dolphins

Thursdays are 'school' days.

Back and forth like a yo-yo that's in need of psychiatric care. At least, that's what it feels like by the time that the morning is done.

I was in to the upper school assembly first of all. Listening in, handing out certificates, and leading the final prayer.

Then complimenting the teacher who heads up the choir that they have on the pieces they'd sung today. Aretha Franklin's Say a little prayer for me and Dancing Queen.

The children were superb. A powerful, three-dimensional illustration of the theme for the month - unity. They were all dressed up in 'comic-relief' sort of outfits, a colourful mix of absolutely all sorts: and they all sang their different parts. But the effect overall was stunning.

So the teacher asked if there were maybe groups of older people to whom the choir could come. It seemed like a good idea to me and I'm trying to fix that up.

The more of that contact we have with the school the better - it seems to me.

I was back later on to meet with the staff when they took their mid-morning coffee break. Just for the chat, since it must be some weeks since I've last managed along at that time.

Then the SU group over lunch. Some new folk there today. And, again, the time just flies. We were on the theme of forgiveness today. And it's always a challenge, for pupils and teachers alike.

They were all very honest. And it's great to see how they're learning that forgiveness is really the best way of all.

There have been a load of admin things as well - a huge amount of 'catch-up' stuff to which I had to attend. And Sunday's fast approaching, too. So there's lots to be preparing for in that regard as well.

The Head at the school told the children a real-life story. I'm not sure where he'd got it from, but he told them it was true.

So I guess it must have been. He's the Head after all.

He told them about a pod (I think that's the term to use) of dolphins who had come upon this make-shift raft on which a man was weakly lying. His boat, I think, had been wrecked. And he was stuck out at sea, some fifty miles from the nearest bit of land.

And the dolphins somehow sensed the man's emergency and put their noses to the task, as it were (I think it was actually their fins) and pushed the raft the fifty miles to shore.

I checked it out on the internet and sure enough there are stories along these lines. Amazing.

It felt like a useful picture of the sort of way the Lord means us to live.

The man on the raft helps us see perhaps where society is today. 'Wrecked' (to put it in rather extreme terms) and just about keeping our head above water: but for how much longer, who knows?

Is our calling, as those who follow the Lord, not exactly the role that the dolphins fulfilled?

We function best as a 'pod'. And with nudge after nudge over long spans of time, we slowly are able to get our humanity back to the shore of where it is meant to be.