Caught in the Cross Fire

If nothing else, it is interesting that as these bank holidays come up there are questions as to what exactly we are celebrating. I was brought up being sent to church regularly within the Church of England, with the added complication of my dads background, that being strongly Salvation Army. He played the cornet in the Salvation Army Band and took me very often on a Sunday to listen to the Salvation Army band playing on the seafront either at Splash Point or in a group close to the pier and occasionally in the band stand in my home town of Worthing. Steve was brought up in the bosom of Catholic family. Upbringings like that don’t fade away, even if the truth is that we don’t often go to church these days though we are both church visitors when we go somewhere new. 

The fact that for the most part we do more sport than religion on Sundays does not change what is in our heads or hearts. I should also state, that I do know the difference between Sloth, (Idleness) and surely one of the world’s most adorable creatures, the Sloth. 

The fascinating thing I find is that these times are taken by so many to be an excuse for excess. Binging on Chocolate, having an over hearty meal with the family or going out on the booze with friends. For some of us a feast day is a cause for celebration but it is also very much a spiritual thing, a day for giving thanks.

This brings me another thing I have been thinking, that even after I first left home to marry; on any holiday period, I would expect to spend time with my family. Sadly the older members who held Christmas and Easter so, are no longer with us, but on remembering them and the things that they repeated frequently, I can hear them saying that on this weekend for a start, that at least two out of seven of those ‘Deadly Sins’ have gone down the tubes.

Gluttony: Seems like a common practice and that is why so many of our youngsters are showing signs of being led by the Pied Piper of modern excess, into a life where there will be overweight and their poor muscles will waste away as they play with modern gadgets, instead of playing games out in the fresh air. I see it coming fast. Talk about life shortening diseases.

Thankfully even though I may have the odd munch on a Mars bar or a packet of Revels in the cinema now and again, that is as far as Steve and I go on a ‘Gluttony’ level.

What I am very sure of is that nobody can accuse me of Sloth. That is not one of my sins. This Easter we have enjoyed three very nice, good quality bike rides and a couple of runs although I have been taking it steady in an effort to allow my tight hamstring to repair naturally and actively. I am still not back in the water but the shin wound is on the mend.

 

Sloth, in the biblical sense, is also a state of mind that goes beyond laziness and suggests the neglect of good deeds. I found the little piece below on a quick Google search. At very personal level that dips deeply into my past bad experiences in the last one where it is linked to the colour light blue; That, is a life long mental block area that harks back to a deep rooted fear of the head mistress of my junior school.

What it is

Sloth is the avoidance of physical or spiritual work.

Why you do it

You are shiftless, lazy, and good for nothing.

Your punishment in Hell will be

You'll be thrown into snake pits. Dance, sinner, dance!

Associated symbols & suchlike

Sloth is linked with the goat and the colour light blue.

The photos of Jays and a green woodpecker are because they were recently seen out on the bike rides. Two Jays in two days in fact.