Travelling Solo , livre ebook

Lion Hudson - Jo Cundy

Découvre YouScribe en t'inscrivant gratuitement

Je m'inscris

Obtenez un accès à la bibliothèque pour le consulter en ligne
En savoir plus

62 pages

English

Vous pourrez modifier la taille du texte de cet ouvrage

Obtenez un accès à la bibliothèque pour le consulter en ligne
En savoir plus

A propos
Informations
Extrait

Description

What do you do when life changes and you find yourself travelling solo? How do you adjust after many years of shared life with someone deeply loved? This was the challenge that Jo Cundy faced after the unexpectedly early death of her husband, Ian. Since then, Jo has been on a journey exploring a very different way of life, and learning that God does not abandon us, but remains active in our lives. Indeed, God has not let the grass grow under her feet! This is a book about journeying, where the reality and metaphor of travel mingle. By sharing stories and reflections on the opportunities that have opened up for her in this season of life, Jo seeks to encourage fellow travellers to acknowledge the challenges, but also to welcome life's new experiences and adventures with hope and faith.

Sujets

Philosophie et théologie

Christianity

Informations

Publié par	Lion Hudson
Date de parution	20 octobre 2017
Nombre de lectures	0
EAN13	9780857218407
Langue	English

Informations légales : prix de location à la page 0,0400€. Cette information est donnée uniquement à titre indicatif conformément à la législation en vigueur.

Extrait

Jo Cundy has, with grace and honesty, shared her unexpected journey , travelling solo after the death of her husband. This a courageous book, and I hope that through it many will discover that God gives us the confidence to say yes to opportunities that come our way.
- Rt Revd Libby Lane, Bishop of Stockport
Jo Cundy writes with easy charm and honesty about the many dimensions of travelling solo. Her book is full of anecdotal wisdom and spiritual good sense.
- Rt Revd John Pritchard, former Bishop of Oxford
Jo Cundy is the ideal companion for the difficult journey - honest, wise, patient and full of faith. Reflecting her own experience as a solo traveller though the stories of the Bible, she offers insights and encouragement of real depth.
- Revd Professor David Wilkinson, Principal, St Johns College, Durham University
This is a brave book which gives very helpful insights to those of us who, like its author, have been called, against our will, to travel solo . It is, above all, a journal of Christian hope, an encouragement to let go and let God .
Rt Revd Dr John Inge, Bishop of Worcester

Copyright 2017 Jo Cundy
This edition copyright 2017 Lion Hudson IP Ltd
The right of Jo Cundy to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by her in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.
Published by Monarch Books
an imprint of
Lion Hudson IP Ltd
Wilkinson House, Jordan Hill Road,
Oxford OX2 8DR, England
Email: monarch@lionhudson.com
www.lionhudson.com/monarch
ISBN 978 0 85721 839 1
e-ISBN 978 0 85721 840 7
First edition 2017
Acknowledgments
Every effort has been made to trace and contact copyright owners for material used in this book. We apologize for any inadvertent omissions or errors.
The text (and extracts therefrom) pp. 15-16 and at chapter openings of One more step along the world I go (Sydney Carter 1915-2014) 1971 Stainer Bell Ltd, 23 Gruneisen Road, London N3 1DZ, England, www.stainer.co.uk is used by permission. All rights reserved.
Extract p. 35 from Tom Gordon, Seasons of Grief , taken from New Journeys Now Begin , Wild Goose Publications, 2007, www.ionabooks.com. Used with permission.
Extract p. 66 from Will you come and follow me? , words John L. Bell Graham Maule, copyright 1987 WGRG, c/o Iona Community, Glasgow, Scotland. www.wildgoose.scot. Reproduced by permission.
Extract p. 99 taken from Clive Evans, Time Out of the Ordinary , used with permission.
Extract p. 108 from Behold, I make all things new , words John L. Bell, copyright 1995 WGRG, c/o Iona Community, Glasgow, Scotland. www.wildgoose.scot. Reproduced by permission.
Unless otherwise marked Scripture quotations are from The Revised Standard Version of the Bible copyright 1946, 1952 and 1971 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches in the USA. Used by permission. All Rights Reserved.
Scripture quotation marked ESV is taken from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version (ESV ) Copyright 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotation marked NIV is taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version , copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 International Bible Society. Used by permission of Hodder Stoughton, a member of the Hodder Headline Group. All rights reserved. NIV is a trademark of International Bible Society. UK trademark number 1448790.
Extracts from The Book of Common Prayer, the rights in which are vested in the Crown, are reproduced by permission of the Crown s patentee, Cambridge University Press.
Common Worship: Services and Prayers for the Church of England (Church House Publishing, 2000) is copyright The English Language Liturgical Consultation and is reproduced by permission of the publisher.
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
Cover Image alien185/iStockphoto
In memory of Susan Kent,
a solo traveller with courage and vision
Contents
Foreword by Caroline Welby
Introduction: An Unexpected Journey
1. Venturing Forth Round England
2. Rediscovering Me
3. Australia Beckons
4. Opening New Doors
5. Elephants On the Road
6. Return to the Antipodes
7. Sharing Travel Stories
8. Valuing the Present Moment
9. Letting God Speak
10. Blessings Abound
11. When Travelling Days Are Done
12. Travelling On
Notes
Acknowledgments
Foreword
M ost of us who are married or in long term relationships, if we re honest, dread the moment when we will find ourselves on our own again, whether through illness, separation, or bereavement. We know it will come to most of us and we don t know how we will manage. As I watch and am alongside some of those I know who find themselves alone again for whatever reason, I am struck by the fact that one of the greatest challenges is often that of working out how to navigate the tension between the need and desire to look back and hold on to what you had together then, and the imperative to move forward and discover a new life and purpose for the future now.
We got to know Jo and Ian when Ian was Warden of Cranmer Hall - Justin was studying there prior to ordination - and the happy coincidence of their daughter being of similar age to one of our sons and worshipping in the same church meant that we struck up a lasting friendship, which was as surprising as much as it was enjoyable. Leaving Durham at the same time, Justin became a lowly curate, Ian a bishop, but Ian also became one of the mentors and wise godly men who shaped Justin s thinking as he made his way through parish life. Through parties at particular stages in life, time spent on holiday together, and occasional collaborative work we kept up our links and so were aware in part of Ian s last journey through updates from Jo in which she would express far more than the bare facts as she reflected something of the inner journey too.
This journey forward into the unknown is not easy and that is where Jo s lovely book comes in. She balances the anecdotes and stories, which are described with great humour and wonderful illustration, with exploration of the themes round travelling solo in such a way that the resonances of experience will be felt by all, not just those on that solo journey. What emerges is indeed a celebration of life s new opportunities.
With huge honesty and integrity Jo manages to take us back to those pivotal experiences in her own journey and to use them as springboards to discuss some of the issues involved, managing to combine sound wisdom with openness and transparency which draws us in to explore the subject with her. Above all, even as she points us to the joys and challenges of travelling solo, whether now or in the future, she points beyond and around to the ultimate presence, guidance, and sovereignty of Emmanuel, God with us.
Caroline Welby
June 2017
Introduction: An Unexpected Journey
And it s from the old I travel to the new 1
How did I start on this journey?
I close the door behind me, get into the car, and drive out of the Minster Precincts in Peterborough. The removal lorry has already left. I am leaving behind both the place and the memories, and setting out alone, newly widowed, on an unexpected journey in search of a new life - a novice entering the experience of travelling solo.
Seven years later I look back with amazement at where that journey has taken me, and the opportunities that it has offered. Indeed, after nearly forty years of relatively stable life as a clergy wife, I have been discovering the God who does not let the grass grow under my feet and who can provide plenty of challenges in life, and open new doors into the unexpected.
How did I reach this crossroads in my life? How did I come to this point where the road behind is closed and the way ahead is uncertain? How do any of us reach those turning points when life changes completely in ways that may be expected or unexpected, timely or untimely? We come in a variety of ways, gradual or sudden, gentle or traumatic, and we come with a variety of emotions, feeling shocked, bewildered, angry, resigned or relieved. Perhaps we look back and try to trace the route that brought us to this point, and perhaps sometimes we find ourselves asking God why it had to be like this. We each come with our own story, along our own route to a point where we step onto that new path and into a future that is unknown in its potential.
So let me start my story at the beginning. Once upon a time - that is how all the best stories begin. Once upon a time I was a newly retired probate solicitor, married to Ian who was Bishop of Peterborough - with all the diocesan and civic involvements that that job entailed - enjoying a non-executive role in NHS Primary Care, watching our adult children embarking on their lives and professions, and dreaming of eventual retirement to our house in Weardale in County Durham. Then the ordered pattern of life was broken: in the summer of 2007 Ian developed what seemed to start as a chest infection but did not improve; it continued through a wet and miserable summer and an autumn of medical tests, until he was diagnosed with mesothelioma, a rare form of lung cancer affecting the pleural cavity. It was treatable, but not curable, and he was given a limited survival time. An extraordinarily active and eventful eighteen months ensued; a time when we managed to live life to the full and against all the odds, and then Ian died in office in 2009, shortly before we had planned to take early retirement.
It was four months later that I left our tied episcopal accommodation and fulfilled, alone, our retirement plans by moving both to Lanehead at the top of Weardale, where we ha