Lockdown in the UK

sounds really distressing now. My cousin has been working from home for months now. His partner is retired. They are mostly stuck in a tiny London flat but they have a "roof garden" the size of a pocket handkerchief. If it is fine they "escape" to that despite the cold. They have been putting on layers of clothes and masking up and going out for brisk walks without touching anything and trying to keep their distance from other people.

I know other people in much the same circumstances. I have an elderly friend in Edinburgh who will spend Christmas Day alone. I have friends in Liverpool who, like so many others, won't see family or friends.

I have not seen most of my family in over twelve months but consider myself to be extremely fortunate because I have my sister Middle Cat here. We still have the Senior Cat - something we really did not expect six months ago. For us each day he can still use a mobile phone to call us and we can go in to see him in the aged care residence he decided to move into is something we see as a gift. 

Recently I saw the retired priest from the church my parents  attended. He is now in his late eighties. He and his wife live locally in a small unit and this remarkable man walks down to the shopping centre every day. He checks on staff and chats to people he knows. In late November he spoke to me and said, "I must remember the anniversary of your mother's passing tomorrow."  Is there anything remarkable in that? I think there is. It  was twenty years since her death. Quite possibly he keeps lists and looks at them each day but it is still remarkable that he takes the trouble to do such things. 

And no, he isn't interfering with the work of the current priest. The current priest welcomes his presence in the community. He sees this man as someone who has the time to listen, who will alert him to possible issues which need to be dealt with and much more. Like the Senior Cat this is a man who is making the most of his retirement. He is still helping others. He and his wife consider themselves fortunate that their son and family do not live too far away but they have not seen their daughters since 2019. 

I have friends who were about to fly out to family for Christmas when another "cluster" developed in their proposed destination. They will be here for Christmas now. It's a very big disappointment but they would not dream of risking their health or the health of others and going.

And I think that is what bothers me most. There are so many people who are aware and who are trying to do the right thing. We all know that doing the right thing is not an absolute guarantee but we know it helps. It helps a lot.  And we know that it is people who are getting careless or complacent or who choose to believe it "won't happen to me" who are making it difficult for everyone.

I am still hoping that our family will be together again and that families everywhere, particularly those I know, will be together again. It's something worth waiting for isn't it?