SPCK - Dr Lin Berwick
GOD's rich Pattern - The final walk
GOD's rich Pattern - The final walk
by SPCK - Dr Lin Berwick
The final walk In my last meditation I spoke of the unity within my family: Ralph, myself and Harvey, our dog, who meant so much to Ralph. Ralph had had a very difficult year, with lots of bouts of infection and trips to hospital, becoming more and more fatigued and weakened by t…
GOD's rich Pattern - My best friend
GOD's rich Pattern - My best friend
by SPCK - Dr Lin Berwick
My best friend It was Princess Diana who famously once said, ‘There were three of us in this marriage.’ In our case there certainly were – namely, Ralph, myself and Harvey, our chocolate English Cocker Spaniel. He came into our life when he was eleven weeks old. Ralph and I had a…
GOD's rich Pattern - The peace of acceptance
GOD's rich Pattern - The peace of acceptance
by SPCK - Dr Lin Berwick
The peace of acceptance Four years on life had taken on a more peaceful turn. Ralph was not kicking quite so hard. There was more a sense of resignation and acceptance of his situation. Life had more or less returned to normal, whatever that might mean. I was picking up the piece…
GOD's rich Pattern - A painful parting
GOD's rich Pattern - A painful parting
by SPCK - Dr Lin Berwick
A painful parting Ralph’s deterioration, both mentally and physically, took a huge downturn. He was constantly falling, finding himself in a totally agitated state, unable to stand. After two falls in the middle of the night, which my carer and I had to cope with, it was time to …
GOD's rich Pattern - Where was God?
GOD's rich Pattern - Where was God?
by SPCK - Dr Lin Berwick
Where was God? I couldn’t pray, I could only cry out in anguish. Why Lord? Why did you allow this to happen? I had, I felt, experienced my own personal Calvary a number of times in my life, and now I was having more problems heaped upon me. So many of us feel that we are not stro…
GOD's rich Pattern - Where to now?
GOD's rich Pattern - Where to now?
by SPCK - Dr Lin Berwick
Where to now? The work of a public relations officer took me into many different areas. I became so well known at the BBC that the car park attendants and security staff used to greet me by my name as I came in with my trusty tape recorder. I produced many good interviews that we…
GOD's rich Pattern - Personal cost
GOD's rich Pattern - Personal cost
by SPCK - Dr Lin Berwick
Personal cost The success of our second holiday home was at a personal cost. Ralph became increasingly anxious, never wanting to socialize. My home was becoming more and more of a prison, as I hardly went outside the door. I tried to motivate Ralph, but to no avail. All he was in…
GOD's rich Pattern - A trip that would make a difference
GOD's rich Pattern - A trip that would make a difference
by SPCK - Dr Lin Berwick
A trip that would make a difference Throughout all our struggle, the work of The Lin Berwick Trust continued. We had our first cottage in East Harling, Norfolk. We were then looking for a second site. Where it would come from, I had no idea. I knew we just had to go forward in fa…
GOD's rich Pattern - Patience through the chaos
GOD's rich Pattern - Patience through the chaos
by SPCK - Dr Lin Berwick
Patience through the chaos Living with Parkinson’s (I use that phrase deliberately due to the fact that Parkinson’s took over our lives) is no joke, particularly when the person suffering from it is angry, but will not express his anger. The way it manifested itself was to come o…
GOD's rich Pattern - A reason for living
GOD's rich Pattern - A reason for living
by SPCK - Dr Lin Berwick
A reason for living Ralph hated the term Parkinson’s disease. He felt he was somehow contagious, and didn’t want anyone to know that he had it. He behaved as though he were ashamed. When tragedy strikes, our first reaction is that we don’t want to go on. Life has no meaning. For …
GOD's rich Pattern - A devastating moment
GOD's rich Pattern - A devastating moment
by SPCK - Dr Lin Berwick
A devastating moment One morning I awoke to hear Ralph making some very strange noises, squealing and screeching sounds, and a noise from his mouth as though he were blowing bubbles. He couldn’t speak to me and he couldn’t move. My first thought was that he may have had a stroke.…
GOD's rich Pattern - Up, up and away
GOD's rich Pattern - Up, up and away
by SPCK - Dr Lin Berwick
Up, up and away The next five years were incredibly rewarding and challenging. As I grew in confidence as a married woman, I grew in my desire to explore the world around me, and Ralph was the one to help me to do it. His attitude of ‘You’re not disabled, you’re just someone who …
GOD's rich Pattern - One small step along the way
GOD's rich Pattern - One small step along the way
by SPCK - Dr Lin Berwick
One small step along the way Ralph regularly attended our local Methodist church. He had come a long way spiritually because now his visits were not just when I was preaching. When taking Holy Communion our minister always brought the bread and the wine to our pew and offered it …
GOD's rich Pattern - Building blocks for God
GOD's rich Pattern - Building blocks for God
by SPCK - Dr Lin Berwick
Building blocks for God We were at the stage where Ralph was beginning to help me with some of my consultancy work. I was asked to appear on television. We had to go to Bristol for the recording. We stayed in a five-star hotel that was supposed to be wheelchair friendly, and have…
GOD's rich Pattern - Go forth and tell
GOD's rich Pattern - Go forth and tell
by SPCK - Dr Lin Berwick
Go forth and tell Seven years of study and preaching commitment were now to culminate in a service commissioning me as a fully accredited Methodist local preacher. What a moment. A day I had longed for. I can remember the beautiful summer’s evening the day before, warm yet cool. …
GOD's rich Pattern - A new life together
GOD's rich Pattern - A new life together
by SPCK - Dr Lin Berwick
A new life together The wedding and honeymoon were fantastic. But I now had to face the harsh reality of learning to cope on my own during the day, for the first time in thirty-seven years. Occasionally, people would pop in, but for the most part I was by myself, and I was terrif…
GOD's rich Pattern - Wedding day
GOD's rich Pattern - Wedding day
by SPCK - Dr Lin Berwick
Wedding day The frenetic preparation on the morning of my wedding day hardly gave me any time to think about what I was undertaking. The whole day put me in a whirl. I can remember my mother asking me at six o’clock in the morning whether I had any regrets. I told her I couldn’t …
GOD's rich Pattern - A time of discovery