Sat Jan 27th

HERO......

Cycled to Mother's yesterday evening: it's always so nice to arrive to a warm welcome, glass of sherry, comfortable catching-up on news. We always watch a film together, and this time it was
"Damien of Molokai", MUCH recommended - the story of the hero priest who went to serve the lepers exiled to lives of squalour and misery in Hawaii. I bought the DVD from the CTS bookshop in Westminster Cathedral Piazza. It's immensely powerful - sound of the surf pounding on the beach, and the wind roaring, Damian saying Mass and restoring a disused church, tending to the needs of the hideously wounded people, sucking on his pipe so as to mask the dreadful stench of their sores, holding a dying man in his arms, nagging the authorities for a proper fresh water suppply and for decent food and clothes for the orphaned children.....The story is incredibly inspiring.

Cycled back home this morning, still thinking about Fr Damian and how one ought to do things that are large and generous and noble, and not waste any time. Cycling through local park, fresh early-morning feel, a nice family stood back to let me pass and I sailed happily on, just catching the young mother saying "Don't bother to say thank-you, or anything...." and realised I looked dreadfully rude.....too late to stop and cycle all the way back and apologise and make a point of it.....cycled on feeling suddenly horrid. Oh dear.