Freebies and Farewells

It's a long time since we came to Leicester, exactly 30 years ago in fact, with only 3 years away during that time while Malcolm did his ordination training in Cambridge. So now the time has actually come to leave the vibrant (but messy ;) city, this lovely county, our jobs and many friends and contacts... and it's rather unsettling. What makes it stranger is that both our children have already left Leicester, having chosen to settle elsewhere. And what's more, we are headed somewhere that we've never been before and feel we don't know anywhere near enough about. Meanwhile, of course, sorting through and clearing out our possessions involves reviving memories - and letting a lot of things go.

So it was reassuring and encouraging to receive a parcel last weekend, which turned out to be from Bishop Philip Wright in Belize. For any of you who might be kind enough to send us something once we're out there, be warned that it took nearly 5 weeks to get here! (So maybe you'd better think twice about sending us homemade chocolate cake...) The parcel contained books to help us acclimatize to Belize, including the diocesan prayer book, a Spanish service book, a collection of Creole proverbs and two school text books: A Short History of Belize and an atlas.

We were very touched to receive all of this. It helps the unknown feel more familiar. And while we are saying goodbye at the moment to so many things, the new is beckoning.

As the Creole saying goes, "Neva buy puss eena bag", i.e. Never buy a cat in a bag! Which means examine something carefully before selecting it.

Bishop Philip's inscription in the front of the prayer book reads: 'On the occasion of the feast day of St. Matthew the Evangelist (Independence Day of Belize) - September 21st'. It's good to think that we're headed to a country that values independence and celebrates its freedom.