Random question - Who was Riley?

I called this blog 'The Patchwork Blog' as I think my thoughts are somewhat like a patchwork quilt. Random colours that may not match but make up something interesting to look at. Here is today's random thought.



A rather relaxed Sir Limp-a-lot

 I found myself wondering this week about the phrase 'Living the life of Riley'. I have a cat with only 3 legs (Sir Limp-a-lot I sometimes call him - that or Pussycat).  Due to my line of work (managing a block of sheltered housing) he gets a lot of attention from older people. The standard response is 'Ahhh, poor thing' due to his being minus a leg. I tell them not to worry about him - he's living the life of Riley (he is spoilt rotten by half the residents!). It got me thinking who was Riley? Why did he have such a comfortable life?

Apparently the phrase originated in the late 19th or early 20th century. It is Irish or Irish American in origin - that much I had worked out for myself - the name Riley kind of gave it away! A comic song written by Pat Rooney was all about someone named Reilly who dreams of what he will do when he is rich. The phrase apparently comes from that.

How often do things creep slowly into our minds and lives so gradually that we don't really notice them . Yesterday  in my post I said "doubts crept up so slowly that I didn't notice them becoming so entrenched", like a new phrase or word that creeps into common useage. How often do we allow things to sneak into our lives? Unhelpful attitudes, thoughts and actions becoming gradually a part of our consciousness until we suddenly realise how much we have changed.

I can't change where I am in my faith overnight. What I can do is to be honest with myself about where I am, and start from there. Starting from where I really am, and not where I think I ought to be after 28 years of being a Christian and 7 years of ministry will be the best I think. Even though I have left working for the church, I am still going to church most Sundays. I still find myself trying to believe what I think I ought to believe. Maybe I am so used to being told what I believe by someone else that I am struggling to work it out for myself.

A few weeks ago our vicar said something like this in his sermon "Once you know you are lost you are on your way to being found. If you don't know you are lost  you are really lost".  I found that very helpful. At least I know I am confused and spiritually lost. It gives me a starting place!