, God’s got this. And you. Lots of love from all at Testosterone Towers xx PS Just keep swimming!

I wore make-up today. As members of The Salvation Army will know, when you wear uniform, you get really good at putting on make-up so it looks natural, as in the old days you weren't allowed to wear any. Rimmel Heather Shimmer lippy was perfect in the '80's,  as it gave you a bit of colour, without being obvious. We had a Zoom gathering this morning, which was lovely. It feels odd celebrating Pentecost separately, so it was good to connect and pray for each other. Then it was a quick change for my appointment with Anglia TV. Hence the make-up... It takes effort to make it look as if you're not wearing any. Smoke and mirrors and all that. I made sure I was wearing an Army hoody, holding a water-bottle with the logo, and even attached my brooch to my costume for the swimming footage. It made us smile anyway. I've never worn uniform as much as I have in the pandemic. Gerald Coates prophesied to The Salvation Army in the early 90's, and part of that was that we woul...

Well, I wasn't expecting that when I got up this morning. Salvation Army officers are often thrown in at the deep end. Not literally, obvs, unless you're on holiday with annoying boys. I'm sorry/not sorry that I keep bleating on about my fundraising swim, but it's taken on a life of it's own this week. This is mainly due to the lovely Chloe, who got in touch with me as part of a Community PR Initiative, and has been publicising it, and the work of Harlow Salvation Army. It started gently. A few emails here and there with links to websites that had printed the story. On Thursday Global Radio wanted a pre-recorded interview. Note to self - when recording in your bedroom, under your dressing gown, add a bit of light and shade to your voice. It was at the end of the news bulletins on Heart Essex this morning, and sounded like I was reading the shipping forecast. This afternoon, I was suddenly invited as a guest on to BBC Essex radio. It. Was. Live. I know! If you want t...

I can't believe it's Friday again. May is usually my favourite month of the year, with it's Bank Holidays at the beginning and end of it, and a few celebrations thrown in for good measure. This May seems to have gone in a flash, and we are sat, dazed, wondering where the days went. Last Sunday we took up the challenge to do something new this week. My 'new thing' has mainly involved the media, who have picked up the story of my Channel swim. The publicity has taken off and has involved lots of calls and emails, and some media training ready for Sunday. I'm hoping that all the extra work will pay off, in terms of funds raised for our church at Harlow. Please sponsor me if you can! It's not about me after all. Karen's tethered Channel-swim Today's highlights have mainly involved making calls. A few this morning were on the phone - pastoral conversations, and sharing in worship and prayer. Then this afternoon visiting colleagues who have become friends....

My hair-straighteners broke today. As if life isn't difficult enough... I'm joking of course. Not about them breaking, they did. But that it can be compared to the difficulties of the present time. They'd had a good innings. I think I bought them about 67yrs ago. Chris often refers to them as my curling tongs, which gives you some clue of how old they are. They'd done half the job they were required to do, before they gave up the ghost. Which made for an interesting hairstyle choice for the day. But the time has come to draw a line. I'm happy to do that, I won't be complaining, or claiming the CEO of Babyliss should be held accountable. Isn't it hard though when things don't play out the way they should? I believe in grace. I believe in mercy. I believe in forgiveness. But that doesn't mean I should accept everything. I try not to hold on to the anger though,  because when I do, the only person who gets hurt is me. And perhaps my family. As I swim in...