Archbishop Speaks To Nation

The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, was interviewed on the BBC Breakfast show on Wednesday 27^th, and was asked about hope.  The UK had just passed the 100,000 deaths mark, and being World Holocaust Day added a deeper hue of grey in the background.  It was commented that people look for hope in vaccines, and in falling infection rates to avoid death or sickness.  His take was different.  Hope was to come from two sources.  From courage for the here and now.  And for the build back in the nation afterwards.

Grumbling on

About the pandemic. Are you tuned-in and angry? Or tuned-out and switched off?  Actually, few are really tuned-out and switched off. I hear a lot of distressed voices, and life prevents many from switching off.  Joe[i] tells me on the phone that his sister-in-law has died.  It was unexpected.  And because of the pandemic, everything is so so much more difficult to deal with.  The hospitals and funerals are harder.  No flicking through the old photo albums with the wider family – grieving is harder.

And.  We forget, the base level of crotchetiness and distemper has been raised by four years of post-referendum disagreements at all levels. Quite a few are now wanting to lower the temperature of things.  So I was not surprised when folk in church started talking about “not grumbling”.  Against the frequent muttering and complaining against the Covid regulations.  Against that dripping tap that unsettles, but fails to bring action.  The failure to distinguish between Lament from Grumbling.

Covid-19 coming our way

What’s coming our way?  There’s plenty of good advice out there, but what about the numbers?  I thought I’d do some very simple modelling.  The graph shows daily reported infection rates for UK but also France, Spain and Italy.  To 13^th March.  These countries are socially similar to us and are similar(ish) in size.  So comparisons are valid.  First impressions are what we already know, Italy is way ahead of us, Germany, France and Spain have been slower off the mark, and UK the numbers, though growing, is still well behind.

How are you?

How are you?  On sunny days this is bland and a vanilla greeting or conversation starter.  It is a toughie when life is stressing and circumstances hard.  As I am currently finding out.  At the moment, the question is “How is A[i]?” “A” is a close family member who has just had a significant operation, and suffered from non-fatal but unpleasant post-op complications.

I see the friend sidle up. The frown emerge (early indicator of a “serious question” is about to emerge) and I get a scent of a “How is A?” question coming.  Then I find myself seeking to get away.

Funeral Tears and Cheers

Two funerals this year so far; one shocking, one elegiac. Both with foreign condolences; one military, the other medical.  Both with plenty of food after; one pushed down with tea, the other with vodka.  Both with memories of lives lived; of 11 weeks, and of 96 years.  Both funerals are worth a thought.  But I’ll tell you of baby Noah’s now.

How can a funeral capture both the sense of loss, the genuine loss; and the sense of hope, confidence?   And also a mysterious third dimension- that it is better to have genuinely loved and lost, is better than never having loved at all, so never suffered the loss?

Lament
This funeral did work us for the tears: ♫Benedictus, Karl Jenkins; ♫Jealous of the Angels, Katherine Jenkins; ♫ Brahms’ Lullaby, Celine Dion.