From the Vicar July 09

Berinsfield Vicarage

July 2009

It's summer. Time to enjoy the sunshine we hope. What is your life/work balance

like? I find a great many people think I work too much and play too little. I have

started to believe them. In fact I have become quite anxious about redressing the

work/leisure emphasis in my life. I have many different strategies to help me

succeed. I decided I would definitely take a full day off last week and travel to see

somewhere new with my camera. After an hour I was bored and grumpy. I cut the

day short and come home to read (work stuff) in the garden. I'll try again next week.

This week I decide it's Oxford by bus, that's better, but a couple of hours is enough. I

have tried. In the past I have borrowed a friend's cottage for a week in the isolation of

the Haworth Moors in Yorkshire - beautiful for a day or so, but 7 days? I have

booked myself in on a retreat - that was a good opportunity to catch up with some

more reading (work again). I've bought a notebook sized laptop to fit in my handbag,

so I can keep up with emails. Am I an irredeemable workaholic?

I think back over my life. My life has always been packed with busyness. When my

children were young, I taught full time, lived and worked on the farm, 14 hours a day

and I was very happy. Now I'm a vicar with far too much to do and I love it, I've

never been so happy. The most common occasion for me to feel grumpy is when I'm

trying to do nothing! I'm not a total bore (I hope), I love seeing new places on

holiday and the Baldon Players. But the truth is I thrive on being busy. I buzz when I

have lots to do. Jesus says: "I have come that they might have life, and have it

abundantly." I thank God for every minute of my abundantly busy life. I thank him

for all he gives me to do. How well he knows what I need. Heaven forbid I don't

want everyone to be as busy as I am, but to be honest I find all this pressure to ‘be'

and stop ‘doing' a tyranny. It's just not me. Am I alone?

Enjoy Wimbledon! A good chance to catch up on the emails whilst the TV's on....

Best wishes,

e-mail: bbdparishoffice@googlemail.com and tel: 01865 340460

3

There will be a service of welcome for the new curates to the Dorchester team,

Hannah and David Cleugh, at Berinsfield church on Sunday 5th July, followed by

bring and share supper.

The Air Crash Memorial Service will be on 12th July at 11am at St Lawrence, Toot

Baldon.

Ros is from rural North Yorkshire, having been a farmer's wife and an RE teacher

before becoming a vicar. She joined the Dorchester team as team vicar for the

Baldons, Berinsfield and Drayton St Leonard in October 2007, living in Berinsfield.

She is married to Peter and between them they have six children.

Marcus was vicar for the Baldons from 1993 to 2005. He and his wife Mary now live

in Clifton Hampden and continue to play an active part in the Dorchester Team. He

has for many years worked for understanding and co-operation between world

religions and is author of over 40 books.