Sitting here in the warm I have so far enjoyed poached eggs on toast
with beans and a tomato and two cups of coffee. I am also enjoying the fact
that I have free internet access and a few hours to myself today before I head
into work.
I have recently started working part time in the Norton Rooms (a café/bar
situated within the grounds of the Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham) in Little
Walsingham, the village where I live. At the moment this is a temporary role
until the end of the year and having recently retired from my previous
employment due to ill-health the income I get is helping supplement the Pension
I shall now be receiving.
One of the duties at 6pm in the evening is to place lighted candles on
all the interior and exterior tables for that added “ambiance” for the guests.
It looks quite effective and the outside candles are lit inside a small wind
resistant glass and metal holder.
Two nights ago when I was working the late shift it was raining, and I
questioned why on Earth we would be putting the candles out in the rain (it was
gentle rain and not like the downpour we are having today). I was simply told
they go out in all weathers and so went and placed them on the tables.
Last night I was on my own for a few hours and got absolutely swamped by
a party of people from Sweden (around 50ish) who all came in and the same
moment. Thankfully they were very accommodating and patient and I soon rattled
through them all and the room was fairly full (it holds around 60/70). I took a
moment to draw breath and gave some thought to what I needed to do over the
next hour or so to prepare the area for the evening. There was a lot to do (don’t
tell everyone but I have to do the washing up as well so my work was going to
be cut out). The last thing I needed was those candles being lit and placed outside
I was going to be busy enough.
Needless to say when the party left for their evening meal I cleared the
room cleaned tables got all the dirty washing racked up out of the way and
prepared, lit and placed out all of the candles. As I was doing so I started
humming “This little light of mine, I’m gonna’ let it shine” and my thoughts
turned to a blog I wrote on this blog site: This
Little Light Of Mine
As I thought about this very old song and my old blog from November
2011, I thought about these candles that were annoying me in a different “light”
(let’s see how many puns I can do).
God has called us as believers to shine a light into this world. He does
not say and has never said “shine a light when you are feeling good/when you
feel like it/on the good days/on the sunny days”.
No, He just says let your light shine.
Those candles I was getting fed up with go outside and on the tables in
all weathers. I need to reflect God at all times. This will mean that sometimes
I/we don’t do a very good job.
But maybe we end up “trying” too hard. Our lives should be a reflection,
just doing what we do each and every day, whether at work or at home or in your
“office”.
My “office” is the Weatherspoon’s in Fakenham. I have sat on one of my
usual tables (67) and had a conversation with a lady I have never met before, a
Grandmother with her young grandson. She cares for him on odd mornings to help
her daughter while she works. She finds it hard to entertain him all the time
as he wants to “play” and mix with people.
Light Moment!! I shared with her about the Little Fishes parent and
toddlers work we have at our church every Tuesday morning, and she intends to
pop along and have a look. I really hope that she does as she will meet a great
group of mums and grandmothers there and not only will her grandson meets other
children of the same age but she will get some “adult” conversation.
I am not sharing that for a “well done”, that’s not what I am about.
Rather to say our “light” should shine at any time. If we just allow ourselves
to be in places where it has the potential to be used then God will present an
opportunity where you can either choose to shine your light or you can choose
to just let the moment go by.
Go on, take a risk. Shine today.
God Bless Steve
