Some years ago, I had been swimming on a Saturday and found that my ears were all blocked up by pool water, to such an extent that I could barely hear anything. The problem sorted itself out by Monday, but I still needed to preach and lead services on the Sunday... It was such a disorienting experience being among people with such limited hearing and a real, albeit brief taste of the struggles that people with hearing challenges face every day.

I know it's only a machine, but recently my car has felt so human. A few times, on especially cold mornings, it has stubbornly refused to start. My mechanic says it's how old starter motors often behave in the cold. On such mornings, it looks like there is no life at all in the car, but actually the engine and battery are just fine and all it takes to get going is a little push :)

Our district ministers met for three days this week at the Marianhill Monastery where we were taken through several sessions led by two addiction counsellors. I assumed I already had a decent understanding of the issues around substance abuse, but there was so much to learn about the disease of addiction and the typical recovery journeys of addicts and their families. Both facilitators were themselves in recovery and it was really refreshing to hear their openness about a condition that often still has a stigma attached to it.