Julie's Jottings for August
On a recent holiday, we stayed in an old house with a magnificent cockerel and a clutch of hens living in the garden. We were charmed by his frequent, boisterous crowing, to signal the arrival of the morning sun or to settle heated disputes at the roost. His spirited presence brought to mind an old fable about a painter commissioned by an emperor to create a portrait of a cockerel. On accepting the commission, the artist warned that the painting would take several years to complete. Every three months, the impatient emperor would enquire about the progress, only to be told, time and again, that the work was not yet ready. After three years of waiting, the emperor finally visited the artist’s studio, demanding to see the work. The painter calmly produced a blank canvas and, right there before the emperor’s eyes, painted a truly breathtaking cockerel.
While the emperor was initially captivated by the beauty of the work, his wonder soon turned to anger. "If you could produce such a masterpiece in just a few minutes," he demanded, "why did it take you three years?" In response, the artist led the emperor through his studio, revealing thousands of sketches and studies, meticulous drawings of every minute detail, from the iridescent sheen of individual feathers to the sharp grip of the claws. The true work of creation had begun long before the brush ever touched the final canvas.
This story serves as a gentle reminder that creativity rarely arrives in a sudden lightning bolt; it often emerges in the quiet spaces between the activities of our lives. These "interstices", the pauses, gaps, and moments of stillness, are where our best ideas have the room to form. In our busy lives, we must intentionally create these times.
August, in the life of our church, offers us exactly this kind of pause. As many of you head away on holiday, our usual rhythm of groups and activities will take a well-deserved rest. At St Mary’s, we are pausing our regular study sessions, Parish Talks and our dedicated coffee morning team will also be taking a break.
While we slow down, we have some lovely opportunities to gather and reflect: On 6 August the Friends of St Mary’s are organising a day trip to Aldeburgh.
On 9 August we invite you to join us for a special service where we will be blessing our pets. It promises to be a heart-warming occasion. On 16 August we will celebrate our Patronal Festival, marking the Feast of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
This shift in pace does more than just lower our speed of activity; it gives us the vital space to think, to plan, and to let our imaginations wander. I encourage you to use this month to embrace the quiet, to look for the "sketches" in your own life, and perhaps discover new ways of doing things - and new things to do - in the season ahead.
Rev Julie Norris