Keep smiling, keep singing, keep dancing, keep the faith.

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For my fellow school Chaplains, teachers, all those involved in education in Britain and N. Ireland. Today is a day unlike any other we have experienced or will (hopefully) ever experience again. Our students, especially those in Yr. 6, Yr. 11 and Yr. 13, will be feeling a complex mixture of emotions and many will be upset at not having the chance to properly celebrate the end of this particular educational cycle. They are going to need our ongoing support and prayers over these coming weeks and months through whatever communication/distance learning system your school has in place (Google Drive/Classroom, for example). 

We need to also support and lift up each other. Keep in regular contact, share the good stuff, but also find those with whom you can share the bad stuff, because we are all going to need to offload at some point. Be there for others as you would want them to be there for you. I have a gut feeling that in the midst of all that is happening right now, the seeds of something good and beautiful are being sown. We are seeing it already in acts of kindness and selflessness. Let’s focus on that and express gratitude in our prayers for those kind souls who lift us up each day and for the God who will never abandon us, no matter how dark it gets. Keep smiling, keep singing, keep dancing, keep the faith. I love how this uplifting song and video from last Dec. by N. Irish band We Are Messengers anticipates our current social isolation. 

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