I'm at risk!

It hit me the other day, there is another person close to me who I would die for if there was something I could do that might prevent his being hurt.

I was holding my grandson Oliver, and I realized that the net of those who I care deeply for has spread.

Now, I don’t know what the odds are of my being killed by putting myself in harms way as a substitute for someone else, I imagine the odds are very low.

But it has just hit me that the odds of this happening have to increase the more my children breed.

Do my children realise what risk they are putting me in if they think of having children?

Oliver is the only grandchild so far – I think I have a good chance of not meeting an unfortunate end protecting him – but I need to talk to my children about what they are doing to my chances of a long life if they have any more children, for I know that if an out of control car was heading towards anyone in my family circle I would do what I could to protect them, even if that meant shielding them from the worst of the impact. I wouldn’t think about it – there wouldn’t be time – I would just do it.

I know I would give my life for any of them because to a degree I already have.

I am sure that my life has already been shortened by a few years through the fear and anxiety I have suffered as my children have weathered the storms of life.

When I am not thinking of my life ending prematurely, because of out of control motor vehicles careering towards them, I figure that a few years less life at the end of my life when I might be frail and more incoherent than I am now might not be the worst thing – so I suffer this possibility accordingly and hope for a good number of years yet.

But the addition of Oliver into the family circle has got me worried. I am now at risk!

John Boyne's The House of Special Purpose

I've just finished reading this - a good story offering a perspective on the fall of the Romanov dynasty in Russia from a servant who escaped to England and built a life. While some aspects of the story (the identity of his wife, for example) were kind of obvious fairly early on, and the outcome was kind of heralded at the start simply because of the decision to mix the time frames up, it was very enjoyable and informative.

more reading

Someone sent me a book voucher - what a joy!

Along with The Shack Anne and I purchased Carlo's Ruiz Zafon's fantastic novel The Angel's Game. We read The Shadow of the Wind last year and loved the clever storyline (set in Barcelona) and the quite wonderful characters. The Angel's Game keeps up the fine tradition. It is set in an earlier time and briefly involves two characters who appeared in Shadow...

I number these books among the best novels I have read - they are gripping mysteries told by a craftsman author who brings Barcelona alive and offers up fascinating characters.

The Shack

I read this remarkable book while up at Hanmer Springs (hot pools in the Canterbury foothills) with the youth group. I can't think of a better book that depicts the way that God is One but Three in an easily accessible way than this. The practical reality and relevance of the Trinity in human life is stunningly depicted... the challenge and critique God offers to human independence is quite wonderfully crafted in the story, and the impressive 'slam-dunking' of the way we presume to judge others (and presume to know how God does) remains for me the highlight of the book.

It is a must read!

Anne and I are beginning to gather a bunch of copies for study groups at St Stephen's - it will be fun!

I commented to a friend that I believe that this story will promote the relevance of Trinitarian Theology in human life more than any other book ever written simply because it is so accessible.

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oliver coming along nicely

Here is the wee fella at 7 weeks old - growing nicely!