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Be Strong. Have Courage. Don't lose hope.

  Throughout my life I have collected a number of different mantras. Holding on to them, chewing them over, letting them sink in and become a familiar space I can return to when times are difficult. They have ranged from the ancient Persian adage “This too shall pass” to the not quite as ancient Yorkshire adage “It’ll be reyt”. I have a band on my arm that reads “It’s ok not to be ok. Have hope.” I even have ‘Romans 8:28’ as a tattoo on my arm, a reminder of hope and promises. These small soundbites have been markers on my journey, helping me to be grounded in times of chaos. They have been the words that have helped me to stop, collect myself, and carry on when everything else cries out to give up. You will all probably be aware of the second lockdown on the horizon in England, the unsettling uncertainty that it brings. I have done the very British thing of having it as one of the three key points of conversation with people I have spoken to this week (the other two being “Isn’t it

Father's Day Reflection

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For some time I have wanted to get back into writing reflections or preaching sermons, but I have needed to (and will probably continue to need to) take a break. I am very much still on a road of recovery but I am seeing progress, whilst recognising that there is still plenty of road ahead. I had been wanting to write a reflection on ‘touch’, but the part of my brain that does all the introspecting and reflecting has been occupied by my therapy and some quite major world events. However, today, as I walked home from work, I noticed that I was mulling over Father’s day. I was engaging with the tasks that needed doing, my responsibilities and my emotions that all tie up in Father’s day. I don’t have a relationship with my own biological father. It has been strained for the last few years and recent events have led me to completely distancing myself from him. I don’t like saying these words, as I feel that I’m betraying him by saying this, but on the whole my dad has left me with quite