Diary 44

Friday May 1st

The first day of May, traditionally, has been a holiday – whether it be the choristers of Magdalen College, Oxford ‘singing in the summer’ from the tower overlooking the river, or the May Day celebrations of workers in Europe.

We didn’t get any of those today.

Such celebrations, based in antiquity and very much pre-Christian, helped people to mark the changing seasons and the cycles of life (and death).

Canada marked it by banning assault style weapons, which connects neatly with the life/death connection.

Which is why I felt it important, in my own way, to mark the occasion with a few quiet moments of gratitude to be still here, alive, knowing good things are happening, as well as bad.

I hope you were able to do something similar, perhaps.