Two separate, unconnected events over the last couple of weeks have got me thinking about the people who have influenced my life. I was contacted by the Church Secretary at Calverley Methodist Church in West Yorkshire to ask if I would go back to take part in the one hundred and fifty years anniversary. I grew up in the village of Calverley in the sixties and seventies and have so many happy memories of the place. For a while, I wallowed in pure nostalgia, remembering people from the village, the school, my neighbours, and folk from the Chapel, many who passed on years ago. I found myself standing at the front of the Church and looking around at people, remember events and experiences that shaped my young life and were ingredients in making me into the person I am today. If I started to list all the names of the people who formed me, preparing me for all the challenges life throws at us today, that list would fill many pages.
The second unexpected invitation came in the form of a telephone call asking me to lead a memorial service for a very dear friend in Norfolk. It is a stark reminder, that during the pandemic some great people died, and we never got the opportunity to say goodbye in the way we would have liked and in a style befitting of their lives and once again, I was thrilled to be able to be involved. We moved as a family to Norfolk in 2005, leaving all our family and friends behind, two hundred miles away. I was embarking on a new vocation as a minister of religion and I had so much to offer, but so much more to learn, we have a term in Methodism used for new ministers in training “formation in Ministry” and in the early day, I was floundering around, making mistakes, missing opportunities, and it often felt as though I was blundering my way through. Looking back, I owe a great debt of gratitude to people who influenced that part of my life and being invited to take part in this memorial service brought another load of memories flooding back.
What I find quite remarkable is that if I told the people who played such a pivotal part in my life, they would possibly be surprised. Very few of these people were professionally trained, most were ordinary folk, going about their daily lives, getting on with living. Most did little more than offer words of encouragement, or lend a listening ear when it was needed. Most would see themselves as being unremarkable, yet through their kindness, their generosity and even at times their helpful criticism and advice, they arrive on my list. Of course the challenge for me today, is what kind of influence I have on others, not to polish my own ego, but simply to make a difference in the world today. I don’t in any way claim to be perfect, and I know that I make plenty of mistakes, I am not liked by all and would never aim to be, but maybe we all need to take stock from time to time, think about those who have helped and inspired us, been our role models, and pass that on to the people we meet.
Why not spend a few moments thinking about the people who have influenced your life. If it helps, write down a few of the most important names and think for a moment about what makes them special to you.
Prayer
God of love, I thank you for the people who have influenced my life, help me to appreciate all that they mean to me and help me to model my life on what I have learned from them, that my life might influence those I meet.
Amen