The View from the Rectory - June 2021

Dear friends,

It has been over a year since the coronavirus pandemic swept into our lives. We now hope we are nearing the end of the restrictions we have been living in and many of us thankfully have been vaccinated too. I have been reflecting recently on all that has happened in our society during this time, and it seems to me some have flourished, others struggled, and some people are somewhere in the middle just getting on with life. We need to remember this when we start to meet again and re-start some kind of normality in our lives - that some will be embracing this and others perhaps more nervous, that some will be coming out of this refreshed, while others will be more burnt out. It is a particular time then that we need to continue to look out for one another and remember that though we might have lived through the same time, our experiences and reactions will have been different. I was recently taken by the poem ‘The Same Boat' which seems to sum up much of my current thinking. I hope you will read it and give it some thought over the coming weeks, as we keep one another in our continued thoughts and prayers and offer what support we can.

With all best wishes and prayers,
Rev'd George

 

The Same Boat, by Julie Sheldon

‘We're all in the same boat' they say
But I would disagree
So many different sailing crafts
Upon this stormy sea

Some sail on ocean liners
In comfort, style, and ease
Relaxing on their balconies
....Sipping their G & Ts

Some speed along in motor boats
As if it's all ok......
With little care for smaller crafts
Which may get in their way

Some struggle on their battleships
Where nothing's going right
Endlessly preparing.....
For the next relentless fight

Some huddle in their lifeboats...
And pray that they'll be saved
Hoping for a calmer sea...
And fearing every wave

Some drift around upon their rafts....
They barely stay afloat
They're praying for a change of luck...
And chance to board a boat

Some haven't found their sea legs yet....
And dread each wave and swell
They're struggling to stay upright
And don't feel very well

So whilst you're on your journey
To a safe and calmer port
Look out for fellow sailors
Who may need some support

Could you throw them a life belt?
Or a paddle or an oar?
Perhaps you could help guide them
A bit nearer to the shore.