Dwelling on Iona

As we’re together here on Iona, Sarah has guest-written today’s entry.

The first thing that strikes me is the way the light caresses the land.

The second is gentleness, it isn’t wild it is welcome and invitation so that is how the day starts, walking into this hospitality of God.

We have been really tired so after a dozy morning David and I said morning prayer separately using different forms, we plan to use his simpler office together on other days.

Throughout the time David has been in this trip I’ve really appreciated the presence of a known voice on the audio of the Common Worship app. Catherine Williams led a clergy spouse retreat for Gloucester diocese a few years back so it set the tone for the rest of the day. For me I find it grounds me in my faith and reveals something of who Jesus is. The audio is really useful because for me Morning and Evening Prayer have always been a community exercise, not something we say alone but even so even if we do we are praying the same prayer and Christians all over the world are listening to the word of God. Common Worship is one of the Anglican expressions of that.

We have a lovely host and enjoyed chatting with her about the new community centre here turns out some friends of ours have stayed here in the past too! After our cooked breakfast, we rested on one of the north beaches (Tràigh Bhàn, literally ‘White Beach’ in Gaelic. You can find our favourite spot using what3words and the reference cobbles.towers.bitters - David).

I decided I’d pray for people in a new way: by photography. The way the soul takes in God perhaps this taking of photos for them can offer this prayer; I enjoyed the creativity of it and because it’s a place held in common by many friends it felt relational. David found a rock-pool submerged in sea, later the tide went out and it became its own little ecosystem, delightful to watch.

David and I shared one of his camping meals for our main meal at lunchtime, Italian inspired cous cous, they are very filling as they are meant for hikers; I had more then half of it! The sheep being let out into the field where we were (our host owns a flock of 20) showed interest in David’s red backpack but were shooed away later on they came to visit us to enquire how our meal was going, ‘have you tried the thistle top it’s lovely’ er no *smiles*.

We decided we’d have a little jaunt around the village by way of getting to know the community, there’s not a lot of people here but it’s a lively community (about 120 residents - David). We came across a burial chapel on our way back; the nicest thing about it were the two housemartins nested there, we thought they looked like statues tucked into the roof as they were. We joked that they might think we were statues too ‘oh look one’s moved!’ they might say to each other. But it had a strange atmosphere so we didn’t linger.

We enjoyed relaxing baths the first I’ve felt able to have in weeks (thank God for walk in showers, I begged God for ‘one in our next house.’ Reader, we now have two and even the bath has a hand rail, making it much more accessible).

We decided we’d book in for worship at the Abbey for while we are here and try it out. I was thrown by the ability to sing in Church in Scotland because I hadn’t heard that announcement, which the government doesn’t allow in England, but I enjoyed listening to it and will join in today. It was led by guests, we have come at the end of a retreat cycle so we joined in the prayer of commitment to living out our faith.

I found it really moving to listen to what I could hear of people’s lockdown psalms it brought home just what we have all been through, they were like reading a diary of Anne Frank. These are not unprecedented times sadly but they are shared times through the ages.

All day I’ve had this longing to go back to North Beach so we’ll spend more of our time there on Thursday and I think I will try the hikers Thai green curry!