Time's Paces ...
Dear Friends,
How do you view the start of a New Year? For me, it is a reminder of just how quickly time passes. I can remember my parents often saying that time seems to go quicker as you get older, but I didn't really pay much attention. After all, when I was much younger, there seemed to be all the time in the world. Now, at the start of 2026, I understand more what Mum and Dad were getting at!
One of my predecessors as Rector at Waltham was someone who also understood how time seems to speed up as you get older. Canon Henry Twells, who was Rector of Waltham from 1871 until his retirement in 1890, wrote the following poem called Time's Paces which was published in his book Hymns and Other Stray Verses (1901).
When as a child I laughed and wept,
Time crept.
When as a youth I waxed more bold,
Time strolled.
When I became a full-grown man,
Time RAN.
When older still I daily grew,
Time FLEW.
Soon I shall find, in passing on,
Time gone.
O Christ! wilt Thou have saved me then?
Amen.
From a Christian perspective, life is a precious gift from God who calls us to live it in the light of Jesus Christ. As we look to Jesus, and seek to follow the Living Lord day by day, so we discover more about life's true meaning and purpose. And in doing so, we can play our own part in bringing the Christ-light of hope to a world that needs to know it more than ever.
Whatever stage of life’s journey you are at, may I wish you a hopeful and truly blessed New Year,
John Barr, Rector
Dear Friends,
How do you view the start of a New Year? For me, it is a reminder of just how quickly time passes. I can remember my parents often saying that time seems to go quicker as you get older, but I didn't really pay much attention. After all, when I was much younger, there seemed to be all the time in the world. Now, at the start of 2026, I understand more what Mum and Dad were getting at!
One of my predecessors as Rector at Waltham was someone who also understood how time seems to speed up as you get older. Canon Henry Twells, who was Rector of Waltham from 1871 until his retirement in 1890, wrote the following poem called Time's Paces which was published in his book Hymns and Other Stray Verses (1901).
When as a child I laughed and wept,
Time crept.
When as a youth I waxed more bold,
Time strolled.
When I became a full-grown man,
Time RAN.
When older still I daily grew,
Time FLEW.
Soon I shall find, in passing on,
Time gone.
O Christ! wilt Thou have saved me then?
Amen.
From a Christian perspective, life is a precious gift from God who calls us to live it in the light of Jesus Christ. As we look to Jesus, and seek to follow the Living Lord day by day, so we discover more about life's true meaning and purpose. And in doing so, we can play our own part in bringing the Christ-light of hope to a world that needs to know it more than ever.
Whatever stage of life’s journey you are at, may I wish you a hopeful and truly blessed New Year,
John Barr, Rector