This week’s Chaplain’s Corner focuses on hope – in a time when life is beginning to appear more positive, yet stories in the media can easily propel us into increased fear, anger and confusion.
I love this quote from Samuel Smiles (what an appropriate name for someone so hopeful).
‘Hope is like the sun, which, as we journey towards it, casts the shadow of our burden behind us.’
How we need that hope right now – just as things are beginning to change for the positive with restrictions gradually being lifted, we’re bombarded with the horror of George Floyd’s death and the aftermath throwing us right back into a time of even more highly increased fear, anger and confusion.
This situation may seem as if it is going from bad to worse and that as a society we are taking one step forward and two or three steps back but hope is like a beacon, calling us ever onward and as we move towards it we begin to leave our burdens of fear, anger and confusion behind. It takes time, patience and tenacity – but ever so gradually things are changing for the better and will continue to do so if we stay firm in our values and beliefs and just keep moving forward one careful step at a time.
I pray that we never have to live through any of this time again and that we can continue to come together and value each other no matter our differences, that we can care about each other no matter whether we actually ‘like’ each other in the way that our community has come together to support each other through Covid-19.
In the meantime, stay safe, hold on to your values and hope for the future, and always remember that if you want to talk to someone independent about what you are feeling or just to hear another friendly voice who is also a great listener, MitE chaplains are here for you.
You can contact us via email on info@mitechaplaincy.com where you can request a call-back, we also have a range of resources on our web-site including some that are more specific to the Covid-19 outbreak: https://mite.org.uk
We’re working towards having a physical chaplaincy presence at Birchwood Park within the next couple of weeks. It will look slightly different because our amazing volunteers are unable to return at the present time but before too long there will be a chaplain available so watch this space for more information and as always if you prefer you can easily keep in touch with us on social media:
Facebook: @mitechaplaincy
Twitter: @mitesthwarr
If you are returning back to work on the Park, you may find it useful to join the Birchwood Park MitE Facebook Group, a space to chat whilst not able to in person:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/BirchwoodParkSupport/
