Half Full or Half Empty?

Wednesday, June 17th

Lockdown has been a time to practice philosophy, or as Pooh would say, 'just sit and think.' Some of us have done a lot of that. I wonder what conclusions we will come to about the time spent social distancing and staying home? Is this a time when our glass is half full or half empty? There is a sense in which it has to be both, for both would be factually true.

It would be easy just to focus on what we are missing. Even when we meet up again with family for the first time on a woodland walk and cannot hug our two year old grandchild! It's just not natural! However, there are many things in life where there are probably as many positives as there are negatives - and lockdown has been one of them for many of us. So, I thought I'd have a stab at a first list:

Negatives:

1. Can't go to the seaside and stay in our caravan

2. Can't go for a swim in the local leisure centre

3. Can't hug family or friends

4. Can't browse the latest paraphernalia in Aldi when supposed to be buying food

5. Can't go to the Crucible theatre, cinema or sporting event

6. Greenbelt, Timberfest and all the other festivals have been cancelled

7. Had to suspend Café Valentine, Kids' Club and lunch clubs indefinitely

Positives:

The air is noticeably cleaner and the streets are quieter
Can hear the birds sing and watch them boldly feeding close by
Have spent more time talking to family and friends each week than ever before
Discovered the potential of FaceTime, Zoom, Skype and saved on travel
Watched Spring progress leaf by leaf as never before
Developed skills through having the time to practice and learn online
Watched some amazing theatre productions online

It's not all been bad - for some of us anyway. But it has also given us time to think and pray for those who have been going through grief, chaos and harrowing times as a result of this pandemic. What we can also do is remember the things we have missed and learned during this forced separation and value them like never before.

James Tomlinson

We Will Meet When the Danger Is Over John L Bell (C) Wild Goose Resource Group, The Iona Community We will meet when the danger is over, we will meet when the sad days are done; we will meet sitting closely together and be glad our tomorrow has come. We will join to give thanks and sing gladly, we will join to break bread and share wine; and the peace that we pass to each other will be more than a casual sign. So let's make with each other a promise that when all we've come through is behind, we will share what we missed and find meaning in the things that once troubled our mind. Until then may we always discover faith and love to determine our way. That's our hope and God's will and our calling for our lives and for every new day. You can see a wee video of the song here. The score is available here You can download an MP3 file of the hymn here.