Retirement
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In most jobs there is a cut off point where the career comes to an end and the person has to face the possibility of an entirely new order of existence. The transition for such people…
Overseas Trips
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Compared with some scholars who have spent much time roaming the world, I have been relatively static. On two occasions I have made lecture visits to the United States of America,…
Recreations
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There is always the danger of a dedicated academic becoming too bookish. I have known colleagues whom I have had to classify as workaholics. I have sympathy with them. The feeling that there are…
Grace White
Grace was Ian and Carey's mother who passed away in October 2010. She left a legacy of moving poetry.
To read some of her poems click here
To read Grace's story click here
To see what happened at her thanksgiving service click here. (3MB…
My sympathetic Saviour
This poem is based on "A bruised reed he will not break and a smouldering flax he will not quench" Matthew 12:20
My sympathetic Saviour sees
The bruised reed of my soul
He does not crush or break my life,
But seeks to make me whole.
He…
My Lord
This poem is Grace's most widely circulated piece. It has been reproduced on cards, sung in choir festivals and brought encouragement and strength to many people.
I have turned to my Lord for his cleansing
From all of my guilt and each…
My times are in your hands
Written at a time when her husband, Will, faced heart surgery this touching poem shows where Grace's confidence lay
Dear Lord, You know the way I take – my times are in your hands
You've placed me here, I know not why, one day I'll understand.
But…
To Will
Written when Grace's husband, Will, entered hospital in January 1991 for heart surgery with a doubtful prognosis.
My dearest one I lift you up
And place you in God's hands;
He knows the way that lies ahead
And you he understands.
He…
Blessed Assurance
This is typical of Grace. She would write a poem for just one person at a difficult time in their lives. This poem was written for her sister-in-law, Ethel, who had been diagnosed with a cancer from which she would not recover. Written as if…