A couple of days ago we held our annual Interfaith Service for the City. I wrote this for the MP of Hove – Peter Kyle, but sadly he was called away… so I read it. There was a quite a bit of laughter. Hope you like it…
Brighton and Hove’s Peace Statue
There were once two Small neighbouring towns That did not get on.
One was genteel, tidy, God-fearing The other rude, brash and vulgar. Disagreement was common.
… And yet … the tale that follows Seems more comic-cuts than horror movie.
One sunny day in 1911 A wooden statue Depicting ‘Peace’ Designed by Mr Newbury Trent Was erected on the seaside borders Of the bickering municipalities.
It was called ‘Peacemaker’ And it was named after old King Edward VII.
Some 30 feet tall – it was an angel Holding an orb and an olive branch – As you do… when peace comes to mind. A year later a new home for nurses was opened And on the same day Newbury Trent’s bronze statue Replaced the wooden one.
The location of this lovely figure Was within the boundaries of Brighton But its upkeep was Hove’s responsibility – Another potential cause for disagreement.
On that day In October 1912 One hundred and eleven years ago The Duke of Norfolk Unveiled the Peace Statue
In the build-up To the great moment Things went slightly upside down.
A horse bolted Before the wobbly entourage And its statue Arrived at the chosen destination
The civic band played up But the result was gruesome and tuneless.
The entire glorious occasion Was said to be a damp squib.
After the unveiling Brighton’s mayor Made an irritable speech Expressing the view that Perhaps the Peace Statue Might help Brighton and Hove Learn to get on… “Fat chance of that!” Said Mrs Miggins in the front row.
For over 100 years the statue stood Battered by wind and rain Not to mention some ugly storms But the Peace Statue knew peace She was peace Peace was her way And having heard the words Of the long-gone mayor She fluttered her magnificent wings And waved her arms And made it happen.
Thus peace came to Hove and Brighton And it is said that today Even the Members of Parliament Talk to each other.
But best of all Our beautiful statue Reigns down peace on all of us Who look on her And reminds us that for all its quirkiness This is a unified, loving City of Peace.
The two wars that are raging close to home – the Ukrainian War and the Israeli-Palestinian War have left many people bereft. Both conflicts are heartbreaking. Tonight I will pray for peace with my prayer group. I have been asked to read this prayer, but I am also aware that when we pray together in silence something powerful and mysterious occurs that appears to transcend time itself.
My last two prayers both explore peace and silence in different ways.
Peace Prayer: October 2023
The loving peace of silence speaks to us it reminds us of the cacophony of war the endless thunder of bombardment then silence two faces of humanity
In the theatre of war silence heralds the quiet before the shrieking storm
In the theatre of war silence offers respite or maybe curtains
Together you and I stand in another place we stare into the landscape the ugly drama is remembered the horror of conflict is distant yet close to our beating hearts
Together we pray in silence asking for the conflict to end
Let us pray in peace for peace let us pray for the conflict to end let us pray for understanding let us pray for compassion let us pray for love
Having lived through a number of wars in my lifetime, I have come to realise that holding views on the rights and wrongs of any conflict is almost pointless, unless one is directly involved in the war itself. And yet I find it impossible not to hold views. I like to think I understand what is right and what is wrong, but so many others think the same way, and it doesn’t heal conflict. Today the war in Israel involves members of our community, in this City, who will hold opposing views. For this reason I am hoping that if we hold a vigil, it may be possible to have a silent vigil, so that we may all share prayers of peace… just peace. This prayer is simply a peace prayer, that may be read, and felt and expressed in silence.
Silent Peace Prayer
We ask for peace In silence Though our hearts may be full
We pray for understanding Acceptance, forgiveness So that the conflict may end
There will be a day When the scars of the past Fade and disappear
Time offers insight Insight unlocks compassion Knowing this We contemplate The perfection of peace So that all lives May exist and flourish In harmony
We ask for peace In silence Giving thanks
And though we pray in silence Let our prayers be heard By the forces of love… Love beyond understanding Amen
The attack on the environment continues. The attack is aggressively led in the UK by the Prime Minister. Why? To win votes and come to power… again. In a moment of despair, I have written another prayer of love… dedicated to our beautiful planet.
The world is my mother And I honour her
The swirling seas Tempestuous, terrifying Deep and wave-form Rippling, graceful, curving, Home for water creatures
On earth Magnificent animals roam A thousand shapes and forms Stampeding, slithering Scuttling and scampering Across this place
Riding the air, flying life forms Winding elegantly on the wind Butterflies, birds and bees
The world is my mother And I love her
But I am a clumsy traveller On this sacred planet Journeying with heavy heart
For wherever I turn There is disrespect… Contempt for her oceans Disregard for her earth Her mountains, glaciers The harmony and perfection Of the air we breathe… Infected
And so I ask That we pray for her Now… Before it is too late
Let’s pray for a change of heart in the world of greedy businessmen… Let’s wander through the select vestibules of scurrilous statesmen – Meander around the mansions of petty politicians – Plead for change… from the habitual users of deadly aircraft to the tidal-wave-form-producers of plastic
May the greedy businessmen become volunteer carers The scurrilous statesmen convert to honourable benefactors The petty politicians learn to be compassionate Whilst the deadly aircraft users take to rambling… And as for the plastic manufacturers Let’s pray that they devote their lives to organic farming
Let’s pray for a change of heart across the world So that we may celebrate a life of health generosity, joy and love For ourselves and our glorious planet
Some years back a good friend died and asked me to carry out her funeral. It was very much the service she wanted, and her presence was strongly felt. The music was pretty varied and included Carol King’s ‘You’ve Got a Friend’. When it played the entire congregation broke into song. Everyone knew the words so well. It was a powerful moment. In this way my friend’s faith in friendship was celebrated by everyone in that space.
Friendship is mystical and beautiful. Here is a prayer celebrating friendship…
Friendship Prayer
May we bask In the radiant warmth Of friendship
May we bounce On lightweight laughter And be enthralled By unexpected stories Swirling, shared And exchanged
Illuminate us With luminous loyalty Judgement free So we may never fail And never fall
Make us playful Polite, generous Happy, sad, sorrowful Joyfully sharing This life journey
Let us share the mystery Of loving kindness That lies at the heart Of true friendship
I pray for myself I love myself Unconditionally And in loving myself I would wish no harm To myself Or others For this is a world Where everything Every—single—thing Is connected And so I start By honouring myself And giving myself Loving kindness On this shared life journey Of love With love
I pause… And now… I turn my thoughts Just as this world turns
I pray for one I love One person I love Unconditionally And in loving this soul I wish all things That makes them happy And feel well But above all I give them loving kindness On this shared life journey Of love With love
I pause… And now… I turn my thoughts Just as this world turns
I pray for one who I do not know well An acquaintance… Maybe a neighbour or a passer-by I pray for this soul Unconditionally And in praying I wish all things That that this soul would like And love in life That could make them happy But above all things I give them loving kindness On this shared life journey Of love With love
I pause… And now… I turn my thoughts Just as this world turns
I pray for someone I find difficult Difficult to like at all Some might say ‘an enemy’ I pray for this soul Unconditionally And in praying I wish them well And above all things I give them loving kindness On this shared life journey Of love With love
I pause… And now… I turn my thoughts Just as this world turns
I pray for the world For its people, its animals Its birds and beasts For its plants and flowers Its trees, its grasses Nature in all its stupendous glory The blue sky The deep oceans I pray for this world Unconditionally And in loving this world I would wish no harm To any living thing Or any part of this world For this is a world Where everything Every—single—thing Is connected And so I reach out And give the world Loving kindness With all my heart On this shared life journey Of love With love
If you come to Google ‘Blessing’ or ‘Prayer for Mum’ you could get a bit frustrated. All the so called prayers for Mum open with words like “Dear Lord,” “Jesus,” “Lord Today I Pray” “Dearest Saint Joseph” – one even opens – “God of Heaven’s Armies”. Amazing!
I understand those people who need traditional words to praise their mother, but I also feel we do not always need blokes to help us pray for a Mum. A mother is sacred in her own right, and special to you and me, without guidance from others.
Here is a blessing for Mum, and a selection of pictures of my Sister, my Mum and my Grandma – just some of my family’s mums in life. The prayer comes from the new website – Prayers for Everyone.
A Blessing for Mum
Is there anything Like a Mum? No way
Is there anyone We would rather bless Today? No way
My Mum… our Mum Is the mostest The crème de la crème The dream de la dream
Feeding us – Caring for us – Laughing at us – Yelling at us – Supporting us – Ultimate top-notch Mum Mother superior In every way
Which is why We bless her and love her And feel close to her In a zillion ways
She made us What we are
Thank you, Mum
My MumMy Grandma, photographed over 100 years ago, with the twins – Gertrude (my mum) and Alfred. Wow! Time flies when you are having fun!Leave a comment
I play cards a lot. I’ve done it all my life. There is something very special about sitting down with friends and playing a game that challenges one a bit, but does not push one far enough to generate bad feelings. The games I play involve acceptance and generous congratulations for the winner or winners – whoever they may be. I only play games with good friends. In contrast, my mother had a real horror of card games that involved any kind of gambling. She came from an abjectly poor family with two brothers and many cousins and had experienced some horrible conflicts arising from bitterly competitive card games where money was involved.
The best card games feature a combination of skill and luck. I play two games on a fairly regular basis – an Italian form of Canasta, known as Samba (in this country) and also Poker. These two games are very different, but still take me to places that remind me of life skills and lessons that are difficult to learn. Samba, described as ‘Canasta on speed’ is a terrifying and addictive, and is played with a partner. As one rises above the first levels of play, one acquires handicaps that can bring down fast-speeding front-runners as quickly as one likes. There is no place for arrogance… at least not for too long. Italian Canasta also has a built-in tension factor, as the four players fight-tooth-and-nail to gain a pile of cards that will set them up with a higher score. Every now and again, as we sit around the card table, some anxious but jolly player will ask why we choose to create so much stress for ourselves… just for a card game!
An entirely different kettle of fish is poker – two kinds – Texas Hold’em, with two cards, plus the flop of five, or Omaha with four cards plus the flop. The game is usually adjusted to the number of players at the time. Money is also involved, albeit small sums. With poker there is skill in reading people, making sure that others don’t read you, but also in working out whether the cards have potential, or imagining what the others might have in their hands. The problem arises when one just does not have good cards, and there is little or no room for manoeuvre when this happens. Having bad cards is demoralising – like failing to get to a good drop shot (in tennis) – or being rejected by an official body when one thinks one has done something brilliant. Bad cards are like the bad turns in life that lead one questioning oneself and one’s skills, which is why one has to play cards with a touch of optimism, faith and enthusiasm… alternatively just keep to playing cards with friends, and keep the stakes to a minimum and stay happy.
Games… including card games teach one about life, but sadly the lessons are not always easily learned. If one is on a winning streak it is a great feeling, but countering that are so many emotions that can spoil things. Does one deserve to win? Is it unkind to others? Is this war or just a bloody silly game? If one is constantly winning is it because one is just utterly brilliant? Possibly yes; more probably no.
The one thing that pushes the sweetness and kindness out of the window is playing games with one’s three teenage nephews, and then one gets a real sense of the bitter struggle, the silliness and vicious punch-ups necessary for survival. Many years later I am glad to say that we are all alive to tell the tale, but I think I might leave out some kinds of board games. Monopoly and Hotel are far too scary for me.
With the certainty of the sunrise may the ball rise above me waiting to be placed
May the flight of the sphere with its cosmic grace be a perfect trajectory defying space and time
So, as I turn agile and angled I let fly
My heart sings as the sphere soars higher and higher only to come down to an invitation to sweep wide an earthly motion skimming controlled power like a stone on water
May my racquet be my friend may the ball travel wherever I wish may the net serve as a gentle reminder may I have confidence in myself may I respect my opponent
May this game bring joy to me to those I love in this… our interstellar world
