[Archive / Early 2021]

“I’m not sure I want our children christened now”

It’s Friday night and we’ve only just sat down for a pint after a hectic week. Starting to de-tangle the week on this topic jolts me from a tired daze. Its clearly something that’s been on her mind. Raised as a catholic in Ireland this comes both as a bit of a surprise. Whilst not particularly religious, she’s always said she liked the ideas and traditions around her upbringing. It feels like a big shift away from her connections to home that I wouldn’t want her to lose living in England.

“You were never christened”

I wasn’t - but I do feel religious. I think a lot of people feel this way, but a mere mention of the word religion in the modern world is often batted away as a bit mad. Its institutions often seem old, decaying and out of touch - something from the past that served a purpose once but now is just a nice thought. But even seeing religions symbols, messages, graveyards, buildings - repurposed buildings (like this image taken in Barnsley sometime around April) - often makes me wish I had her background or foundation, whatever you want to call it, in tough times. You can’t help but be drawn to it.

It was strange - I ended up arguing for religion with zero religious background, whilst she argued against with all hers. In the end, we finished our drinks and rushed off for our table booking for pizza and forgot all about it. The thought of good food eclipsing any trivial conversation about religion…