IS it me or are we becoming less patient with each other? Over recent weeks I have witnessed situations where people have become very frustrated because they have had to wait in a queue or they have been stuck in traffic. I hate it when I’m driving and someone behind me seems to want to get into my boot but how patient am I?

We rush from one season to the next. As soon as the Christmas cards have gone from the shops Valentine’s Day looms and now Mother’s Day (preferably Mothering Sunday!) and Easter cards have arrived and the chocolate!

It is good to have things to look forward to but we do need to make the most of every day. Phrases like “take time to stop and smell the roses” come to mind along with a favourite of my mother’s “stop wishing your life away”.

We are just into the second week of Lent which is intended to be a period of taking stock, just as Jesus spent time in the wilderness. It’s a time to think about our attitudes and behaviour. Many people will have chosen to give something up for Lent or perhaps chosen something take up too. Many church groups get together from different denominations to reflect upon the coming events of Holy Week and Easter.

Personally, I am looking forward to a time out, a sabbatical after Easter and perhaps that will be a time for me to learn to have more patience too.

Shalom.

The Rev Janet Clasper

Minister in the Grassington and Skipton Methodist Circuit