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THREAD: New Year's Eve. This year has been, for many, a very difficult year, as it has for me.
From saying goodbye to family and friends, all much loved, to the demands of self-isolation and social distancing which have sapped mind and spirit both. So many life chances lost.1//
From saying goodbye to family and friends, all much loved, to the demands of self-isolation and social distancing which have sapped mind and spirit both. So many life chances lost.1//
Of the seemingly endless cycle of incompetence, illness, selfishness and stupidity that has characterised the UK government's response to the pandemic, & public reaction to it, it is best to say little.This year has brought out the worst of us, as well as some of the best. 2//
We have never been more badly led, and the Brexit deal we have agreed is thin gruel to an economy which is only propped up by massive public debt. Any ideas of British exceptionalism should be set against the backdrop of our current realities, which are grim. 3//
If this sounds gloomy, it is because it is; yet my three touchstones of faith, hope, and charity abide. You may, or may not recognise them from the Bible; but it doesn't really matter. What matters is the values they carry. 4//
Faith, because whether you choose to believe or not, I have discovered a faith which works for me; small, flickering, wavering, hopeful, eternal. Some people find faith uncomfortable; faith and doubt always contend, & each to their own. 5//
Hope, because there is always hope. I am one of life's optimists, so perhaps am always bound to be disappointed; but I have not lost hope, as much as had it tempered by experience. My hopes are now much simpler, not concerned with the trappings of wealth, status, or success. 6//
I have never lost hope that I would find a way through these difficult times, or that the journey was not the right one. Deciding to take a different professional and personal direction in 2020 was, and is, the right decision for me. 7//
Charity... otherwise, called love; be you ever so far apart, I have always held you in my heart. To some, I am closer, to others, less so, but that does not mean I care less. I am blessed with a diverse range of followers, some of whom are good friends. 8//
If I am sad we cannot see each other, then at least know I see each update from those I follow, and am glad of it, and of you. 9//
Love comes in many forms. One must learn to love oneself, as I am doing. Conscious of the fact I have but one life to live, I must live that life in expectation of the year to come, to build upon the good, & discard the bad. Everything old is new again. Happy New Year. 10// ENDS
