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First Burial of Ashes

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I assisted at my first burial of ashes last week - an unexpectedly thought-provoking occasion as the deceased was a trans woman. She had been one of the oldest people in the UK to transition through surgery in her seventies, and she had remained married to her wife who had been a faithful and supportive companion throughout the process. Her widow was present at the graveside and she seemed so kind and warm. Together the couple had had two children, both of whom were also there, along with a young grandson looking very earnest and smart in a shirt and tie. The lady's transition journey had provoked mixed reactions in this family, some responding comfortably, others struggling - but it didn't stop them coming together for the occasion and they seemed a lovely, united family as they huddled together with their arms round each other under umbrellas. It was a huge privilege to stand there in the midst of this family which had worked through this process together, and to offer prayer
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Final lines about summer swimming

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Here are the last few tweet-poems from my river-swimming jaunts in July which I forgot to post at the time... 15 July My neighbour joins (a fellow mum), our children stranded inside, The current pulses against pale thighs: we are re-entering our lives. 16 July I wait for the sun, counting down to one, feeling resistant, Once in I can barely swim, the river churns and thumps - equally incalcitrant. 17 July A man eyed me from the bank, dangling his flaccid limbs in the stream, His stares diminished by the undulating phalanx flowing in between.
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God as She

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The Telegraph published an old article of mine this week, following the debate about whether the Church of England’s official liturgy should include female references to God. In fact, it’s a discussion which has been going on for decades, as this fascinating blog post by Rachel Mann explains, but it has been re-enlivened this week. My article ( here ) makes the point that in all the Abrahamic faiths God is understood to transcend gender, despite the fact that historically we have always used male pronouns. ' For he is not a man, as I am.' (Job: 9.32)   A friend and theology student recently shared with me the idea that using gendered language for God is the same as using any metaphor (just like rock or lion or lamb) - of course it's not meant to be read literally. The idea of gender as a  metaphor for God appealed to me, speaking of God’s ultimate otherness – we are just grasping at who she is through linguistic techniques. But we also need to be cautious
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