Thought for the week
WE will all have our own lockdown stories. Some of us rose to new responsibilities and burdens – whether at work supporting people’s health and basic needs, or at home organising an overcrowded, undirected family space. Others have been essentially alone, considering daily the inescapable presence of their own souls.
I feel like time has widened with the narrowing of my space, spreading out like the ocean beyond view. Dates matter less, hours flow slowly – I am wherever I am. Having less options is opening up all of the many, accessible daily options that get shouted down at other times, and I am able to take more satisfaction in each thing I experience. Sunshine. Coffee. Moments with my husband. Trees. Music. Making eggs in the morning. Weeding. Smiling at my neighbour. Cleaning my bathroom. Appreciating the Midlands. He was known to suffer from depression and had recently lost his dog,” the coroner said.
A note was found and while Mr Jones did not read this out during the short hearing, he said: “It is quite clear he intended to kill himself and apologises for what he has done.” Recording a verdict of suicide, Mr Jones said he was satisfied no-one else was involved: “The presence of the note shows intent and the high level of drugs show that an overdose killed him. The evidence is overwhelming and I conclude that Martin Page did kill himself.” silence. Greeting my cat when she returns from the wild yonder. Breathing. Sleeping. Dreaming.
Can you remember an instant or a few minutes in your life where time acted this way, spreading out and out, seemingly to eternity? A sacred moment of dazzling joy, a stretching out of peace, or maybe seeing something you found truly beautiful?
Sometimes prayers are silent. Sometimes they are simply living in God’s presence, part of you open like a flower to the sun or tree leaves to the rain. Focus on the memory of that sacred feeling, whether it’s from lockdown now or previously in your life. Focus on what it tells you about who you are, and open that up to God. Sharing those times with him is so much more wonderful than keeping it locked in yourself – and he can help you remember them, too.
Kate Gough