OUR SIX UNFORGETTABLE MONTHS TOGETHER AS A LOVING FAMILY
Throughout the pandemic, I have been taking funerals, so I am well aware of the grief and suffering the pandemic has caused, and am deeply sympathetic to those who have lost loved ones and have done my utmost to bring comfort and love to the families of the bereaved.
However, I wanted to write about another side of the pandemic,
that must be recorded.
In March, when the lock down began, something extraordinary
happened within our family, mirrored by families across the land. Our precious
loved ones came home.
From March until September we have been together.
It has been six months of sheer bliss.
It would never have happened, were it not for the scourge we
have faced.
All our beloved family, under one roof, for six months.
Again, I am also aware of the horror that this has caused to
some, trapping adults and children in abusive relationships, and exposing them
to intolerable pressures, both relational and circumstantial, and I have sought
to play my part, in my work and ministry, in supporting those affected adversely.
However, I wanted to write about the other side.
For us, it has been six months of joy.
We have loved being close to one another, delighted in each
other’s characters, revelled in the idiosyncrasies of each of our
personalities, been blessed by the unique contribution each family member has made,
supported each other in the goals we each set ourselves during lock down, and
celebrated their attainment, cherished the outings we have shared together, the
games we have played, the competitions held, the jokes and the laughter, and appreciated
the nightly film club to which we have been committed, each taking a turn to
select a film and then all offering their critique afterwards, interrupted inevitably when our children have been out with friends or girlfriends, at the gym, playing basketball, football or the like.
We have experienced a fluid jigsaw of our lives, a blessed
community, where the daily ebb and flow of each other’s choices, targets,
plans, hopes, fun and worries have all created a gentle rhythm of energy and tranquility
that we have all cherished.
Eating together, playing together, relaxing together, and working
together over such a prolonged and unexpected period, has been a rare gift in
today’s disparate and frenetic world.
In September, University and School will fracture this idyll, but never will we forget this paradisaical time we have shared and ever will we be profoundly grateful for the chance we were given, for our lives to so enrich each others, just by being able to be together, as a family who love one another.
posted by Bishop Jonathan Blake | 1:50 PM
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