Janet’s letter to the Community
Dear Friends
We are in Lent. Lent is traditionally a time for reflection – of self-examination, of penitence, self-denial, study and almsgiving – as preparation for the Great Feast of Easter. My reflection has taken a slightly unusual turn. I’ve been sorting out old family photographs, and in the process I’ve come across a few I’ve never seen before, including one of my paternal grandfather’s parents. They lived in Fraserburgh in the north east of Scotland. My great-grandfather was a baker and my great-grandmother ran the baker’s shop. They both died some time before I was born. In the photograph they look slightly amused; as if they’re aware of being recorded for posterity.
I find myself wondering: what would they make of me if we were to meet now? They certainly couldn’t have envisaged my life: living independently, easy travel to foreign countries, mobile telephones and a computer in my pocket, hours and hours at a keyboard and screen. This would all have been incomprehensible to them. But, I wonder, would they now be proud of me? Would they think that the hard work they undertook to raise their family and give my grandfather a good start in life so that he eventually qualified as a doctor, would they think it was all worth it?
And, leading on from that: the eventual grandchildren of my niece and nephew, and of my godchildren – what will they make of me? Will they wonder how I lived and how I made decisions? Will they think that the legacy left by my generation was a good one? One that made responsible choices for those who would follow? I hope so.
Perhaps our Lenten reflection will take a more practical turn if we ask these questions: would my great-grandparents be proud of me? Will my great-grandchildren (or the equivalent!) look with gratitude on the world that we have left them? Food for thought.
With every blessing,
Janet