On the move...and staying put.
Our year seems to have centred on the word HOME – in various
guises. After settling on staying in Guernsey last year, we’ve been busy...
settling in. Some decorating, some sorting, not enough decluttering, quite a
lot of gardening; more DIY – mostly Richard; making Morningstar into our
hereforeverhome.
And yet... ‘Home is where the heart is.’ Our hearts are not
only in Guernsey but also very much with family and friends scattered around
the world. We can’t be in two places at once, so we have relished opportunities
to reconnect, whether locally with good friends, having friends and family to
stay, or internationally: Skyping with Cat and Andy, Jonny and Adele and
extended family, including Cat and Jonny’s ‘parents-in-law’; visits from Tanzania, visits to Adele’s
parents in Lincoln, dear friends in Shrewsbury and Lancashire...
School has also been an extension of home, though becoming,
for Angie, less so: she continues to enjoy the children and their parents, but
there have been many, many changes this year, not least the departure of a much-loved headteacher.
...and, of course, much time – three months total, in fact –
has been spent in the motorhome visiting France: Brittany in February, the
Loire valley at Easter, exploring the South of France in the summer. #justa2hourferryride. The Dogkennel, as our vehicle is known
because Pickle would spend all her time in there if she could, hosted quite a
few friends: lunch picnics down at the beach over New Year; groups of family
friends camping with us in France; a gathering of 9 of us for supper just
before we all caught the ferry back home. It has been wonderful to have the
flexibility and opportunity which the motorhome gives us to meet up with so
many friends. While away, we have been able to have guests to stay in our house,
through AirBnb. Preparing the house certainly ensures that it has an extremely
thorough spring clean!
And I reflect: Jesus grew up in a home but, as an adult, had
no home to call his own. When he was born, it was among strangers; his early
years were spent as a refugee in Egypt. Cat and Andy are living their lives
helping refugees and homeless people in Iraq, working with Medair. (Andy works
to provide clean water and sanitation; Cat runs the logistics, finances and
human resources for the medical teams. Their jobs are hugely demanding: we are
in awe of the equanimity with which they face daily challenges.) Adele and
Jonny are teaching in an independent school in Arusha, Tanzania: Jonny is loving
being back in Africa, especially as they live near our long-time friends Byron
and Lisa. In their free time, they volunteer to help train teachers in poorer
schools, so that the poorest children can receive a better education. We are
grateful for their work.
So, as we look back on this year, as I think about the
children’s lives we have all, in our various ways, touched: I think of the
future, and what 2018 might bring. What difference will we make this year? For
all our efforts are nothing compared to the Gift of Jesus that we remember
particularly at Christmas. Grateful for His gift, grateful for His grace.
