So THAT'S what it is then!

My friends call me the Vicar of Dishley after the area in which I live. It's a joke of course, and they all think they thought of it first! In fact the moniker came courtesy of my husbands best friend Cliff, who I really should credit with the title of my blog! He called me this when I first revealed that I was feeling a strong call into the Church. In fact, they all did. 

Let me introduce myself. I'm Elaine, I am very happily married to my lovely husband and we have 2 beautiful daughters.

For a number of years there has been something at the very back of my mind, in relation to God. I've never been able to describe it adequately, but I could consider the feeling to be a hand holding mine, or someone else there with me that I cannot see but who I can feel.

Some years ago, a very close and much loved relation, my Aunty Em, a very faithful and devoted Catholic woman of some 90 or so years told me (after I confessed to her my frustrations and guilt at loving God so much and feeling Him there with me, yet not really going to church on a regular basis), that you don't have to go to church to be faithful to God and Jesus Christ, that God loves me no matter where I go and what I do, and He knows I love Him.

These words set something off in my mind, although I didn't realise it at the time. Maybe they made me listen more closely to something that was being whispered to me, or maybe it was my mind being opened to God saying, "Come on Elaine, take my hand and let's go, see where we end up". She passed away a couple of years ago aged 96, but I dedicate my whole journey to her, she gave me the courage to open my heart and my mind to God and not to be scared to say, "I love God and I know He loves me".

So where I have ended up, 6 or 7 years later is here. Exploring my faith even more deeply, seeing if my path leads to becoming an ordained minister, or more simply a vicar, if that's what He intends for me.

A few months ago, I finally realised where I was being led, and it was onto this path, the one I'm taking now. It wasn't a 'Eureka' type realisation but it WAS a "Oh, is THAT what it is I've been feeling all this time?" moment. And I tell you, when you realise you're being called by God to something, you choose to either ignore the calling or do what I did - take His hand and see where you go....

So, I'll be sharing my journey with you and we can go along together and hopefully my blog might even encourage someone who is struggling with THEIR choice, to find the courage to take God's hand and see where they go.