Thankfully there was only slight and intermittent rain today, so it was good to walk to St Catherine's and celebrate the midweek Eucharist with half a dozen regulars. The level of pain and discomfort I had yesterday continued all morning. It wasn't quite bad enough to prevent me from functioning, but once again, it was a challenge to remain relaxed and focused while leading worship.
This is a fairly rare experience for me. Over the years there were odd times when I suffered chronic back pain, when I was waiting for a hernia operation, and when I ripped a cartilage in my first year of priesthood. Standing at the altar on that occasion was difficult. I remember having sit down to preach in order to concentrate on what I wanted to say. The only time in my ministry! Celebrating was tricky, but easier.
I've been blessed with a relatively pain free life until the last six months. I don't approve of ascetic practices which induce pain for the sake of self-mortification, but realise something can be learned from living as well as possible while coping with pain within the healthy bounds of reason. I think I'm learning not to take life so much for granted at the moment, savouring and valuing everything as a consequence what I've endured so far while waiting for this operation.
The wound continues to get worse, though thankfully it's not infected, hence the recent increased pain. I've written yet again to my GPs with an update to pass on to the surgical team. It's not in a state to heal properly until surgery has been done. I have to wait another month, so they need updating if there's to be no nasty surprises on the big day. There's little help or advice about how to manage this condition or the pain being offered by medics. One way or another however, I'll learn to cope and live as normally as I can. Funnily enough, writing about it helps keep things in perspective.
This afternoon an news item about graffiti maestro artist Banksy came on line, about his latest art work on adjacent garage walls in Taibach, Port Talbot, not far, as brother in law Anthony says, from where Richard Burton was born. You can read about it here.
It's yet another hard hitting political and social comment ironically entitled 'Season's Greetings'. A child stands out in the snow, except that it's a snow of polluting particles from rubbish burning in a skip on the wall at right angles. A dark modern take on the ancient diptych visual format. Location is significant too. According to the World Heath Organisation, air in Port Talbot is the most polluted in Britain. The steel works, the M4 and Balgan oil refinery are close. Decreased average life expectancy goes with the territory too.
Despite its daunting urban industrial environment people who live and work in the Port Talbot area are proud of belonging there, as the street theatre production of Michael Sheen's Passion Play testified back in 2011. Banksy's work is already being 'curated' by protective locals, and attracting visitors. I believe people will be delighted that the artist understands what they live with and in his own way is championing their daily concerns.
This afternoon an news item about graffiti maestro artist Banksy came on line, about his latest art work on adjacent garage walls in Taibach, Port Talbot, not far, as brother in law Anthony says, from where Richard Burton was born. You can read about it here.
It's yet another hard hitting political and social comment ironically entitled 'Season's Greetings'. A child stands out in the snow, except that it's a snow of polluting particles from rubbish burning in a skip on the wall at right angles. A dark modern take on the ancient diptych visual format. Location is significant too. According to the World Heath Organisation, air in Port Talbot is the most polluted in Britain. The steel works, the M4 and Balgan oil refinery are close. Decreased average life expectancy goes with the territory too.
Despite its daunting urban industrial environment people who live and work in the Port Talbot area are proud of belonging there, as the street theatre production of Michael Sheen's Passion Play testified back in 2011. Banksy's work is already being 'curated' by protective locals, and attracting visitors. I believe people will be delighted that the artist understands what they live with and in his own way is championing their daily concerns.
No comments:
Post a Comment