Church letter

August 2023

Click for the church letter from July 2023

A change is as good as a rest

I find August a bit of a strange month. I enjoy it, but it also comes with a bit of a contradiction. On the one hand it is meant to be restful, in that many people enjoy the rest time of a holiday in August; but at the same time, we make our holidays so busy! Holidays are meant to be relaxing, but how often do they become stressful times? Rest and busyness; relaxing and stressful; August and holidays can be a dichotomy. Perhaps the key is to keep things simple. I will let you know how we get on with that.

If you are fortunate enough to be having holiday in July or August, one of the great things I find is simply the change of routine. A holiday does not have to be flying off somewhere (that surely just adds to the busyness and stress); a holiday can be relaxing and restful just by being a different daily routine from the norm. A simple change of routine is a good thing. Change is a good thing. Change is dynamic, exciting, affirming; change shows ‘life’. Embrace the change of routine that a holiday can bring.

Of course, when you have a young family, the length of the summer holidays can feel daunting; all those weeks stretching out in front of you. “What are we going to do with the kids all that time?” My advice? Enjoy that time. We were speaking at toddler group this morning about how quickly children grow up. “I can’t believe X is leaving toddler group already and going off to school in September,” was a pretty common theme. Here is another dichotomy of life: when you are a parent of young children, the sleepless nights seem to go on forever, but the years fly by. I promise you, your young children will soon be: starting school; changing class; changing school; learning to drive; having a boyfriend/girlfriend; going to college/uni; having a gap year; moving out to their own place; perhaps getting married; and having children of their own. All before you know it. It is a universal truth. Believe it and enjoy the time with your young children while you can. Enjoy the long summer holiday time with them. It won’t last forever.

And grandparents, enjoy that (tiring) time with your grandchildren; in the grand scheme of things, that really fun, exciting time with them doesn’t last that long; they will soon find a smartphone more interesting. And here’s another dichotomy of life: is having the grandchildren to stay relaxing, restful, and stress free? No! Do we enjoy it? Yes!

Embrace those long summer days with their change of routine, if you are fortunate to be able to enjoy a holiday. Remember that ‘change of routine’, whatever it is, is as good as a rest. Enjoy August.

Revd David Commander, Rector and Area Dean