大象传媒

From Canon Ann Easter, Chaplain to the Queen:

Did you see in the news last week that a chair has been sold for 拢278,000?? It鈥檚 a very ordinary chair, the sort of thing you鈥檇 get for a fiver 鈥� but this one鈥檚 special because it was the chair that JK Rowling sat in to write her first two Harry Potter novels, books that have entranced millions of children and adults around the world.聽 JK signed the chair and wrote around the back and legs 鈥� I wonder if the person who bought it will offer it out for aspiring authors to have a sit on?

And that got me thinking about the value of things. Jesus was pretty strict about not investing our hopes in earthly treasures, where moth and rust doth corrupt, but actually, the reality for most of us 鈥� and certainly for me - is that we do have things that are very precious to us - but that鈥檚 usually because they have a story.

My Dad was a dear man who gave us security, stability and lots of laughter and music; he was a great football fan too and he鈥檇 be thrilled to think that we were celebrating the World Cup鈥檚 50th anniversary this year 鈥� I remember him taking us to see Bobby Moore when they brought the Cup back to West Ham.聽

It was years later, when my Dad had been ill for several months when he took a turn for the worst and had to go into hospital. I packed his bag and included, as per his instruction, 鈥渁 couple of nice, clean hankies鈥� because my Dad was the sort of man who always had a handkerchief in his top pocket 鈥� even in his pyjamas! 鈥� just in case. Over the years, the nice clean hanky had been used to bind grazed knees or mop up tears and so when he died, I brought those hankies home and couldn鈥檛 bear to part with them.

And when I was presented to Her Majesty, or the children鈥檚 weddings and grandchildren鈥檚 christenings, one of his nice clean hankies comes with me 鈥� it has no value 鈥� but it鈥檚 priceless to me, just as he was.