Thought for the Month
Join me each month as I ponder life with all the highs and lows we encounter along the way.
I hope you enjoy my blog whose aim is to raise a smile as well as give food for thought.
As always, I would love to hear from you, so please contact me 01278 781147 c.judson@btinternet.com
God bless you.
Rev Chris
August 2025 ‘Something Special, the joy of Parkrun’
Amidst all the very worrying news that we hear hourly through the media there is something special and joyful happening across the world.
This is the movement called “Parkrun.” It is something that brings a joy to those involved and I hope reading about it will bring joy to you too.
Parkrun started in Bushy Park Wimbledon on 2nd October 2004 when 13 runners and 5 volunteers got together to help a friend who was injured get back to running. This small act of kindness has become a worldwide event. There are over 2,500 parkrun locations worldwide, it takes place in 23 countries across five continents. Parkruns operates in U.K. towns, prisons and abroad in exotic locations like Canyon Rim Trail at Twin Falls. The length of the parkrun is 5k for adults and 2k for children. It is totally free to take part in. Each parkrun has a section for park-walkers to take part too and as long as the course is suitable those with mobility aids are also welcomed. There is always a “back-walker” who comes in after everyone else therefore no one is last.
The overriding ethos of parkrun is that it is not a race, it is a community event that allows people to connect and exercise in the way in which they are able
How it works:
Each week volunteers set up the course. They put out cones and notices and then stand at various points on the course to ensure participants are safe. They also clap/cheer/ encourage participants as they pass by.
The adult runs are on Saturday mornings at 9 am. We all gather at the starting post, we are welcomed and the course is explained. We clap to thank those volunteering. Then we’re off.
There are some super runners who go off like racehorses on grand national day, inbetweener runners and the joggers like me. As the fast runners pass us joggers they often say “well done” and we call back to them “amazing, you’re going well,” and in our turn us joggers give encouragement to the walkers. So, the joy is passed on.
Behind us joggers are the park-walkers and participants who use a mobility aid/wheelchair. There is a volunteer with the park walkers who makes sure they remain safe.
I started as a park-walker and was encouraged by another park-walker who told me that “it was a special space in his week where he could reflect upon life.” This was a turning point for me, as it is for many participants, because parkrun provides space and a special time to call to mind the past week. Whether you’re a fast runner, jogger, or walker. Park-run is a safe space where worries cannot enter your mind, which has to be focussed on the run. Also, parkruns are often in beautiful locations so participants can appreciate the beauty of nature.
At the end of the 5k there is always a group of volunteers cheering you on to finish and congratulating you as you pass the finish line. An added reward is that you’re safe in knowledge that you’ve earned an ice cream!
So, how does this stand up to living as a Christian:
In the Bible there are references to being resilient, caring for the stranger, encouraging others, generosity, supporting others, even running the race of life with endurance. I have observed that park-run mirrors these Christian principles and many more in the way it has been set up and the way it operates. Park-run is a little bit of Good News which gives joy to all who take part. Why don’t you give it a try, whether you’re a walker, jogger, runner or wish to volunteer.
Sending you a Blessing, Reverend Margaret.
July 2025 ‘Hew-manod!’
The year is flying by and we’ve arrived at the month of Hewi-manod!
Let’s take a gentle stroll through the month of Hewi-manod and see what surprises this month has to offers us. As we stroll let the beauty of the month bring you joy and hope.
In times gone by the month of July was known as Hewi-manod, or the month of hay making. The grass which has been grown for that purpose is now ready to be harvested and laid out to be dried, so that in time when it dries it is stored as hay. The drying time is an anxious time as no rain is wanted then, but unlike the rest of the year that time seems to pass very slowly!
July is also the time when the smaller gardens which have been dug and planted earlier in the year, are now beginning to produce delicious vegetables. Ready to be harvested, prepared, cooked and enjoyed on our plates within a couple of hours. Nature and humans working together, the result is a bounty of good and delicious foods.
The gentleness of the breezes and the warmth of the July sunshine offer a welcome to the now rare sight of butterflies. As we tread through the fields, we spy them fluttering by. Busy about their business. Gone too quickly but charging the air with excitement as they pass by.
School holidays come at this time too. They are a special space in the year. When “time can stand still” and many simple pursuits followed like pond dipping at the beach to making dens in the local woodlands. All worthy pursuits which will bring warmth to our hearts both in the coming Winter and in our later years.
Hold onto Hewi-manod /July it has much to offer you as you tread gently through it treasuring all that it has to give. It is a month that holds many wonderful surprises.
July…
July—a time to welcome nature into our hearts,
To let it fill us with joy.
A time for our eyes to behold the splendour of the green trees,
And the endless stretch of blue skies,
Renewing our souls with hope.
A time for the sun’s gentle rays
To mend the wounds of winter,
And gift us with refreshment and peace.
A time for the soft summer breeze
To lighten our footsteps,
To carry us forward with grace.
A time to pause, to ponder,
To gather our blessings,
And give thanks for the wonders of creation.
Go Well, this July,
Reverend Margaret.