GOD IS A SLOW MOVER

President Mitterrand (France) and Signor Craxi (Italy) emerge from their talks in Florence calling for a new step towards European Union.

In London, a grandfather cradles his grandson, whose father (the older man's son) had died aboard Sir Galahad. The picture is from the post Falklands memorial service in St.Paul's.

The royal family complete with Princess Diana assemble in the Cathedral for the service while Jean from Bolton whose husband had also died in the conflict, is pictured tear-sodden with her three year old son. The little lad would be 29 now.

We read too of awards in the Honours list for those who helped to rescue people from the IRA blast at Brighton's Grand Hotel.
Lebanese gunmen upset President Regan's hopes as they hijack a TWA jet with 126 American tourists aboard. At Headingly, Leeds, England and Australia play the latest in their never-ending Ashes series while BBC Saturday night television offers us quick-fire funny stories from the Comedians.

All this and more from a yellowing copy of The Times at the bottom of my sock drawer. How it's managed to survive so long, I can't say, but as it provokes such thoughts, I have a yen to keep it safe for a little longer

The French, Jesuit Priest, poet and scientist, Pierre Teillard de Chardin took a long view of such things, referring to them as The Slow Work of God

Here is how he put it in his "Hymn of the Universe"
See what it means to you, and have a good look in your own sock drawer.

"Above all, trust in the slow work of God.
We are quite naturally impatient in everything
to reach the end without delay,
We should like to skip the intermediate stages.
We are impatient of being on the way
to something unknown,
something new.

And yet it is the law of progress
that it is done by passing through some states of instability
- and that it may take a very long time.

And so it may be with you.
Your ideas mature gradually - let them grow,
let them shape themselves without undue haste.

Don't try to force them on
as though you could be today what time
(that is to say grace and circumstance acting on your own good will) will make of you tomorrow.

Only God could say what this new spirit
gradually forming within you will be.

Give our Lord the benefit of believing,
that his hand is leading you
and accept the anxiety of feeling yourself in suspense.
and incomplete.

Above all trust in the slow work of God,
our loving Vine dresser."

"Above all, trust in the slow work of God.
We are quite naturally impatient in everything
to reach the end without delay,
We should like to skip the intermediate stages.
We are impatient of being on the way to something unknown, something new.
And yet it is the law of progress that it is done by passing through
some states of instability - and that it may take a very long time.

And so it may be with you.
Your ideas mature gradually - let them grow,
let them shape themselves without undue haste.
Don't try to force them on
As though you could be today what time
(that is to say grace and circumstance
acting on your own good will)
will make of you tomorrow.
Only God could say what this new spirit
gradually forming within you will be.

Give our Lord the benefit of believing,
that his hand is leading you and accept
the anxiety of feeling yourself in suspense.
and incomplete.

Above all trust in the slow work of God,
our loving Vine dresser."

Pierre Teillard de Chardin from "Song Of The Universe".