Go on
don't be scared
take a peek

Greetings
~~~~~~~~~~
Idah Saidan Wa Sanah Jadidah
Tchestita Koleda
Bon Nadal i feliç any nou
Prejeme Vam Vesele Vanoce a stastny Novy Rok
Gun Tso Sun Tan'Gung Haw Sun
Glædelig Jul
Mo'adim Lesimkha. Chena tova
Hyvaa joulua
Joyeux Noel
Shinnen omedeto. Kurisumasu Omedeto
Kala Christouyenna
Gledileg Jol
Merry Christmas
Nollaig Shona Dhuit, o Nodlaig mhaith chugnat
Natale hilare et Annum Faustum!
God Jul, o Gledelig Jul
Vrolijk Kerstfeest en een Gelukkig Nieuwjaar!
Wesolych Swiat Bozego Narodzenia
Feliz Natal
Sarbatori Vesele
Pozdrevlyayu s prazdnikom Rozhdestva is Novim Godom
Hristos se rodi
Vesele Vianoce
Feliz Navidad
God Jul
Froehliche Weihnachten
Noeliniz Ve Yeni Yiliniz Kutlu Olsun
Srozhdestvom Kristovym
Kellemes Karacsonyi unnepeket ......

…e….. Buon Natale !

"Christ teaches
that God is love.
What does that mean?
What it means for me:
a study of the life of Christ.
Love here describes itself as a child born in straw poverty,
the most vulnerable situation of all,
without honour."
Bono from U2 in an Interview

My mate Big John, and the good friend of many of you - his Mother died yesterday morning.
I am certain you will be praying and thinking of him and his little family over these coming days.
Special love to Julie, Grace, Danny and Big John
we are with you all the way .......

1 If I knew that Wilson Mansions was to be visited by a heavily pregnant woman and her Man called Joseph.
If I knew it was to be the birth of Jesus here at Wilson Mansions.
What would I do?

First thing - we would vacate our bed and bedroom. Just like when Joan and me went to stay at Noble Mansions, Big John and Julie had their own bed available for us as they roughed it. So we would make the room ready, ensure we had plenty food in. Buy a turkey and cook a great meal.
For a birth at home I would ensure that Mary and Joseph had the best medical attention available - even at Christmas. I would post on Facebook to everyone about the expected child. I would build up a daily blog with feelings and thoughts about how we were coping emotionally and the possible scenarios spiritually.
I would be prepared to be overwhelmed by the birth of Jesus here.
They could stay as long as they wanted - if I could stand the brightness of the light .........

2 If I knew that Wilson Mansions was to receive a knock on the door by a couple.
A stranger, a woman pregnant! and a strange man.
What would I do?

I have spent 39 years living and working in residence - in residential workplaces. YMCA's, Hostels, Government institution, Family Centres and more. We have brought our Sheilas up in such environments. We have coped - and been battered too.
If such a couple turned up at our doorway I would not let them in.
I would take them to the local YMCA. If that was unsuccessful - to the local authority. I would stay in the car with them as long as needed to find them a place.
I would not let them in because of experiences. (I don't feel good about this). In my life I have had persons knocking on my front door with deep depression and I have turned them away. Our needs were screaming - so I could not take more. I have turned away from persons who had suicidal feelings. I am aware that, in certain circumstances, it would not be right to get personally involved. Put myself in places in which I cannot retreat from.
One of my working principles is::
'I am responsible to people but not for people'.
I feel bad about the number 2 paragraph here. But I am being honest.

Maybe the Landlord of the Bethlehem Hotel was not such a bad guy as painted.
He just had no room. Maybe no more emotional space. Maybe at his limit - or his wife was - or family were screaming?

I am doing this to raise my awareness at this glitter-full distracting time.
I want to feel uncomfortable and wrestle with reality.
I know humans who have no place to stay.

I feel sick .................

---

› Big Book of Blobs

Big Book of Blobs

Code: 77-7277

Age range:
All Ages

Product Type:

Our Price: £35.95

This is the original Big Book of Blobs which introduced the Blobs to the world in a greater creative way. About 50 different tools here.

There are about 400 created now all ready for new books and other methods to cultivate wondrous communication between humans. All great to use with individuals or groups to aid discussion and self revelation.

They are used in many different circumstances - have a peek into the details with this link HERE.

What a download to have at Christmas - John O Donohue in you ears ................ just click HERE for more details.

This green bit/pic is the back page of 'Wing and a Prayer' which is the Greenbelt Festival Angels booklet which is created for the thousands of Angels and Volunteers.
Each issue there is a feature about a Trustee of the Festival - thought you would like to read my Greenbelt Festival BIOG

News from Wilson Mansions

I am, in some strange way, feeling grateful tonight.
Feeling warm towards life.
Sorta appreciate.
Sort of a deep sense of being here -
and appreciating it.

Today has been my last day working OUT.
I have days to work IN but
today is the last gig.
Now I have to book trains and planes
admin, prep, yawn .........

Only got indoors at 8pm.
Now Joan has retired,
me sipping Cointreau,
MTV playing but I cannot see it,
out of view with my laptop on my knee.

Tomorrow we go to the North.
Annual present exchanging.
Then home to catch the big big
big Carol Service at Church.
50 in the choir -
buzzing beats man.
I really do love it.
Depth of spirituality.

Listened to the new Youthwork podcast on the London Tube.
Guest was Jenny Baker, I love her.
I appreciate and respect her -
as I do the gang at Youthwork.
It is good I think. Check it out - subscribe
go to iTunes and it will download regularly to your iPod or any other digital player.

Another sip ....... hmmmmm

Greenbelt announces their first podcast today.
The first hey hey
It is great and please consider capturing it.

Greenbelt Christmas podcast
We've produced our first Festival podcast for Christmas this year. Drawing on the experiences of a group of Greenbelt's who visited Israel-Palestine in October, it focuses on the story of the Little Town of Bethlehem today. Download the podcast in various formats here and browse through various related links and resources we've drawn together around the audio.

I know the humans who have been slaving creatively to deliver this in time for the season.
love it love it.

Consider signing up for the regular eNews from Greenbelt called Dispatches.

I am planning to blog all the way through this season. I feel a yearning to discover more personal depth in Christmas.

One thought I am going to blog about.
1 If I knew that Wilson Mansions was to be visited by a pregnant woman and her Man. knew it was to be the birth of Jesus here at Wilson Mansions.
2 If I knew that Wilson Mansions was to receive a knock on the door by a couple. A stranger, a woman pregnant! and a strange man.

I am planning to blog how I would treat the different couples. I have thought about it. My thoughts are - they would get different attention. Uncomfortable thoughts so far.
Maybe you want to think about it?

Have you heard the song on my piPhone. Written and performed by our own Big John.

I feel tired tonight. Heavy eyelids this morning. I stepped in the shower asleep.
On the road tomorrow. But I will blog ................