Writing late in his retirement, F W Boreham recounted a vivid memory when saying, “As a small boy, following in the Prayer Book the liturgy of the church, I was always impressed by one phrase in the General Thanksgiving—‘We bless thee for our creation, preservation and all the blessings of life’”. Boreham added the comment, “I loved that opening expression of gratitude and this particular clause gave me the opportunity of saying so. It is certainly good to be alive today”.[1]Whether or not the church always nurtured Boreham’s lifelong gladness at being alive, this episode suggests that the church assisted him in naming this delight, in setting it within an ancient, religious tradition and in expressing it in a shared spirit of gratitude and prayer.
Geoff Pound
Image: The inside of St John's Anglican Church, Tunbridge Wells, where F W Boreham and his family worshipped in his early days.
[1] F W Boreham, Cliffs of opal (London: The Epworth Press, 1948), 172.
Geoff Pound
Image: The inside of St John's Anglican Church, Tunbridge Wells, where F W Boreham and his family worshipped in his early days.
[1] F W Boreham, Cliffs of opal (London: The Epworth Press, 1948), 172.
