Ecclesiastes 11:1
Send out your bread upon the waters,
for after many days you will get it back.
There’s a bunch of teenagers
gathered at the corner of our street
“fannying about”
I think is the phrase
In high spirits
the night before their lives change
perhaps blissfully ignorant
of the implications
perhaps in denial.
While other young people
sit at home
already yearning
for those rites of passage
that they are being denied
The P7 dance
The residential
The leavers hoodies
The school prom
The final year group performances
and farewells
And even
the exams
That chance to show
that they’ve improved a lot
since the prelims ...
And there are staff
who have journeyed alongside
who have come to know
and grown to love them
warts and all
who are mourning
the loss of opportunity
to finish a task begun -
to send them on
to the next part of their journey
empowered
and equipped
And there are some (though not many)
who look on
and remember similar disruption
and have tales to tell
of how they persevered
and came through the other side
with strength
and resilience
And some might argue
that it’s a small price to pay
for staying alive
for that’s what it’s about
But it’s too early to focus on that
or to focus on anything much
when loss has the upper hand
All we can do
is listen
and be kind
and recognise
that we’re all in this together.
The year of Covid-19...
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