Letter from the Rectory - February 2026

Dear Friends,

In his 1965 hit album ‘September of my Year’, Frank Sinatra sang ‘It was very good year’ speaking of ‘When I was 17 … 21 … 35.  In the final verse, he sings, ‘But now the days are short, I’m in the autumn of the year. Now I think of my life as vintage wine, from fine old kegs, from the brim to the dregs. It poured sweet and clear; it is a very good year.’

There was a man named Denis Waitley, a motivational speaker, who was trying to catch an internal flight in the USA for a speaking commitment. He was late and was running through the airport terminal.  He reached the gate just as the official closed the door.  Denis explained his dilemma, but the official refused to reopen the door.  Denis’ annoyance turned to anger. He stomped out the boarding area and returned to the ticket counter to lodge a complaint and reschedule his flight.  His anger increased as he waited for over 20 minutes in a line that hardly moved. Just before his turn at the ticket counter, an announcement over the loudspeaker changed his life forever.

Denis Waitley realised that by missing that flight, his life had been saved. Flight 191 from Chicago to Los Angeles on 15th May 1979 had crashed on take-off killing all the 271 passengers and crew on board.  Denis never lodged his complaint, but he did keep his unused ticket for Flight 191.

When he got home, Denis pinned the ticket to a noticeboard in his office. In the aftermath of that experience, whenever he felt irritated or upset, he just looked at the ticket from Flight 191.  It was an unforgettable reminder that life is a precious gift that should not be undervalued.

In verses 10 and 12, the author of Psalm 90 in the Old Testament wrote, ‘the days of our lives are seventy years; or if by reason of strength they are eighty years … it is soon cut off and we flee away … So, teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.’

Personally, I’m happy to go along with the prevailing ‘70 is the new 60’. However, I’m even more encouraged by the continuing resilience and determination of a generation now well into the tenth decade who I meet regularly and who remain active and engaged in life. 

James Campbell