Day 2 of the #GrandWalkOut had Bob returning to Macclesfield to walk to Congleton via canal with his brother.
I opted for a more gentle circular walk around Congleton, starting by the River Dane. I don’t know much about the story of Congleton but I saw plenty of things that made me wonder at it, including an abandoned paddle boat cum bar, and a sad lost shoe.
In St Peter’s Church yard there were signs of the Easter story remembered last week. The crucifixion and the empty tomb were both represented.
Each of us has a story and the families, communities and places we are linked to also have stories. We are surrounded by these story layers.
The Rule of St Benedict can be read as a story, the story of the development of monasticism. In the Lay Community we are constantly asking how this story is relevant to us living in the world today. Benedict didn’t claim to be the first or even that his community was perfect. But he did try to encourage a way of communal life that was do-able, where people could thrive. This must surely be the story we want to be part of, both our successes and our failures.
The canals were a large part of the story of industrial Britain. Then they were largely abandoned for rail and road transport, to later be rediscovered and reused. Every community goes through such phases and rediscovering new purpose on old foundations is a worthwhile communal enterprise. The Easter story is about new life and is foremost in our minds in the 50 glorious days after Easter Sunday.
From the remembered bible: we build on rock.
Tell me the old, old story.
From a Friend of Scholastica and a Member of the Lay Community of St Benedict.
Janet Lees, Day 2 of the #GrandWalkOut, Congleton.