On Day 8 of the #GrandWalkOut we are notching up the counties. Today we move from Staffordshire to Warwickshire and even a touch of Leicestershire at one point. Various place claim to be the heart of England but the countryside we are now walking through is like this for miles.
Walking is good for your heart and is a heartfelt thing. Not just physical it touches our mental and spiritual well being too. Bob started today at Hopwas and walked to Alvercote Marina. I started at Alvercote Marina and walked to Bridge 48 near Grendon. There are no seats along the Coventry Canal which is, I think, an oversight. But there were barges selling craft items which was nice.
We met up again at Atherstone, which boasts a market in the heart of the town that dates from Anglo-Saxon times. We picked up our clean washing from the laundry service.
How would you describe the heart of St Benedict’s Rule? Would it be the daily pattern of worship and work, or the stability of life lived in the same community or would it be Benedict’s instructions to welcome strangers ‘as Christ’. Different people might see the heart of the Rule in different terms. Life in community calls different people to co-operate in building community mindful of the challenges such a group might face, how they might see things differently.
The stalls in the market place sell different things. The town doesn’t need a market in which all the stalls are the same. The community thrives on the variety of market stalls. So too with creating community together. It works best when we do it wholeheartedly however different we may be.
Tonight we meet some LCSB members from the Midlands and shared a meal, which is an enjoyable part of community.
From the remembered bible : Look after your heart: everything flows from it.
From my heart to yours.
From a Friend of Scholastica and a Member of the Lay Community of St Benedict.
Janet Lees, Day 8, Atherstone