I Met a Vicar

That sounds like the beginning of a joke but I really did meet a vicar.

Last night. In a church. The oldest church in the city of London.

All Hallows by the Tower held a special service on November 1st called Patronal Festival Evensong. The choir, special guests of the night (their regular gig is singing every Sunday at The London Tower), was magnificent!

During the service, we stood, and sat, and kneeled and eventually prayed for the Queen and also for our inheritance (I am sure it means something spiritual).

Afterwards we were invited to stay for refreshments so I meandered around the church with a glass of red wine and a cheese straw and wondered if it would be appropriate to snap a few pictures.

I was charmed by these individualized cross-stitched
kneeler pads that hung on pegs in front of every pew.

That is when I ran into the vicar’s wife who later introduced me to her husband.

We started off chatting about politics --- midterm elections (they brought it up), how thrilled they are with President Obama, unemployment figures, etc.

And then we got into personal stories...

Last January, the vicar (retired eight years) was asked by a major cruise line to be a chaplain-on-board for their Easter Services.

He turned them down.

Told his daughter about the conversation. She told him he was an idiot. He immediately called them back and said he would take the job.

Then he and his wife spent THREE MONTHS CRUISING AROUND THE WORLD. They said the experience was life changing.

I’m glad I met the vicar, he was a delight and it reaffirms my belief that when it comes to travel opportunities – always say ‘YES’.