Porvoo or Bust
Not long after chatting to my old boss Don Witts, he got back to me about the possibility of pursuing a Bishop’s certificate with Southwark Diocese.
Entries by Lloyd Hobbard-Mitchell
Feeling My Way | Smith Says No
I had a positive conversation on the telephone where he clarified “Let’s be frank, the return trip to Bangkok is impractical, not least because of the increasing COVID restrictions, and I suggest you pursue any options closer to you.”
Peculiar But Doable
“Let’s meet at the Hawaiian Bar. It’s nearby where I live, and we can meet without masks because it’s outside-ish. It’s on the ground floor of a defunct car park. Do you know it?” This is Thailand, so it is neither the first nor last time I have met somewhere, which might generally sound weird.
Ricochetting Begins
So began a period where I was ricocheting about, getting advice, pursuing leads and slowly, sometimes imperceptively feeling a way forward. It was a difficult time, with lots of dead ends and lots of ideas. It was knowing that the journey had begun but not knowing the shape or length of the journey to come.
When I Could Ignore God No More
Then stronger than ever, my internal dialogue, the conversation I had ignored with God for too long, was louder than ever.
“Do it and do it now”, it said.
World Aids Day & Me
I started working in two areas specifically HIV/Aids as well as Homelessness. I was fortunate to be paid for my work with homeless people. By contrast, HIV/Aids work was a passion.
Positive
She looked into the mirror, turning sideways, as is her routine. “I think I am getting fat. I’ll wear the other one.”
Standing behind her, I looked into the mirror. She was getting fat; without a medical reason, a sure sign of greed and sloth.
We both will need to drink more water and go swimming, I thought. We had no excuse. The pool was less than 100 meters from our house.
We reverse the process, and she is now putting on the uniform skirt/Chinese top combo.
“How do I look in this?”
As always on the third change, I am over-enthusiastic. I tell her she is beautiful, and after throwing down the mobile and giving her my undivided attention, I tell her this is my favourite.
As It Was At The Beginning, So It Is At The End
One of my favourite anecdotes relating to this was when she was reading the story Rapunzel. The word Rapunzel was a challenge for her, yet she knew there was a type of lettuce called Rapunzel. So when reading the story to us as we sat on the sofa next to her when we were young, she skipped the heroine’s name in the fairy tale and instead replaced it with the word ‘lettuce’.
Introduction
So, it begins as so many conversations have. It could be important or not important at all, but for the one explaining the dream, me, it feels important and so it is.