[The clock of Dunblane Cathedral]There's never enough of it: but there are occasions when you have some to spare.
You can have it on your hands: but occasionally you have to kill it.
Often it drags along: but more often it flashes past - especially as you get older.
TIME.
It's a strange thing.
At least how we perceive it is strange.
I particularly like these two quotations from the Bengali poet and seer, Rabindranath Tagore.
"The butterfly counts not months but moments,
and has time enough."
"Time is a wealth of change,
but the clock in its parody makes it mere change and no wealth."
Some of our Kenyan friends would often say "you have the watches: we have the time."
In the Biblical way of thinking, of course, there are two different kinds of time, chronological time (the kind you can measure with a clock) and 'kairos' time (the "right time" - the opportune moment.)
"There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven" [Ecclesiastes 3]
... but I still think there's not enough of it around!!!
7 comments:
The Yimas people of Papua New Guinea use the same verb marker to mark the 'legendary past' and the 'indefinite future', suggesting they perceive time as a circle rather than a line with 'real time' nearer to 'now' and 'unreal time' (either the legendary past or distant future) further away.
Just a note from a linguist...
have you had time yet to find the video?
Interesting observation EL. Right now my time is definitely going round in circles! Trying to pack up 22 years of accumulated stuff in order to move into temporary accommodation while our house undergoes major refurbishment. Study looks like I've just stirred it up with a giant spoon. I am drowning in a sea of stuff....
Hello. My name is Ylva and I am writing to you from Sweden. In August I am getting married to an Englishman. In church we will have the hymn "One more step". When I googled it I reached your blog. The Organist in our church do not know this hymn and I would therefore need to get the notes for it (I have found the lyrics online). I do not know any priest in England so I thought you might be able to tell me where to look.
Thank you
Ylva
Ylva, you will find the hymn "One more step" in a number of publications, including a songbook called "Songs of God's people" It was written by Sydney Carter. You may also be able to download music from this link http://www.audiblefaith.com/pages/sg852189
Thank you for your help.
Best regards
Ylva
I enjoyed your thoughts on time..
They take my train of thought to a prayer by Michel Quoist...
Lord, I have time,
I have plenty of time,
All the time that you give me,
The years of my life,
The days of my years,
The hours of my days,
they are all mine.
Mine to fill quietly, calmly
but to fill completely up to the brim,
to offer them to you, that of their insipid water
You may make a rich wine as you made once
In Land of Galiliee.
I am not asking you today, Lord, for time to do this and that,
But for your grace to do conscientiously, in the time that you give me, what you want me to do. Amen
If you have some time to spare, perhaps you would like to be refreshed by the God of Creation who inspires me and feeds my soul in my garden for wildlife. you will be most welcome there.
http://ourlittlecornerofparadise.blogspot.com/2009/07/softly-awakes-my-heart.html
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