Falling into the abyss of Divine Love

I have recently been reminded of an image which describes the nature of Love: we are like little pebbles in an ocean of Divine Love which is bottomless, endless. As we fall we may get lodged in little ledges of coral where we may get comfy and want to ‘set up camp’. The currents of Grace gently ‘wrestle’ us free from these places and we continue falling, gently tumbling deeper into this abyss of God’s Love. We delude ourselves to think we have any control over Love or that we are separated from this Love. Whether we are living in a state of awareness or not, we are immersed in the ocean of Divine Love falling ever deeper into this abyss. Each one of us is sustained by Love. If Love stopped loving us with every breath we take, every second of the day, we would cease to exist. 

2016 has been another year of falling into the Abyss. It started with a much needed rest in South Africa. I had a sabbatical – a rest from the privileged work I do as a GP – we took a trip to South Africa. 

We spent three weeks in Cape Town catching up with family and friends. We celebrated my 40th birthday at a farm in Tulbach with all the family. It was a very special time together.  We had a wonderful few days with the Redfern family on Elandskloof farm. We then had one week in the Pilansberg game reserve. Aunty Dee joined us for a few days. We witnessed a pride of lions hunting and killing a baby wathog which left an impression that the boys took back to England and shared with their friends … wild Africa.

Judy participated in a few triathlons starting with one in Oxford and then Lymington. She also completed the Forestman middle distance triathlon (with the swim in the Beaulieu river). 

I spent 5 days cycling from London to Paris and back to Portsmouth with my good friend, Angus. We spent a day in Paris visiting a Monet museum and various other landmarks. We cycled to Giverny to visit Monet’a house and garden … a surreal and special moment. Coffee and Pain au raisins became our staple diet for those few days … it was something I’ve longed to do and can’t wait for the next cycle touring adventure. 

The year was full of the boys footie. They both did so well and Joey received an award for the spectators player of the year. During the summer Joey’s team played in a few tournaments and went unbeaten for 25 games in a row. We visited St Mary’s Stadium to watch Saints play a few times. Nath and I watched Saints beat Inter Milan in a historic victory in the Europa League. The boys and I visited Wembley Stadium to watch a friendly between England and Spain. This was our first visit. It was an overwhelming experience with 83 000 people. 

We had some good time together during the boys school holidays and spent 2 weeks in Normandy during the Summer break. We spent time fishing for carp, cycling, swimming, playing games and visiting Mont St Michel. 

Nath and I went to London to watch Michael Morpurgo read his War Horse story with Joanna Lumley at the Royal Albert Hall. The Philharmonic Orchestra played and the London Choir sang. It was unexpected when Nath remarked how much he enjoyed the evening. 

During the summer, on one of our visits to Calshot (an activity centre on the beach where the boys and Judy climb), Judy and I assisted in a rescue of a young girl after a jet ski accident. Judy was incredibly brave and acted quickly to rescue the injured girl from the water. The boys looked on in amazement while we worked together as a team. I was amazed at how Judy reacted and how calm she was. Judy was involved with another incident where a cyclist was knocked down by a car in the New Forest. She stopped and assisted in providing support to the man who lay unconscious on the side of the road until the paramedics arrived. Again I was so amazed that she responded in the way she did with such composure.

We continue to enjoy running and cycling in the New Forest. Nath has recently started cycling with me when I run and this has been a special time. 

Judy has done exceptionally well with her football coaching and has almost completed her FA level 2. She has also started a new job as a lecturer at Brockenhurst College in the Sports and Exercise Department. She is also working towards a PGCE. 

Despite another challenging year on many fronts, the sense of God’s presence has been tangible. There is a continuous tension between holding onto things and letting go … a sense of falling into the abyss of Divine Love without settling for anything less.