On the pilgrim way: ‘I feel both excited and daunted’

28/09/2020 | Reform

Sheila Maxey prepares for a spacious new phase

Provisional’ seems to be the word these days. Coffee after church by the end of the month? Probably not. Carol services, heartily sung, at Christmas? Possibly. Visiting an ageing cousin in Germany … Read More

On the pilgrim way: ‘I came across our pre-wedding letters’

29/08/2020 | Reform

Sheila Maxey discovers her pre-wedding letters

During the spacious days of lockdown in June, I came across a box containing letters that my husband Kees and I wrote to each other during our engagement, from 1961 to 1962. Our daughter, … Read More

On the pilgrim way: ‘What does being generous mean now?’

26/06/2020 | Reform

Sheila Maxey wonders how to be generous in lockdown

A poem by John O’Donohue which has helped me throughout this lockdown is now bothering me. It begins: ‘This is the time to be slow /… until the bitter weather passes’. … Read More

On the pilgrim way: ‘Am I wasting time?’

29/05/2020 | Reform

I am writing this in late April and find myself, not surprisingly, thinking about time. I was brought up with quite a puritanical approach to time: it had to be used well. We offered our talents and our time to … Read More

On the pilgrim way: ‘Spiritually, I am being cut down to size’

24/04/2020 | Reform

In these strange times, what I write in late March may no longer apply when you read this. Nevertheless, I write.

Nature is putting on its very best show. I look out on a magnificent magnolia. My pots are full … Read More

On the pilgrim way: ‘Called by God? At my age? Surely not’

30/03/2020 | Reform

One morning, during my prayer time, I felt called by God – called to be an elder and even a church secretary. Surely not? At my age? (nearly 82). I was well aware of the need: elders’ elections were looming, … Read More