It was National Thank You Day on Sunday 4^th July.  I don’t know if you were aware of this, but what an inspired idea it is to introduce this national celebration!  The momentum came from a grassroots campaign as a way of the whole country coming together, thanking each other and building on the community spirit which has grown through lockdown.  There is a certain paradox that a pandemic which has inevitably isolated and separated us all into small units in the necessary effort to stem the spread of the disease has actually led to a growth of community awareness.  A politician famously said back in the 1980s that there is no such thing as society, but the past year and a half has done much to demonstrate that society still forms a strong part of our identity and we have a natural willingness to help and support each other.

Many organisations decided to promote National Thank You Day, ranging from Scouts organisations to the NHS, as well as famous actors, footballers and many individuals who have personally benefited from the kindness of others.  Even the pristine grass at Wimbledon has a thank you message inserted into the slope of Henman Hill to draw the message to our attention.  The significance of this event is the importance we attach to so many unsung heroes, young and old, who have helped us through the crisis so far.  Those small acts of kindness and unselfishness have made life a little easier for people struggling with the difficulties of the pandemic.  In many cases this kindness has only been felt by the recipients who benefit from that helping hand.  But individual people have risen to the challenge of supporting their neighbours, and society has been strengthened in the process.

Teachers have worked with imagination to provide distance learning opportunities, as well as still teaching children in the classroom, and many have marked additional papers when public exams couldn’t take place.  Shop workers and suppliers have risen to the challenge of providing goods and services without the usual infrastructure in place.  Carers and medical professionals have coped with exhaustion, emotional turmoil and risks to their own health and well-being in order to look after others suffering serious illness.  Funeral directors have had unprecedented numbers of funerals to organise, and churches have arranged services and pastoral support under extraordinary circumstances.  The list is never-ending of those we wish to say thank you to.

We might also take this opportunity to say thank you to our families and friends who have been there for us, perhaps at the end of a telephone or sending us a reminder in a brief message that they are thinking of us.  A short positive communication does much to lift our spirits when we are feeling overwhelmed by the pandemic, or having a bad day for any other reason.

And for those of us who seek after a deeper spirituality and look for a greater purpose and meaning to our existence on earth, this might be a good time to say thank you to God for all the miracles and beauties of this life which He has given us.  World disasters and personal tragedy may cause us to question our faith and to ask where God is in all the death and suffering, but if we hold the belief that God is here with us in the bad times as well as the good times, then that is definitely a blessing to give thanks for.

Sarah Bourne, Chaplain for the Arts – 7^th July 2021              sarahbourne@banburystmary.org.uk