Tuesday 17 March 2020

Keep Calm & Carry On

Premium poster Keep calm and carry on
It's a difficult time for all of us but especially the "Golden Oldies" amongst us who are most at risk.

I think the most difficult thing about it is all the unknowns, how the nasty little virus is actually spread, how long it will take to go away, can you get it again, when will they get a vaccine, how can businesses survive. All really frightening stuff but the it reminded me of the saying that was developed during the war to help boost morale which was to keep calm & carry on.
We've become used to so many nice things in our lives and quite a lot of certainties too so the unknown is truly scary. Yet our parents lived through much more frightening times. They had:
  • No antibiotics to ward off the nasty infections we used to get 
  • No NHS to ensure we got free treatment
  • No welfare state to support us in our old age, in sickness or unemployment
  • No telly or phones & no internet 
  • No peace and a horrendous war to fight

No wonder they needed the morale boosting posters. Looks like we have a war to fight now which involves trying to keep healthy and helping others and ourselves to keep safe and sane too.

Our daily lives have to change and it's a bit frightening not knowing how long this will go on. I'm sad to miss meeting up with friends for quilting, meeting my sister for lunch and friends for coffee, volunteering at the cathedral, going to church and not being able to see my children & grandchildren face to face. However we have so many good things in our lives to keep us going. Time to count our blessing and have some faith. I remembered the poem that Minnie Louise Haskins wrote that King George VI quoted during the war in his 1939 Christmas speech:  

And I said to the man who stood 
at the gate of the year: 

"Give me a light that I may tread safely 
into the unknown." 

And he replied: 

"Go out into the darkness 
and put your hand 
into the Hand of God. 
That shall be to you better 
than light and safer 
than a known way."

We're relying on governments and scientists to help us. However the Dean of Durham Cathedral has written to all the volunteers and he sent this prayer asking us to remember all the people who are affected by the virus and the amazing people working in the NHS helping to protect us.
Keep us, good Lord, under the shadow of your mercy in this time of uncertainty and distress. 
Sustain and support the anxious and fearful, and lift up all who are brought low; that we may rejoice in your comfort knowing that nothing can separate us from your love in Christ Jesus our Lord.

3 comments:

  1. Inspiring post during these times. We had to cancel having our 13-year-old grandson come to the mountains next week for a few days ...Looking forward to when things are normal or better again.

    ReplyDelete
  2. What a blessed post. God gives us everything, the least we can do is surrender our will to Him and let our hand be held in his, under the shadow of his wings. Its nice to be here ...visiting you !

    ReplyDelete
  3. I'm quite surprised about how much I miss going to church. Not so much seeing other people but just worshiping. But as you say there are so many positives too. A good positive post in these worrying times!

    ReplyDelete

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