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Hi
Everyone,
HAPPY NEW YEAR TO YOU....... may it
be filled with everything you wish for yourself
and others!
I don't know about you but I hate seeing a
publicity picture of someone and then on
meeting them find they look about 20 years
older because the picture was way out of
date.......so new year - new photo.
Well, Xmas became a case of "the best laid
plans of mice and men". In my last
newsletter, I confidently wrote that the break
would be spent emptying and sorting boxes from
when we moved house last March.
WRONG! In fact not one box got touched
because John and I were both ill to varying
degrees for the whole period, spanning into the
New Year.
However, it didn’t stop an
extraordinary and inspiring start to this year,
which I would like to share with you in the
feature this month – “The Power of
Love.”o:p>
Here's what else is coming up
too..........
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*
Feature: The Power of
Love
* On a lighter
note.....
* Time is
marching by!
* Because we
like them
TOTAL
READ TIME: A little
longer than usual ...... maybe
around 8 mins
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Feature: The Power of Love
If you read a paper, listen to the
radio or watch televised news coverage, you’ll
probably have heard the story of Olive Archer,
or “Eleanor Rigby” as she was dubbed by the
press.
This has been an extra-ordinary
journey that started when I was asked to
conduct Olive Archer’s funeral. At
83, she had spent the last 5 years in a care
home with no visitors. It was thought
that she had no friends or
relatives.
Very little was known about her, but
when I collected a photograph taken in her 20’s
and looking every inch a Hollywood movie star –
something moved me to take action. Surely
someone must have known her.
Little did I know what that
action would lead to.
Also inspired by the thought,
the Swindon Advertiser ran a feature asking for
any friends or family to come forward, so that
Olive would have a funeral with more than just
myself as the Minister and the funeral
director.
Almost immediately the story was
picked up by The Western Daily Press, followed
by BBC Points West TV, BBC local and national
radio. The Daily Mail was next, followed
by every major
paper.
The phone didn’t stop ringing for
days. Calls were a mix of media wanting
to know more and well wishers wanting to pay
their tributes by sending cards, flowers and
donations. Many of those who called were in
tears after just reading the story. It
touched people’s hearts and their generosity
was overwhelming. Local people who had
known Olive also contacted me with their
memories of her and others wanted to come to
her funeral because they couldn’t bear the
thought of her being alone on her last
journey.
And finally some family members, who
had lost contact but read the story in the
national press, contacted me.
At last, my mission was complete and it looked
as thought there would be standing room only in
the Chapel.
However, that was not to be and
ultimately the venue and timings were changed
so that the family could keep it as a private
affair. This didn’t work entirely,
as several of the press found where it was
being held, but what they wrote was a fitting
ending to a story that had captivated people
around the world. Everyone wanted
to know that Olive’s life had been
honoured.
So why have I told you
all of this?
Well there are two reasons
really. One is that is very heartening to
know that in this day and age, where violent
crime seems to be on the increase and the
reported news is increasingly bad, that a story
like Olive’s can touch the hearts and lives of
so many people around the world and prompt the
most extra ordinary generosity both financially
and of spirit.
The other is that Olive’s story is not
unique by any means, but what has also happened
is that all the coverage has raised awareness
of the plight of the elderly.
Locally this resulted in 6 more workers being
recruited by Age Concern, and other age related
organisations are also having more opportunity
to be heard.
What has it got to do with
you? Well, a lot
really. Old age is something we all
come to, unless we get ill and die early – and
yet it is not often considered. We don’t
like to think that we might end up old, infirm
and on our own. And yet the reality
of that happening is quite stark.
Statistics suggest that by the year 2030, over
50% of the population will be over the age of
85. Couple that with the fact that
there is a falling birth rate, and you
have a population that is top heavy with old
people.
Already we are an ageist society, with
teenagers calling their parents “mouldies” and
the workplace not really wanting to look at
people over the age of 50. So the
potential for more division between the young
and old is very likely. Unless of
course, we begin to address this
now.
Last year, The Zimmers became a
world-wide phenomena. A large group of
old people, from 60-90+, brought together to
sing – and wow, did they have a
ball. Of course they did….. who on
earth thinks that because you become old, you
lose your desire to have fun and enjoy
life. Admittedly, incidents of dementia
or Alzheimers, do seem to be higher these days
but it’s only part of the bigger
picture.
What most older people lack is
company. They all have stories to tell if
people can be bothered to listen and encourage
them to talk. Those who don’t see many
people, do begin to lose their social skills
but they soon come back with a little patience
and encouragement.
However, I feel that we as
community need to do more too. Do you
have an elderly family member that you don’t
see often? Give them a call, send them a
card – show an interest. Maybe get
involved with an organisation that is offering
support.
Personally, I believe that one
of the most powerful ways forward is with
inter-generational work that finds ways to
bring young and old together to learn from one
another. Older people can learn that not all
youngsters are into bad things and younger
people can learn that not all old people are
boring and senile. How much better would
the world be for that?
And finally, because we are tending to
live longer now than ever before, the third
level here is how we manage
ourselves. What inner resources are
we building that will carry us through to
frailty, old age and facing death?
This is frequently an area that people don’t
like to address, but it's vital to create inner
anchors that sustain us right the way through
life to the very end – no matter how that may
occur.
The more we work on and let go of
“stuff” that no longer serves us (resentments,
grudges, low self-esteem, etc), the more room
we make for inner contentment, enthusiasm and
lightness of spirit - all important for a
healthy old age.
If you are interested in what kicked
it all off, here are a couple of
links.
BBC POINTS WEST - TOM
BURRIDGE TALKS TO REVEREND
LONSDALE
BBC WORLD SERVICE - FRED
DOVE TALKS TO REVEREND LONSDALE ABOUT THE
WIDER SOCIAL
ISSUES
On
a lighter note.......but
related!
A. A. A. D. D. --
"Age Activated Attention
Deficit
Disorder"
This is
how it manifests: I decide to
water my garden.
As I turn on the hose in the
driveway, I look over at my car
and decide it needs
washing.
As I start toward the garage, I
notice that there is mail on
the porch table that I brought
up from the mailbox earlier. I
decide to go through the mail
before I wash the car.
I lay the car keys down on the
table, put the junk mail in the
garbage can under the table,
and notice that the can is
full. So, I decide to put the
bills back on the table and
take out the garbage first.
But then I think, since I'm
going to be near the mailbox
when I take out the garbage
anyway, I may as well pay the
bills first. I take my
chequebook off the table, and
see that there is only one
cheque left.
My extra cheques are in my desk
in the study, so I go inside
the house to my desk where I
find the can of Coke that I had
been drinking. I'm going to
look for my cheques, but first
I need to push the Coke aside
so that I don't accidentally
knock it over. I see that the
Coke is getting warm, and I
decide I should put it in the
refrigerator to keep it
cold.
As I head toward the kitchen
with the Coke, a vase of
flowers on the counter catches
my eye--they need to be
watered. I set the Coke down on
the counter, and I discover my
reading glasses that I've been
searching for all morning. I
decide I better put them back
on my desk, but first I'm going
to water the flowers.
I set the glasses back down on
the counter, fill a container
with water and suddenly I spot
the TV remote that someone left
on the kitchen table. I realize
that tonight when we go to
watch TV, I will be looking for
the remote, but I won't
remember that it's on the
kitchen table, so I decide to
put it back in the den where it
belongs, but first I'll water
the flowers. I pour some water
in the flowers, but quite a bit
of it spills on the floor.
So, I set the remote back down
on the table, get some towels
and wipe up the spill. Then I
head down the hall trying to
remember what I was planning to
do...
At the end of the
day:
* the car
isn't washed
* the bills aren't paid
* there is a warm can of Coke
sitting on the counter
* the flowers don't have enough
water
* there is still only one
cheque my cheque book
* I can't find the remote
* I can't find my glasses
* I don't remember what I did
with the car keys.
Then when I try to figure out
why nothing got done today, I'm
really baffled because I know I
was busy all day long, and I'm
really tired.
I realize this is a
serious problem, and I'll try
to get some help for it, but
first I'll check my
e-mail. Don't
laugh -- if this isn't you yet,
your day is
coming!
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PASS THIS
ON.
CLICK HERE
TO BRIGHTEN AND INSPIRE
SOMEONE ELSE'S DAY.
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Time is marching
on....... but there is just enough left to book
for two forthcoming London events with
Akasha.
Friday 15th February
2008.
A two hour interactive talk based on
Akasha's popular self-help book of the same
name. The venue is the Friends
Meeting House, Euston Road, NW1 from
7-9pm. Your investment is just
£5!
Saturday 16th
February 2008.
"The Healing Experience" - a
powerful one day program of letting go and
moving on.
The Venue is The London College of
Spirituality, High Holborn, London.WC1 from 10
- 5pm. Your investment is
£67.Bookings,
payment and full information for both events
can be found at The London College of
Spirituality.
Because we like them
We decided that each month we would include
a few links to other sites, either because we
know the people concerned and think they are
great or we were inspired by the site and
wanted to share it with you. By the way, these
are not affiliate links and no money is
received for including them.
www.elderabuse.org.uk
Founded in 1993, Action on Elder Abuse was
established in response to the concern about
the lack of information and assistance for
older people being, or at risk of being,
abused.
www.twelfth-house.co.uk
In London's Notting Hill Gate, this is an
Astrological Restaurant and Bar, where you can
have either an astrological or tarot
reading. If that doesn't interest you,
then just enjoy the ambience, good food and
good wine!
www.contact-the-elderly.org
| This
non-profit organization matches
frail, elderly people who live
alone with volunteers who take them
to tea one Sunday every
month. |
BEAUTIFUL, PERSONALISED AND HEARTFELT
CEREMONIES CREATED AND CONDUCTED
BY
REV. AKASHA
LONSDALE
If you have enjoyed this newsletter and know
of somebody else who would benefit from it's
message, please forward it to them and suggest
that they subscribe. Click
here to pass it on.
If this has been forwarded to you
Click here to sign up and
ensure you receive your own regular ......
Breath of Fresh Air
Meantime you can find
details of our life changing program and other
services at:
www.empoweringpartnership.com
www.thelaughterschool.com
Until the next time,
John and I wish you an inspired and empowered
month.
Akasha
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