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Humbled

This evening I went to take a picture of a bridge but that's for tomorrow now. For on the way I meet a young couple walking from the shop. Smiles and broken English break out (I need to improve my English) they were the couple I meet in church Sunday morning and night. (3 times I went) anyway the couple. They asked what I was doing? in my broken English I told them about the bridge (more tomorrow ) we live above the bridge in he church! would you like to come and look? Now you can hear my wife saying Nigel will excuse himself and go home to his cell. BUT i said yes I would love too. (nigel sticking toungeout in a childish manner) up the winding church tower stairs to thier home. A small flat for their new life in Italy. They make me lovely coffee and they place fresh fruit cut into juicy pieces on the table around where we share our stories for a while. I tell them (because they ask) about England and Scotland they think it might be warm in Edinburgh. I quickly smash the idea of a warm dry Scotland. Their English is good their Italian not so good. In their school and university students study English each year. Having no Italian makes life challenging for them. They are not long married and like my wife and me self have many hopes and plans. They tell me about family back home, land they hope to live on and maybe work, Brothers scattered around the world. 

As I taste the fresh fruit and listen.  I have to be truthful I do not have the capacity to imagine what it would be like to see my children leave their country because someone decided to take my land and bomb the shit and goodness out of it. To deprive my home of all hope, for my land to end up as an item on a summitt meeting, not even top, silently shuffled to number 3 under western economic stagnation. 

Sorry I have no picture tonight all I have is another bumper and brief encounter and I am the richer but also slightly num. 

one of the ignatius spiritual excercise is to ask the question "in what areas of your life are you humbled?" Tonight after fresh fruit and coffee I am humbled I live in Birmingham in peace, I am humbled my children will not be forced to flee thier land, I am humbled the hospital my wife works in will not be bombed tomorrow and I am humbled and guilty that my home is not Syria.  


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