Making connections

After making our weekly visit to Riverside Farmers Market, yesterday, we  again walked to Llandaff to worship at the Cathedral Sung Eucharist. We were treated to Mozart's Coronation Mass - the rendering still in need of a little refinement maybe - but nevertheless an uplifting accompaniment to Prayer Book Liturgy with winter sunshine streaming in to lift our spirits even further. We were treated to a fine, well thought out sermon from Archdeacon Christopher Smith, adding further to the inspiration on offer. 

The service is fairly well attended, but I'd love to see Cardiffians queuing to savour the experience. Along with services at our other Cathedral and St John's, it's a refuge from the dumbing down of Anglican tradition, accessible through beauty, order, dignity and sensible discourse. It's a lot more than just plain traditional in ethos. A quick scan of the many people who participate in making worship happen tells its own story about how the Cathedral continues to evolve, thankfully. A great place to be off-duty, from where I stand.

Today we drove to Bristol and combined a dental appointment for Clare, with a visit to Amanda, that would allow us to transport her to Horfield  Leisure Centre for a physiotherapy session in the swimming pool. Since leaving hospital back in December, she has made slow steady progress in regaining use of her left leg in circumstances where further deterioration was expected. She's found reserves of courage and persistence that have taken her where she wants to be. I'm amazed, and also very proud of her.

I cooked supper while Clare and Amanda relaxed together, talked and surfed the net, to identify how Amanda can link up with fellow  F.O.P sufferers.  Thus far, she's been busy battling against it, but she's now ready to reach out and find others like herself. There are only 700 on this planet with the same  condition, one in two million people. Only in the past five years has its genetic  origin been identified. Over the past 22 years since the distinct characteristics of the disorder were first noted, efforts  have been made to make support publicly accessible, through an International foundation, dedicated to backing research and  offering information and advice to sufferers and their carers. Engaging with this community is Amanda's next step, thanks to the Internet.