The Wilderness Year

The certainty of our lives has changed over the last year, leaving us all feeling that we’re wandering about in the wilderness just a little bit now. We are often confused by the advice from government members who have, for a while now, stopped claiming to ‘follow the science’. But we are following the science, and said scientists are definitely recommending that we do not get together this Christmas. So we’re not. The upshot of which left me feeling even more in the wilderness, once we’d made the decision yesterday.

That is, mind you, until I went to the church hall this afternoon for a meet-up with the little Bible study group I belong to. Guess what the topic was? The Wilderness. Couldn’t have been more apt. And the discussions were so helpful, from such lovely, thoughtful friends. They may be clichés, but to understand that: ‘it’s OK not to feel OK’; to ‘be mindful of, and appreciate, the now’; and ‘you’re never too old to learn’, was brilliant, because the ideas tossed around just peeled another layer from my sadness and self-centredness, making me feel such a lot better.

We may still be in the wilderness, still not knowing what is going to happen and having to face a future with less certainty than we had, but it’s good to know that we’re not on our own.

I was already is a relatively good mood when I got to church this afternoon because, this morning, I had got up and got on with the wallpapering in the old office. I was very glad that John was up and about when I started the job, too, because he was my rock and support all the way through. I kept nipping out to him to ask him how to do this, how to do that and, “Can you just come and have a look at this bit and tell me what I should do here, please?” The main sticking point was, would there be enough wallpaper? And there wasn’t. Oh, groan. No matter, John to the rescue. “If we cut it like this, and put that bit there, it should be OK.” So…. what do you think, folks? Can’t see the join, can you? Well, I can’t anyway!

So, despite the fact that I thought I might not put many Christmas trinkets out this year, one of our favourite things to do is to string fairy lights over the arch in the lounge that takes you from the old part of the house to the new. Time had taken its toll on some of our lights, so I used the ones we normally put up there on the the tree. “Shall we nip to the garden centre and buy some new lights, John?” I suggested about four o’clock. He was cosy in the lounge watching TV, but thought a spot of fresh air would do him good, so we did. We got the lights….. aaand, a couple of other impulse buys later and we were on our way home. Any idea what the impulse buys might be? Mmmmm….. chocolate, of course!

So, that was our day, really. Uplifts from our own endeavours, church friends and the family today, who WhatsApped us – including a video of Thomas listening to Jungle Bells and jingling along and melting my heart. Some days, it’s just good to know that people have got your back, isn’t it?

Today’s stats are less encouraging than recently though:

• 16,298 people have been confirmed as infected with the virus
• 504 people have died from its effects today in the community
• 181 people died from its effects on 2 & 3 December in hospitals
• We’re into Day 3 of Tier 3 here in Balsall Common, after Lockdown 2
• And Day 261 of keeping ourselves to ourselves as much as we can since we started in March

Take care everyone, and really look after yourselves. Follow the science…..it might save a life. God bless.