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Chaplain’s Corner

‘Instructions on Not Giving Up’ – Ada Limon

More than the fuchsia funnels breaking out of the crab apple tree, more than the neighbour’s almost obscene display of cherry limbs shoving their cotton candy-coloured blossoms to the slate sky of Spring rains, it’s the greening of the trees that really gets to me. When all the shock of white and taffy, the world’s baubles and trinkets, leave the pavement strewn with the confetti of aftermath, the leaves come. Patient, plodding, a green skin growing over whatever winter did to us, a return to the strange idea of continuous living despite the mess of us, the hurt, the empty. Fine then, I’ll take it, the tree seems to say, a new slick leaf unfurling like a fist to an open palm, I’ll take it all.

Oh to be like the tree and able to take it all, the hurt, the empty, the frustration that life has thrown at each of us in this past turbulent year and then unfurl ourselves anew. This week as I write we have come together on our doorsteps to honour those we have lost on the anniversary of the first lockdown. How is it possible that a whole year has passed already? As we approach our second covid Easter it seemed like a good time to share the above poem written by poet Ada Limon.

I hope that you have found ways to stay healthy and that you and your families have been, and continue to be, safe. As spring takes hold and the season of hope unfurls around us. I pray that you will have a peaceful, joy filled year ahead of you.

If you are finding life tough at the moment and would like to speak with a chaplain you are very welcome to call me directly on my mobile: 07526 378529 to chat or if you prefer you can contact us via email on info@mitechaplaincy.com where you can request a call-back.

Debbie.

We have a range of resources on our web-site including some that are more specific to the Covid-19 outbreak and some that help in dealing with stress: https://mite.org.uk and you can easily keep in touch with us on social media: Facebook: @mitechaplaincy Twitter: @mitesthwarr

You can also find resources on Mental Health Matters and in this TED talk How to be kinder to yourself amongst many other online offerings that will come up in any Google search.