Raindrops and umbrellas...

For day two of Lent, the 40 Acts initiative is encouraging us to consider which items we could carry with us in order to be more prepared to be a "good Samaritan" to someone in need. For example, you could carry an extra coin in your pocket in case you encounter someone who doesn't have a coin for their trolley at the supermarket.  Our weather here in Southern Spain has reverted to an almost incessant torrential downpour. As it's interspersed with occasional sunny intervals, it's easy for people to go outdoors without an umbrella and then get caught in a heavy shower of rain. My second "act of generosity" for this week is to carry an extra folding umbrella with me, so that I can give it away to someone who gets caught in the rain without one.
When my friend Jacqui comes to Spain at the end of the month, we might possibly see a whole lot of umbrellas when we go to visit the medieval city of Cordoba. They hang like colourful decorations above some of the narrow streets. This is because the umbrella was, for thousands of years, a symbol of protection and authority that was reserved for kings, queens and religious leaders likes priests and popes. The umbrella form was even incorporated into religious architecture such as Cordoba's famous mosque, which began life as a church, served as a mosque for centuries, and today is a Christian Cathedral again. It's a world heritage site, and one that Jacqui and I hope to visit when we take a couple of days "tourist time" before the busy seminar and LDC season of April and May.