The Great Leveller

As you will no doubt be aware, the recent covid-19 outbreak has changed everyone’s lives to a greater and a lesser extent. As a church we know that many members of our family will be self-isolating, working from home, or practicing social distancing over the coming weeks. We are hoping that through a series of blogs we can encourage you, and others who might be reading these blogs, to fix your eyes on Jesus, and respond to the crisis in a way which honours his will for our lives.

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Lord Hennessy, a historian, referred to the Corona Virus as a great leveller in that the virus is no respecter of social status, race, gender, ability, wealth, etc.

Irrespective of who you are, the virus and the associated social shutdown impacts us all.

He also speculated about how PhD students of the future will regard our society and how we responded to the challenges posed by the virus.  

So let’s give them something positive to talk about.

I’ve seen blogs with suggestions as to how we can make working from home happier and healthier – all suggestions have been welcome.   

But how can we help each other?

My daughter saw a woman giving bottles of hand sanitiser to fellow commuters and a lady holding a sign giving her phone number asking people to contact her if they need support.  I’m not advocating that last one, but it set me wondering, what can we do for work colleagues and for neighbours who are coping with the same pressures right now.

• We can keep in touch with those we usually work along side – not just team conference calls, but on a one to one basis too.

• We can share coping tips – both with work colleagues and neighbours.

• Try turning the usual half-felt enquiry (“How you doing, alright?”) into a more searching question – “How you doing today?” – and wait for a real answer.  If in doubt, ask twice. 

• Support local businesses by shopping in smaller independent shops – they seem to better stocked that the supermarkets in any case.

• Support your local Food bank – details here.

And ring your mum – she worries about you. 

One day we’ll all be featured in a PhD dissertation (probably several); I’d like to think we come out looking good. 

MY MATERNITY LEAVE CHALLENGE...AND YOUR OPPORTUNITY

Since being on maternity leave I have loved hanging out with my two boys.

I feel incredibly blessed to be a mummy, and thank God every day for the two little dudes he blessed me with.

But after six months I was getting itchy feet to do something other than:

• changing nappies
• sterilising bottles
• washing clothes
• cleaning the house
• dressing boys
• (followed by undressing boys when one is sick all over himself and the other one hasn't made it to the bathroom in time)

As much as I love doing all of these things, I felt like I needed an extra challenge to add to my week!

Redeemer's just finished running its first term of meetups.

I had the pleasure of hosting a parent and toddler meetup at my home. I invited parents from Redeemer, as well as other local mums that I've met over the last few years.

Despite being a reception teacher at a local primary school, for some crazy reason I felt the need to turn my own home into a classroom for 9 weeks!

My flat was full of baby equipment and all sorts of toys. It felt like mayhem, but the kids had a blast.

It turns out toy trains, cars and the play kitchen were the most popular toys!

We sang songs together, and snack time was loved by all (adults and kids).

Mums enjoyed connecting with one another, sharing stories and advice about the latest milestone their children were going through.

It was a great experience I felt privileged to be a part of, and I met some cheeky adorable kids and some incredible new mum friends throughout.

I had 49 kids and parents through my door over the 9 weeks!

When our final session came to an end earlier this week, one thought came to mind:

Why should this end?

The answer is - it shouldn't!

I am heading back to work next month, and will be surrounded by many other kids that will keep me busy...but the opportunity is there for someone else to host next term!

As I summarised my ramblings of my last blog in 5 easy steps I thought I would do the same:

1. Take on new challenges
   The tots group is just my example of taking a risk in leading something new. You could lead a meetup in the future!
2. Use your skills to connect with others
   I've discovered I'm actually good at being with kids! It's probably because I am a big kid at heart (and so is my husband, he keeps me young). Think about what your skills are - how can this help you connect with people locally and build friendships?
3. Try not to focus on WOE IS ME
   Don't feel sorry for yourself if you feel that you don't have any friends and haven't been invited to things. That was their loss not having you there. Instead, make the first move and...
4. Invite people to an event
   It doesn't have to be in your own home. It doesn't have to be run by you. Everyone loves being invited to something. From experience, not everyone will turn up - so be brave, and invite twice the amount you were planning on.
5. Love being local! (That's my blog copyright if you'd not noticed)
   Enjoy your surroundings, the people around you and what Ealing has to offer.