Don Dowling's Blog

Don's Blog

Hi all.

This week I had the real privilege of sitting with an elderly woman who was dying. Some of you may know her. After walking quietly into her room and noticing that she was drifting in and out of sleep I sat by her bed. After a little while I said who I was and used the word Wesley, hoping she would give some sign of recognition. That was not to be. I noticed a very tattered, well-used old bible next to her bed and on opening there was a message on the inside cover that it was a gift from her mother. I decided to read Psalm 23, always a favourite when death seems not far away. It gave me a sense of calmness. I offered a prayer and a blessing for the journey ahead.

I did not really want to leave and so for a while continued to sit quietly, sometimes touching her hand, letting her know I was there.

I noticed a guest book next to her bed and decided to take a liberty and look through the pages. The entries went back quite a few years. I noticed the many visits from her daughter and each time there was a special comment, either about the dress her mother was wearing or the things they had talked about during the visit. It was moving and touching to read the little notes each one a gentle entry of love.

Then I started to recognize names mentioned in other entries. People from Wesley, Reg and Bev, Dorothy, Evadne, Bruce and Margaret, the Tuesday singers and many others. I felt deeply proud of the love and friendship that Wesley was able to provide. Her and our lives were truly blessed by our connection.

Her daughter arrived and we sat together talking and remembering her mother’s life and I heard more of the connection with Wesley, her marriage ceremony during a Sunday morning service and the many things in which she and her husband had been involved.

As I walked away from the hospital that morning, I felt incredibly peaceful. Death in this sense is peaceful and I wondered and hoped that I might be able to have this kind of death. It's not always the case. A person I was reading about this week said of life. "I view everything from the perspective of my death". It reminded me that, for Jesus, death was on his mind a great deal, particularly as he approached Jerusalem.

As we enter into Lent, we enter again this journey to death and beyond. My prayer is that as we continue to understand this journey it may enrich and bless our lives so that the wisdom we gain can be shared with those who seek it.

Thanks for Reading.

Don

Opening night for the Stations of the Cross Art Exhibition will be 6pm Friday 26^th March.

Please let Kerri know on admin@ucic.org.au or 6103 4222 if you would like to attend.

Volunteers for Stations of the Cross Art Exhibition.

We are still interested in receiving expressions of interest from those who would like to act as volunteers, either just to ‘be there’ or to be ‘Tour Guides’. The Exhibition will be open from 9am till 5pm from Saturday 27th March through to Monday 5th April.

Please contact Revd. Lee Edwards at leerev@optusnet.com.au if you are interested.

For the ‘Tour Guides’ there will be an initial briefing at 4pm, Monday 22nd February and then the final briefing in the presence of the 2010 artworks at 5pm, Thursday 25th March.

8.30am Discussion Group.

A reminder for some that the 8.30 service is still happening. A small group gathers, we get a ‘good’ coffee from across the road and then sit together for 45 mins and talk about the Gospel reading for the day. It's really a ‘chat with the minister' or could be seen as 'minister's corner'. It a great time for me, not only because I get a coffee to get me going but we get to think more about the reading and discuss it’s impact on us. Please feel free to join us.

STATION OF THE CROSS Art Exhibition.

Go to http://www.perthunitingchurch.com.au/viewStory/Wesley to see a list of participating artists