28 February 2026 – From My Diary 1996

On 28 February 1996, I started writing a daily diary. I didn’t know whether or not I would succeed in keeping it up. As it happens, I have been making an entry every day for the past thirty years. It has now extended to forty-two volumes, mostly ‘Black n’Red’, A4 ruled notebooks.

When I went to Logie Kirk in 1990, we established an afternoon Sunday service in Hanover Court. It was a sheltered housing complex of flats for older people within the community. In those days, it had a very caring warden who would let me know about illness etc.

Thirty years ago, she told me about the two George’s. One was a member of the Kirk, the other was a Roman Catholic. They were both in Stirling Royal. There was nothing else for it but to visit them both. One of the George’s was in Intensive Care.

When I arrived, his wife and son were there. His wife asked me to take his hand. I prayed. His son said anxiously, ‘You’ll be back in a day or two.’ When I returned, this George had improved to the extent that after I prayed with him, he responded, ‘Amen’.

The other George was unknown to me. His wife had given the warden some money for the kirk so that he could be remembered  in our prayers. He was in one of the wards. When I called, I said a prayer. On leaving, a nurse told me that the priest had just been in to give him the last rites. He died the next day.

This ministry of the parish minister grew out of the monthly service in the sheltered housing complex. It was ecumenical in nature, serviced by the elder and encouraged by the warden. She was the key to my pastoral involvement not least with the Roman Catholic couple. All felt included in the warm embrace of this house and Christ’s love.