Polka Dots and Babies

Looking through our eyes, is kind of like looking through a magnifying glass, the world is distorted by the way we see it. All sorts of factors cause this distortion, our parents, our peer groups, our faith or perhaps our lack of it. For me many of these factors in my life have been conflicted, for the first 7 yrs of my life my mother was on her own and we lived on the bread line. She got married and I was catapulted into a world of middle class privilege and boarding school. I spent my early years growing up in the Salvation Army and the URC, then I went to a Catholic boarding school. I spent term times in towns and cities and my holidays in the Scottish countryside. Who I am is a polka dot mix of these, there is a blanket colour background, with dots of vehemently held and defended identity. This very much colours how I see the world.

Having moved to what I am reliably informed is "God's own Country" , I can see why it has earned this name. In the Sunshine you can see for miles the undulating English Countryside in all it's pride and glory. Your are surrounded by a truly awesome beauty and with it's jagged crags and distinct flora you also get a sense of the strength and power of God and his creation. You are surrounded by everything and yet can be perfectly still and at peace. You can feel in touch with God whether you are despairing or elated. There is countryside here to reflect it all and allow you to pause and discern where your faith may be headed.  

I find it very hard not to be inspired by these simple things, not least by the tenacity of our local sheep to escape the Moor in order to reek havoc in the town. What I can not ever ceased to be inspired by is the birth of a child. Each one is a miracle and you only have to ask my husband to know that I do not relax until I know each one I know of being born is safely delivered. I love the hope of new life and what it will bring, however I am also more than a little bit aware of how fragile life is. Here is where the miracle of God's gift of creation is most evident. Something so strong and so fragile, given to us in his image. What we do with this awesome gift in the next few years will affect  the way that fragile life force grows and behaves, how it will see the world and in turn how it will interact. This is our responsibility as parents, god parents and as Christians. From the moment you meet a child for the first time, it will log record and rein-act the way you behave. This is how we learn to be human. 

We have a wonderful new gift of life in this country. He is a focus of celebration and joy for many in this country. He is not just any baby boy, he will be our future Monarch and also the future Head of our Church. In a time when we are still in an uncertain economic situation, he represents a positive future in which we can all grow. There are many things that are broken in society now, maybe we can work towards resolving some of them by the time he has grown up. Let us hope that the influence from the citizens of Great Britain will be be a positive one on this tiny baby and his parents. So congratulations to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and to all others who received the gift of life yesterday, may God walk with you all on this journey.