For my 60th birthday I received from my good friend, and former colleague, a new book. It is a child's book as with children's books so often it is a powerful read for adults and can be appreciated on a different level. As a child I loved the Paddington Bear books, long before the films or tv programmes about Paddington. I loved the funny situations Paddington got himself into and the descriptions of the other characters. For years I wondered where "darkest Peru," was as opposed to ordinary Peru! Imagine then my surprise to discover that my father also loved the books too, reading them on a different level and laughing so much about the antics of the little bear. Hardly perhaps, the reading material of an academic, let alone my father!
So return to the book which Jane gave me, it is called "The Boy, the mole, the fox and the Horse," written by Charlie Mackesy and it is full of wise and witty sayings, memes and accompanied by delightful pen and ink sketches and colour washed pictures. It is just enough to challenge thinking and maybe even turn around presently held thoughts. It is relevant for children on one level as a delightful tale, but speaks powerfully to adults as well and challenges preconceived ideas. It is not a book to be read by a storyteller but one to be inwardly digested a few pages at a time.
The introduction explains that Charlie the author has written this book for everyone and that in the story he is one lonely little boy who meets a mole and so it starts.
The mole and speaks at one point to Charlie, the little boy and says,
" One of our greatest freedoms is how we react to things."
Do we chose to greet someone on the road with a cheery hello which then leads to conversation? Do we take a cake to an elderly person who is lonely and by your choice of giving a cake, make a new friendship? Do we pick up the phone and ask about joining something, which means we now have something to do, or join a charity, which can enrich our lives? Do we listen to God and choose to follow? All these reactions will bring about freedom for ourselves, even in these challenging times.
This is so true, our meeting with this pandemic could leave us all so frightened that we cannot possibly live life fully again or with care, we can open the door to new and different experiences of life. It isn't a negative, though of course it is horrendous and terrible. We did have a choice. We were told exactly how things would be, but we weren't told how to react to that news. We might have chosen to do absolutely nothing - our choice, our decision, but it could be the opportunity to embrace caring for others around us, serving the needs of our community, volunteering to help as we slowly emerge from lockdown. It could be that we become vocal, political, seeing injustice and speaking out by awakening our inner selves. Our reaction to this is indeed a great freedom, on becoming who we are meant to be and rising to the challenges.
Equally, there are those who on suffering from terminal illness, choose not to lie and ruminate on things past and what could have been, but to live! They find the freedom to react to life itself in a huge variety of ways. In dying that they do indeed live and leave behind so many positive things for friends, family and others.
Vicky, whom I have mentioned beforehand although in lockdown has seen the need for those who are struggling for whatever reason and ensures everyday food is available for those in need in The Vale with no questions asked. In embracing her lockdown, her curtailment of her individual freedom and her fears, has opened the door for others to be free from worries, needs and expectations even if only for a day or two. It could all have been a shut down for Vicky and in helping others has discovered a new sense of fulfilment and happiness.
By throwing all on the God who accompanies us on our life's journey, we find another way of reacting to things and open ourselves to a deeper relationship with God. The humility of having to ask for things, the living by faith - as a family who moved nearer to us used to do, who literally didn't know where the next meal would come from or the money for a bill. They emerged tired, but indeed had walked very close to God and had discovered a new freedom within that. Now I have my own feelings about that, but I can see how making decisions for them brought them closer to God in their lives.
We do all have certain choices we can make about things. We can chose ways to do things; to be angry, upset, furious, reactionary, generous, thoughtful etc. It is our decision and ultimately our reaction too. Today, we can select if we want to know that freedom by how we react to things around about us. It is in the simple things that we shall start to experience such freedom. Indeed " One of our greatest freedoms is how we react to things" a positive or a negative, a step forward or a step back, it is our choice and our decision.
