Alderney, Guernsey | November 2020
This week it was really, really tempting to cave into that sinking feeling I get when I feel EXCLUDED from something important to me. EXCLUDED is an awful word that ricochets around my life at the moment, as I am among the three million taxpayers in the UK who have been excluded from all government support since March whilst the employed and the self-employed are supported (and I’m glad that they are!).
But this feeling of being excluded then gave me pause to grow my empathy with those others in countries all over the world – the refugees, the internally displaced, the street children and even people within families or groups of work colleagues who might also be having that same sinking feeling. When excluded it’s hard to feel ‘of value’ somehow, even when you know deep down you are valued.
I say ‘tempted’ as the pause made me reflect harder on the opposite word = INCLUDED and I set to work on how I could play a bigger part in making as many people as possible feel included and of value to us at Children for Health. It’s absolutely AMAZING what has happened since I started this just a few days ago! The people who have ‘just somehow’ been turning up on social media, through email, on the phone – who want to meet and find out more etc. It’s been a wild ride.
So, from the almost-feeling of being excluded – I now just feel JOY! Joy being the actual name of a wonderful new contact Brother Francis JOY who is working with a small group of children in Andhra Pradesh, India. He sent me such great pictures of him working with a group of children using our materials. Find out more about him and the children he is working with. Here they are holding up some of our posters!
What JOY!
If I’m allowed to give you some ‘homework’– it would be to try to make at least one person feel INCLUDED somehow in the coming week – in your party, your plans, your project…
On the blog this week…
Until next week – and have a great one!
Clare
P.S. You’ll recognise this spot from a previous newsletter, no rainbow this time, but a stunning moonrise instead.