Since his death on Friday morning at the age of 99, fulsome tributes have been paid to Prince Philip from many people right around the world. Among the many compliments paid to the late duke was this: 'His was a life well-lived', from the Bishop of Dover, Rose Hudson-Wilkin, a chaplain to the Queen.
For advice as to what constitutes 'a life well lived', one might consult a new book I have mentioned recently by Michael Jackson, and published next week, entitled Still Love Left: Faith and Hope in Later Life (YouCaxton Belief, 2021). Click here to read my original blog post (27 March 2021).
It is an antidote to temptations to lapse into melancholy at the often considerable challenges posed by the ageing process. For example, this is a tip gleaned by Jackson from poet K.W. Gransden, and quoted by Ronald Blythe in his book the View in Winter: Reflections on old age (Penguin, 1981):
Try to grow used to the place of every star And forget your own dark house.
'It is indeed true,' writes Jackson, 'that the wise are those who have learnt to see the bigger picture in a "long innings" and value it in their lives. For those of us who are Christians, that bigger picture is framed by the incarnate God who loves us to the end' (p. 36).
Debbie Thrower will be interviewing Michael Jackson at the online launch of the book this Wednesday 14 April 2021. See above for details of how to register for your free place.