What a difference a month makes. Last time I wrote, my thoughts were all on the weather – floods in our country and hot dry conditions with wildfires in Australia. Now, all one can think of is Covid-19.
Amid all the panic buying and the fights in supermarkets, one of the things that has troubled me has been the fuss about refunds for cancelled holidays – there was even an entire You and Yours programme dedicated to it on Radio 4. In our affluent society many of us have one or more holidays booked, with commitments to pay before we travel. However, we can live without holidays – we are having to now – and the money was money that we were going to spend anyway, so not a great loss. There are far more important issues to concern us.
Our lovely Castle is now shut down, together with the other Auckland Project venues. The Trust is deploying its staff and resources, however, to providing for vulnerable people in the area, so that its ethos and purposes are being maintained. We had bookings for a dinner in the Castle library, next month, but we were invited to donate the value of our tickets to the Auckland Project charity, rather than having a refund, and we were very happy to do so.
I will, however, admit to great disappointment in not being able to come and preach at St Hilda’s in June. We had booked a holiday cottage near to Flints Moor, and were going to bring Guenever with us. I was so looking forward to walking in Calderdale again, and, of course, coming to St Hilda’s to see you all. Short of a miracle, that won’t be happening now. We had also planned to go to the Northumberland coast next week, now that the spring weather is finally arriving, and we had booked a cottage for a few nights, but have
decided it would not be a good idea.
Ironically, the restrictions on ordinary daily life are forcing us into the sort of lifestyle that Extinction Rebellion were agitating for us to adopt – no flying, less driving, fewer business trips. If we survive the virus, we might find we like the simpler way of life, and the threat of climate change will recede. My main concerns are for those who fall through the safety net – those on zero-hours contracts, people running small businesses especially cafes and pubs, and the homeless. My friend Mirella who sells The Big Issue is in a very vulnerable position, with several children, another on the way and a husband who is an Uber driver. I fear that his work will completely dry up leaving them with virtually no income. Mike and I have helped the family quite a lot, but it will be beyond our means to keep them solvent if their employment fails.
I am also dreading a complete lock-down. Most humans have inner resources to enable them to withstand severe limitations, but the thought of keeping my lurcher confined to a relatively small garden when she normally runs for two hours each morning, is almost the stuff of nightmares.
Life seems strange without church – only one Sunday so far, but many more to come. I am recording sermons on CD for the churches where I normally preach, and I am hoping also to get them online soon. I find it a therapeutic exercise and I hope they will be helpful in keeping people focused while we are in isolation.
In the meantime, you are often in my thoughts and prayers. It is almost impossible to imagine the people of St Hilda’s apart from all their bustle and activity. I hope that spirit remains, even though your congregation is scattered and fragmented. And I hope I shall be able to see you all when this crisis has come and gone.
May God bless each one of you,
Love from Susan
St Hilda's Church, Halifax 