I am now British (as well)

No longer will I be known merely as "that Canadian fellow". I am now a British citizen (as well).

The ceremony was, shall we say, a little "low key". No portrait of Her Majesty adorned the wall, nor was there a Union Jack anywhere in evidence in the room. It had all the taste of a 1960s-era Soviet wedding but, nonetheless, at the end of the service I was a citizen of the United Kingdom - having taken all the necessary oaths.

My family and the in-laws came to cheer me on.

Thought for the Day
Good Morning Scotland
BBC Radio Scotland
Tuesday, June 1st, 2010

You should have been with me and the dogs early yesterday morning on top of one of the local hills outside Penicuik.

Scotland was at its best – the gorse in full flower and sufficient rabbits on the hillside to keep the dogs’ interest up.

Back at my desk afterwards, I caught up with the news. It was filled with horrifying details of murder investigations in Scotland and England and the encounter between the Israeli Defense Force and the flotilla heading for Gaza.

Bring on a sense of hopelessness about human violence.
Cue the sound of sabres rattling around the world.

I picked up the habit of reading the newspaper regularly from my father, along with his suspicion that the news does not reflect the good things which happen to individuals on a daily basis. It is a distillation of the most dramatic and frequently the most terrible events which have occurred. As communications occur more rapidly we can follow events pretty much as they unfold – complete with pictures taken on the very front lines. Which tells us something and which doesn’t.

Sunday was Trinity Sunday. One of the themes which recurs on this particular Sunday is the fitness of the world as a place for God to work. The world bears his creative imprint. God has acted redemptively within it and he continues to abide with us. A place with tremendous possibilities. Many of us live in communities and in relationships which are fruitful and nourishing. We are often struck by how noble and honest the men and women around us can be. In spite of what we are assailed with – terrible dark stories and depths of human evil and failing – that remains the truth about the world we live in.

The news may report true facts about a number of events. But it leaves most of us out. It doesn’t always tell the world’s story and it doesn’t reflect its potential.

Much of what is good in our communities and our relationships,
like Rob’s morning in the Pentland Hills,
will never make the news.


audio is available for a limited time HERE. TFTD begins at 1:18.02 - about halfway along the audio bar.