Christmastime is here by Golly!
Disapproval would be folly,
Deck the halls with hunks of holly,
Fill the cups and don't say "when".
Kill the turkeys, ducks and chickens,
----------- drag out the Dickens!
Even though the prospect sickens,
Brother here we go again!
I wouldn't say Tom Lehrer's sentiments echoed mine exactly - actually I would like to drag out the Dickens and the Dylan Thomas - what Christmas is complete without a rendition of A Child's Christmas in Wales. Perhaps I will read some when Alexander comes over... But there's never enough leisure time to do that sort of thing.
All cheery thoughts are exiled by the latest news of cousin S - things clearly looking bad. He's in the miracle zone now I suppose - only a miracle can save him. So come on God! How about it? It would be a stunning Christmas present for them all! Please don't just say "The answer to your prayer is No". You may well have a higher purpose, but it's getting hard to see it. Now that they've stopped radiotherapy because it isn't helping - what more can medicine offer? Bone cancer is widespread... it's a miracle or nothing now. Look, this is a public(ish) space and I'm going to say a prayer here, even if the readership laugh at me, and think me a credulous fool - because wherever 2 or 3 of us are gathered together... you'll listen, even if some of the readers are devout atheists. If you read this, and can bring yourself to, please pray this prayer - or at least the Amen!
Heavenly Father, I just ask you, in the name of your son Jesus who came and joined us in the flesh, to heal Strat's bone cancer, and heal his body completely of all cancer and to let him live a natural span of healthy life. Amen (everybody say "Amen"!)
Disapproval would be folly,
Deck the halls with hunks of holly,
Fill the cups and don't say "when".
Kill the turkeys, ducks and chickens,
----------- drag out the Dickens!
Even though the prospect sickens,
Brother here we go again!
I wouldn't say Tom Lehrer's sentiments echoed mine exactly - actually I would like to drag out the Dickens and the Dylan Thomas - what Christmas is complete without a rendition of A Child's Christmas in Wales. Perhaps I will read some when Alexander comes over... But there's never enough leisure time to do that sort of thing.
All cheery thoughts are exiled by the latest news of cousin S - things clearly looking bad. He's in the miracle zone now I suppose - only a miracle can save him. So come on God! How about it? It would be a stunning Christmas present for them all! Please don't just say "The answer to your prayer is No". You may well have a higher purpose, but it's getting hard to see it. Now that they've stopped radiotherapy because it isn't helping - what more can medicine offer? Bone cancer is widespread... it's a miracle or nothing now. Look, this is a public(ish) space and I'm going to say a prayer here, even if the readership laugh at me, and think me a credulous fool - because wherever 2 or 3 of us are gathered together... you'll listen, even if some of the readers are devout atheists. If you read this, and can bring yourself to, please pray this prayer - or at least the Amen!
Heavenly Father, I just ask you, in the name of your son Jesus who came and joined us in the flesh, to heal Strat's bone cancer, and heal his body completely of all cancer and to let him live a natural span of healthy life. Amen (everybody say "Amen"!)
S died in July 2014 - so he hung on for another 18 months - is that an answer to prayer? Sort of... he probably lived longer than I expected when I wrote that. But no, there wasn't a miracle - but I guess a Catholic would say that he gave a good example of living his life right to its difficult, and painful end. In that 18 months he had his first grandchild, and finished another book, gave a great party, and probably did a great many other things. He was pretty damn saintly actually - something we would not have seen in quite such a poignant way if he'd had a miracle cure.
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