Inviting you for chocolate ... and a book launch

There will be chocolate of course.

Come and celebrate the launch of the book - and If you are unable to come, you can pre-order a signed copy of the book here:

www.penelopeswithinbank.com

and it will be sent to you in early November.

Two vicars, their marriage in tatters with wounds reaching far back into the past, set out on a journey to find healing and restoration. Their route will take them from the Mediterranean to the Atlantic, but will it help them find their way home? Along the 320-mile route across rural France, burdened by backpacks and blisters, Kim and Penelope stumble across fresh truths, some ordinary, others extraordinary. But will they be defeated by the road ahead or triumph over the pain of the past? Is there a chance they'll find themselves in France and walk back to happiness? In this simple but enchanting book, part travelogue and part pilgrimage, Penelope invites you to walk with her and her husband on their epic journey as they encounter new faces and new experiences, and reconnect with each other and with God. Every step of the way, you'll discover more about yourself and what's really important to you.

Walking Back to Happiness puts one in mind of The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Frye. With the use of vivid details, humour, and vulnerability, Penelope takes us on a heart-warming journey that will not only provoke you to book a walking holiday, but think more deeply about love and commitment. 

-      Shelly Miller, Author of Rhythms of Rest: Finding the Spirit of Sabbath in a Busy World





One way to Redeem Advent

It’s nearly that time of year again.  Already there are vast tubs of chocolates on special offer in our local supermarket, catalogues with gift suggestions dropping through the letterbox, questions about where we will spend Christmas this year.

 There.

I’ve said it.

Christmas.

 How will it be for you? And are you nearly ready?

 Well, perhaps not quite yet. But there is one thing you can do to get ready which will be of huge benefit to you.

Get a copy of Lucy Rycroft’s “Redeeming Advent.”

 Lucy, aka Desertmum, has given us this daily devotional to help us through the crazily busy time leading up to Christmas Day. Advent, the time of preparation  or, as she calls it, ‘a small representation of the journey we’re on to draw closer to the Babe in a manger.’

It’s also the time when every year I plan to do something special to prepare to celebrate the birth of the Saviour, Emmanuel – God with Us. 

And the time when nearly every year I get too pre-occupied with other things.

But here is a book that’s easily readable, in short daily chapters, yet with profound truths and penetrating and thought-provoking questions to ponder. Lucy is a busy mum of young children (some her own, some adopted) and she relates her own adventures in preparing madly for Christmas and then applies what she learns along to the way, to Advent. 

 "Advent, like adoption, tells us that the tragedies of this life are not supposed to bring us down, but to make us look up, waiting and hoping more desperately for a future in which destruction, lies, corruption, ill-health and death don't exist."

 It’s light hearted and easily readable, at one level; yet it’s not afraid to tackle big issues such as should we teach our children about Santa and reindeer? Should we follow the guidelines on the back of the wrapping paper? How does the fact of Christmas impact our everyday lives? What is it in particular that makes you stop and think about the incarnation and all it offers? And gift lists – what if you don’t get what you asked for?

Each day has a short story or reflection about some area of Christmas preparation, that’s related to a short Bible verse or story, followed by questions to ponder and think about through the day, and a brief prayer to end. It’s really do-able, even for the extra-busy or stressed person! 

“Whatever you are holding in life right now, however precariously it feels, God is holding you - and so, He's holding everything you hold.”

 I loved being able to take the thought or question into the day with me and ponder, just as Mary pondered in her heart (Lk 2)  

 Are you preparing for Christmas? And – OR -  or both - are you preparing to have Christ in your life? To transform your life and you?

Although I was reading this in September ( as part of Lucy’s prelaunch team) it was still very helpful on a daily basis. Now I shall read it again in Advent, as intended.

Will you do it too – we could compare notes?

My book, “Walking Back to Happiness” will be published in early November. Sign up here to be the first to know and have the email slip into your inbox. And when you sign up you’ll get a free download too on how to connect with God while you walk, however long, short or muddy your walk may be!

What I'm doing to get THERE!

Thanks for coming over from the email I just sent out! (if you don’t get my emailings, please sign up here)

So have you told me what you’re shedding and where you want to be and who you want to be by December 31st? You can email me here

And (this is why you landed here) - what am I doing about the two things I’m shedding?

Thing ONE: I’m shedding the sugar (the biscuits and the chocolates ….)

weightwatchers.co.uk

But I needed a simple plan of action, with small do-able daily steps that would make a difference. So yes, I’ve got the Weightwatchers’ App on my phone and I’m logging in everything I eat and focusing on eating all the lovely things that are no points : fruit and veggies and eggs and chicken and fish and . and. and….

And I lost 5lbs in my first week. It’s slowed down since then, but I’m on track. It feels SOOOOOO good!

Thing TWO: I’m shedding the procrastination. (which basically means the too-many hours on social media)

But again I need a plan of action, and daily steps. I’m actually using a daily scheduler planner.

First thing in the morning, as part of my time with the Lord, I’m praying over my day, asking for guidance, inviting him into what lies ahead. Then I’m filling in what I’m doing in a time-tabley sort of way, leaving very little room for wasting time!

And it’s amazing how much more productive each day is proving to be. I’ve even scheduled time for piano practice, time to read, time to walk, and time to - BE. I love it!

I’ll let you know how I get on.

What about you? What are you going to shed? 

Hit the email thingy above and tell me; accountability works wonders!

Please tell your friends that I’m giving away a free download! It will give you 5 simple ways to enjoy a mini retreat,time with the Lord, while you walk - however long, short or muddy your walk! Each of the 5 is easy to do, and each gives you a way to connect with God perhaps in a way you haven’t before.

All you have to do is fill in your email address here and the freebie will slip into your inbox. AND you’ll be one of the first to know when my new book “Walking Back to Happiness” is published this autumn. Can’t wait to tell you more about it - it’s a memoir about the epic walk across France in June 2018, when, our marriage in a dire way, my husband and I walked from the Mediterranean to the Atlantic; and how we found ourselves in France. 

WHY I BLAME HOOVER FOR MY DAUGHTER MOVING TO THE USA

 27 years ago, Hoover offered two free international flights with any £100 purchase. Today, it’s remembered as the worst sales promotion in history. *

 But here’s the thing: I got two tickets to the States on this promotion! 

 And the rest as they say, is history.

 The advert was simple: purchase a minimum of £100 worth of Hoover appliances and you will be rewarded with a voucher towards an international airflight ticket. By November 1992, a return trip to the USA was also on offer.

 A close friend, godmother to my youngest daughter, had recently relocated to Boston due to her husband’s work, and invited us to visit her. There was no way a young Vicar could afford airflights to the USA at that time, but this advert made all the difference – the church needed a new vacuum cleaner, and so did the Vicarage.

A still from a 1992 TV ad promoting Hoover’s offer (YouTube)

They both got new Hoover vacuum cleaners, we filled in the forms and sent them off and sat back to await our flight tickets.  And a kind grandmother offered to pay for another flight – it was decided I would take our two daughters.

After a lot of negotiation with Hoover, including saying we would go at any time,we received flights to New York for mid February. It would be cold – but who cared? It was term time – but head teachers thought it would be educational. We had a few friends in the States in other places as well as Boston; Amtrak trains seemed cheap so we flew into New York, and set off. 

Arriving in Central Station with 11 year old and 9 year old daughters, I was faced with a gun shooting just in front of us, and all hell was let loose as the cops arrived. Jetlagged, I wondered why on earth we had come. We staggered on to the Amtrak train  - and arrived four hours late at 3am in Evansville, Indiana; our dear friends had fortunately waited and were there to meet us as we jumped down on to the tracks, there being no platform. 

From there, things could only get better! My daughters attended school. My American friend drew up a list of words which we understood differently. She drew a line down the page, wrote “English” at the top of the left hand side, then turned to me and asked, “but what do YOU speak?”  Top of the list was rubber, let the reader understand. I had presented her young with Paddington Bear stationery, including an eraser …

Atlanta, Georgia, was warm and mild even in February, and I learnt a lot about the recent War and Unpleasantness, and the devastation it wreaked on the area. Hang on, I thought, America wasn’t invaded during the Second World War.

Turns out my friend was talking about the Civil War. I had a lot to learn about the States.

On to Alexandria, Northern Virginia, to English friends; the husband was teaching at the seminary (Theological College) for a while, and was attached to The Falls Church. Little did we know, when we attended church with them on the Sunday morning,  that I would end up as a member of the clergy team there. At the time, I didn’t even think women should be ordained!

BOSTON - we watched them throw the tea into the sea in the Harbour …

And so to Boston, where the elder daughter and I dropped the youngest, and we headed home. She stayed for another week, to go to school for a few days with the twin sons of her goddaughter, and travelled home as an unaccompanied minor. She was brave. 

She also loved the States. 

So really, I can blame Hoover that my youngest daughter now lives in Northern Virginia and is married to an American.

I’m giving away a free download! It will give you 5 simple ways to enjoy a mini retreat, time with the Lord, while you walk this summer. Each of the 5 is easy to do, and each gives you a way to connect with God perhaps in a way you haven’t before.

All you have to do is fill in your email address here and the freebie will slip into your inbox. AND you’ll be one of the first to know when my new book “Walking Back to Happiness” is published this autumn. Can’t wait to tell you more about it - it’s a memoir about the epic walk across France in June 2018, when, our marriage in a dire way, my husband and I walked from the Mediterranean to the Atlantic; and how we found ourselves in France.

* You can read the full story of what happened to Hoover and how much it actually cost the company by reading the August 10th2019 edition of The Hustle here: 

https://thehustle.co/the-worst-sales-promotion-in-history/?utm_source=sunday&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=08%2F11%20-%20hoover&utm_content=https%3A%2F%2Fthehustle.co%2Fthe-worst-sales-promotion-in-history%2F

How are you feeling about September ...

… or don’t you want to think about September yet?

I know - it’s still only just August.

Although I did see this tweet on Wednesday last week, July 31st:

And another stating how many days until Christmas,

and a ‘book your Christmas party now’ sign.

I’m in the USA at the moment, of course.

But I bet there are signs of what’s ahead wherever you are.

So - how are you feeling about September?

What are the issues facing you when summer is over?

I’d love to know your thoughts and feelings on this

and be able to pray for you.

I promise to read them all even if I’m not able to reply

to every single one.

Me?

I’m walking another part of the Via Francigena in Tuscany

in late October. I need to get in shape to do a challenging walk again!

And that’s quite an issue for me at the moment, and rather daunting.

I’m giving away a free download which will help you to enjoy a special time while you walk this summer, - however long or short your walk might be. It will give you 5 simple ways to enjoy a mini retreat, time with the Lord, while you walk. Each of the 5 is easy to do, and each gives you a way to connect with God perhaps in a way you haven’t before.

All you have to do is fill in your email address and the freebie will slip into your inbox.

Happy summer walking and retreating!

- AND you’ll be one of the first to know when my new book “Walking Back to Happiness” is published this autumn. Can’t wait to tell you more about it - it’s a memoir about the epic walk across France in June 2018, when, our marriage in a dire way, my husband and I walked from the Mediterranean to the Atlantic; and how we found ourselves in France.

You can find the signup here:

http://www.ministriesbydesign.org/ministries-by-design-1/2019/6/10/summers-here-how-to-walk-and-retreat-

The POWER of 2

Exactly one year ago today, June 28th 2018, Kim and I completed

our mammoth walk right across France

from the Mediterranean to the Atlantic,

and arrived on a grey afternoon at Cap Breton.

We celebrated with a small bottle of bubbly -

which mostly went everywhere, including the sea!

Today , to celebrate that anniversary of our Walking Back to Happiness,

here's a free download for you to celebrate the power of 2.

You can print it off and use to once; or you could use it as

a daily reminder and help, to keep you focused on the power of 2.

I hope you enjoy it and find it helpful - let me know what helps,

what you've done, what's made a difference.
Email your ways of using the power of 2!

penelope@ministriesbydesign.org

“Walking Back to Happiness,” the story of our walk across France,

will be published in November 2019

Summer's Here! with a freebie for you

Well, officially it’s summer, right?

As the rain and the hail descend, perhaps walking is the last thing on your mind!

But let’s pretend that the sun will be out again soon: visualise yourself walking and feeling fit and healthy and full of the joys of walking….

What would that look like?

What would that feel like?

Perhaps you’re not a great walker; or perhaps you love walking for miles either with others or by yourself. Whichever type of walker you are, there’s something you can do to make it happen and to turn it into something rather special.

I’m giving away a free download which will help you to enjoy a special time while you walk - however long or short your walk might be. It will give you 5 simple ways to enjoy a mini retreat, time with the Lord, while you walk. Each of the 5 is easy to do, and each gives you a way to connect with God perhaps in a way you haven’t before.

All you have to do is fill in your email address and the freebie will slip into your inbox.

Happy summer walking and retreating!

- AND you’ll be one of the first to know when my new book “Walking Back to Happiness” is published this autumn. Can’t wait to tell you more about it - it’s a memoir about the epic walk across France in June 2018, when, our marriage in a dire way, my husband and I walked from the Mediterranean to the Atlantic; and how we found ourselves in France.

How to Feast and Fast during Lent

Forty days to go deeper.

Apparently it takes 21 days to confirm a new habit and 42 days to make it a lifestyle.

What new, or re-newing, lifestyle would best help your current walk with the Lord?

What might help you to go deeper in a relationship with him?

LENT.

A few weeks without chocolate.
And maybe alcohol.
A few weeks of abstinence. 
Of giving up things we like.

Or maybe for Lent this year - just giving up.

Hurry up, Easter. And spring. And chocolate eggs.

But maybe there's another way.
A way of feasting as well as fasting.

A way of drawing near to the Lord in and through it all. 


FASTING & FEASTING
Fast from a gloomy outlook on life
Feast on what is bright and cheerful.
 
Fast from always being right
Feast on seeing another's point of view.
 
Fast from always pointing out differences
Feast on what unites us all.
 
Fast from words that pollute
Feast on those that purify.
 
Fast from complaining
Feast on appreciation.
 
Fast from self-pity
Feast on goodness in others and self.
 
Fast from self-concern
Feast on going out to others.
 
Fast from overdoing
Feast on time for prayer.
 
Fast from worry
Feast on God's love.

(Father Kerry: Our Lady Queen of Angels
bulletin Lenten Reflection: Feb 2010.)

Come swiftly O Lord, to the dark moments when we are lost.
Make us aware of your presence.
Strengthen us to resist the urges and pulls to deeper darkness.
Stir us to move away from the dark moments of sinfulness
towards the light of your forgiveness.
Come quickly O Lord as we call – or forget to call – and
keep close to us and keep us close to you this day and night,
and as far as the days and nights stretch before us.
Through Jesus Christ our Lord,
Amen.

Oberammergau and Austria - join us in September 2020

The Passion Play in Oberammergau - performed only once every ten years. First performed in 1633 as an act of thanksgiving to God, the villagers of Oberammergau fulfil their vow by enacting this enormous event - and we are excited to have this opportunity to attend! Why not come with us for a week’s holiday, staying in the beautiful Austrian Tyrol and taking advantage of all the area had to offer. It’s a trip organised by McCabe travel, and we’d love to have you come with us. 

There will be a 2 night visit to Oberammergau for the Passion Play and also 3 days of walks including one on the Jacobsweg, the old pilgrimage route across Europe to Santiago de Compostella, and one by the Achensee (for those who read The Chalet School books, it’s the Tiernsee!)  Walks will be moderate - about 8 miles each, and one is walking down from having taken the cable car up! Glorious views, a gorgeous hotel, and excellent seats for the Passion Play on the Sunday, followed by a visit to the historic monastery at Ettal.

For non-walkers, come and relax in the beautiful hotel spa and pool, potter locally, or take a trip to Innsbruck.  And we will have devotional times together and take time with the Lord each day.

Bookings are now open and have begun to arrive but there is still plenty of room at the moment.

Please note that for those flying direct from the USA to Munich there is a £200 reduction in the cost.

We very much hope that you will be able to join us on this wonderful and very special holiday. The booking form can be emailed to you to print off and return to me with your deposit, and if you have any queries please don’t hesitate to be in touch.

penelopeswithinbank@mac.com

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Finding ourselves in France weeks 3&4

 “But where is the menu?” Kim looks with horror at the plate of grey mush placed in front of him in the hotel restaurant. “Pas de menus,” replies the waitress firmly. He stares at her in horror. “C’est la cure de sante!” We look at the other people eating - small portions of  grey on each plate. Health cure food. Kim is dismayed. I’ve walked 30 kilometres today, and nursed a footsore and tearful wife along the last few of those, he exclaims. I laugh. We both laugh - every day is different, I remind him.

We are in Eugénie-le-Bains, a hot spa therapeutic town.  The waitress is sympathetic. To the envy of those around us, she persuades the chef to  produce melon in port, Magret de canard with dauphinois potatoes and courgette tymbales, and a slice of gateau. We walk to eat - and eat to walk! Most days are 25 kilometres. That day was a long 30, walking hard little road surfaces between rows and rows of maize in the fields alongside, often so high we could not see over. It was claustrophobic, plus both my feet were excruciatingly painful. But we’d got this far, we couldn’t give up now. 

For 24 days plus 3 rest days, we walked. Walked across France. The calm and sun of the Canal du Midi. The undulations of the Ariege and then the beautiful Gers, with few centres of civilisation but with a lot of mud. Mud, rain and mud. There was rain down our necks, mud on our boots, thick slimy mosquito- infested mud. Everywhere. The fields were inundated, the maize (we saw a lot of maize) dying, the ditches full, the edges slipping away. And occasionally, glimpses of the snow capped Pyrenees, keeping us company on our left. And more maize. 

And the people. Warm, friendly, hospitable. One little family offered Airbnb on a tiny futon; but refused payment for the rest of their hospitality of aperitif, 3 course simple family supper and breakfast - and did our washing for us, too. In another remote village, desperate for caffeine, I asked a young man unloading his weekly shop if there was a bar or cafe nearby. There wasn’t, he said; and ushered us into his kitchen with his young wife and baby, to make us, total strangers, a coffee each. Everyone was amazed that we were walking from the Mediterranean to the Atlantic, and raising money for charity. Often they assumed we were walking the  Chemin de St Jacques  to Compostela and wished us Bon Chemin!  

On the way we learned so much. Of the relief to be welcomed in and blessed even though we were strangers - and I think we often looked and smelled less than our best, as a number immediately offered us the use of their washing machine! That the things that usually matter so much to me are not the most important after all . That I can squat on the grass verge anywhere if necessity dictates - if I turn my head so I can’t see anyone passing they can’t see me either, right? That I can walk even when there is a huge huge painful blister on my toe: you can do anything if you need or want to.

And the most important thing for us to learn: that two are better than one, for if either of them falls down, one can help the other up. (Eccl 4:10). We have become a team again, walking and working together to get to the Atlantic. For each of us, there were two occasions when we wanted to give up, take a bus, go home. And each time the other could help the one to make it a bit further.

The final day. After all that distance. All those days. All the laughs and the tears, the uncomfortable beds, the strange places we found ourselves, the beauty of the countryside and the interesting conversations, suddenly the final day. Walking confidently towards the Atlantic - wherever it was. We couldn’t see it. Got lost in a sandy pine forest. Braved a final few rain drops. Walked alongside yet more maize with silly jokes - amaizing crops, decimaized by the rain; sang Amazing Grace and meant it. Then the sign: Capbreton. But still the suburbs to negotiate. We hold hands for the final few yards, steps quickening, climb up the steps to the promenade. And there it is. The Atlantic. On a grey cloudy day. The beach appears deserted. We make our way across the gritty sand and there are two young women sitting on a blanket. We explain what we’ve just done - and one leaps up and uses Kim’s phone to take photos and a video of us opening a little bottle of bubbles, laughing and crying. We’ve done it. We have actually done it! We can scarcely believe it. Tears and laughter, relief and incredulity. 

547 kilometres walked ( and the last one each day was the real KIL- o- meter). 24 daily routes planned. 25 different accommodations booked. Nearly £2,000 raised. 2 pairs of Lowa Renegade boots worn through. 0 little markets seen (we never arrived on the market day anywhere!) 1 happy tired jubilant couple. Who have, as hoped, found themselves in France.

http://fundraising.virginmoneygiving.com/re?l=BD0Iliur8dI64qdzirIjhnqjbrfI0&u=https%3A%2F%2Fuk.virginmoneygiving.com%2FKimSwithinbank&s=HBBBCMOCIONBFLFE

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Walking slowly through France - 230km done, 300 to go

There is a rhythm to our days. We rise. We walk. A cafe is a bonus. The countryside is beautiful. Wild flowers and vineyards give way to rolling hills, sunshine gives way to rain. But it’s the people and the world we live in that fascinate me.

Dinner one evening with a couple, he Italian, she Flemish, with our French Algerian cuisiniere. We talk about faith, Trump and Brexit in my broken French. Our host at the B&B has one Catalan grandfather and one Basque (as well as a magnificent moustache). The great European experiment! C’est un melange, they say.

The next night we stay with a German couple, another wonderful chef. He is giving up on the French and returning to Germany as the French never turn up as arranged! A marriage made in ...?

And then a young English couple who moved to Carcassonne. He’s now very grateful for an Irish parent and that their 18 month old was born in France. 

Yet as I read a novel set in occupied Nazi France, I reflect. It’s a mess - Europe. It’s not the ideal I believed in when I voted to join as a young man. It’s overladen with bureaucracy and senseless rules. But what is the alternative? Are we really better off on our own?

And then the kindness and the warmth of the hospitality surprise me. What happened to the French disdain for foreigners?

I’ve lost my addiction to The Times and today’s news; but even here Trump’s attempts to destroy the Western Alliance send a shiver down my spine. Have we forgotten the lessons of history? My father turns in his grave.

It was our generation that voted for Brexit I’m ashamed to say. What world are we leaving for our 6 grandchildren? Isn’t it better that we live with uncomfortable compromises than with a certainty and nationalism that isolates and separates? 

just a few thoughts as we walk slowly across France .....

Kim