I watch a TV programme on Christmas Eve where they started by playing the final part of the same programme a year ago. Cast your mind back to the end of 2019 and you will remember a general election during Advent which returned a Conservative majority government who promised to “get Brexit done!” and the prime minister promised “an oven ready deal” the host of the programme I was watching rounded off 2019 by saying “regardless of whatever happens in 2020” all will be well!” There was something of a feeling of irony as 2020 came to it’s close with a programme of guests all socially distanced and using words like “Lockdown” and “Tier system” which were not central to our vocabulary twelve month ago. There has been a feeling over the last few days of “let’s write off 2020 and start again with a clean sheet in the new year, with vaccines coming on line and the hope of getting back to normal as quickly as we can.
But let us not be too hasty to write off the old year, whilst it has been difficult for most of us in differing degrees and we have possibly all had to make sacrifices, we would have never chosen to do, we have learned a lot, grown a lot and experienced a huge amount and I believe that we have a lot to be thankful for. If I stop for a moment, there are literally hundreds of people of would like to thank for the things they have done during the year. I am very fortunate, because I work in a role where I come into contact with a whole variety of people and situations and I have been overwhelmed by the creativity, imagination, hard work, kindness and devotion I have seen. I am thankful for the army of people who have worked tirelessly during this difficult year and I have witnessed personally outward signs of love and kindness.
As I look back at 2020, I am not ready to simply write off the year, I want to cling to all the lessons we have learned, next time you are at the beach or by a river, pick up a pebble and look at it, appreciate the colours and the textures, that little piece of rock is a thing of beauty because it has been battered by the elements of life and I think that the same applies to us, our real inner beauty comes to the fore as we live through the storms of life. The pandemic has been a bad thing, it has destroyed lives and deeply challenged families, lockdown has been hard for many and has caused many to fear, but through all these experiences we become stronger, more resiliant and we have things to be thankful for. I challenge you to look back at 2020 and reflect of what has made you thankful during this year, then let us carry that forward, so that 2021 maybe good.
Happy new Year!