November 2021

With Christmas now just a blink around the corner, I cannot quite believe it! I am certain that time has picked up a pace, I could do with a few more weeks, just to get a few more things sorted!

What I have been working on is our annual family calendar, a yearly event and what seems to have become somewhat of a tradition in our family. When it all started many years back, the only people who appeared in the photos on the calendar were my three children. However, as the years have passed, there are so many more people who appear in the photos that make up our calendar, as our family has grown, changed, and adapted. So, the process of sorting and choosing photos has become a longer process each year, but it does afford me the opportunity to sift through a year of photos. This year has been strange, unpredictable and at times difficult and not one any of us would have envisaged. Yet, as I sorted through the photos what struck me was that despite all the weirdness of the year, what I had were so many captured moments of precious times that have scattered times of joy and love throughout the year.

So, as I complete the family calendar for another year, I am thankful that although my family has, over the years, altered in ways I had not anticipated. I did not want to go through heartaches or bumpy patches, who does! I would have preferred uninterrupted joy! But all those experiences have brought a far richer life, one that can be witnessed through those photos each year.  

At Christmas we re-tell the story of Jesus’ birth and I wonder if we stop and consider just how tough that would have been for Mary and Joseph. The time before the birth was hardly plain sailing, let alone during and after! But we remember the message that it brings to each one of us, that of joy, love, and hope. It is, for me, a constant reminder that in the face of adversity and difficulty that hope, and love can always be found and shared. Sometimes we just must search a little harder to discover it and it can be found in unexpected places.

This Christmas, although we are embracing times of uncertainty and change for a myriad of reasons, I pray that you find moments of joy, hope, and love this Christmas season and throughout 2022.    

“There is a kindness that dwells deep down in things; it presides everywhere, often in the places we least expect. The world can be harsh and negative, but if we remain generous and patient, kindness inevitably reveals itself. Something deep in the human soul seems to depend on the presence of kindness; something instinctive in us expects it, and once we sense it, we are able to trust and open ourselves.”

John O’Donahue

Warm wishes

Jenny, Niall, and Heidi If you would like to contact the team: jenny.bourne@thearkbus.org.uk