Live kindly, live loudly

Live kindly, live loudly was the rather fine life motto of a girl called Ruby Fuller who died of blood cancer on the same day as the infamous party in the garden of no10 Downing Street. She died without being to say goodbye to her grandparents or her friends, her friends were unable to get together to tell stories about her and mourn her passing, they were unable to hold a proper funeral, as they were all trying to obey the current covid restrictions. So when her mother recently saw the photos of that now ‘infamous’ party and heard the explanation that it had been about relaxing after a long and stressful day at work, she described it as “incredibly painful and insulting”.

And so we are left thinking about what is “truth”……. so many half truths (or shall we call them lies?) being told at the moment by people we feel should know better. Our current Prime Minister Boris Johnson in his Christmas message was encouraging us to get our vaccinations and our booster jabs because …….

“ Getting jabbed not just …….. for ourselves, but for friends and family and everyone we meet.And that, after all, is the teaching of Jesus Christ, whose birth is at the heart of this enormous festival, that we should love our neighbours as we love ourselves.”

Which all sounds very nice and noble until you consider that Jesus words were actually spoken about those people we would not naturally see as our neighbours, people who are different, from different cultures, nationalities and religions. The words used by the Archbishop of Canterbury in his Christmas speech were much more in line with Jesus’ meaning in those words. The Archbishop spoke about the refugees currently rushing to come to our country in their hundreds (escaping war and poverty in their own lands) which certainly our politicians do not seem to be treating as our “neighbours”………. in the words of Justin Welby……..

“the challenges that God has called us to face are indeed huge. …… because it is God’s world that we are seeking to preserve and care for. It is God’s church that has to look after refugees and face the issue of war, which will become worse if climate change just rages unchecked around the world over the next generation. We need to pray for that, act on that, speak about that, and take part in transformation. Let’s work together on that.”

So what is the truth? and how do we live kindly and loudly in 2022 and onwards? I loved the Queen’s 2021 Christmas message…….. she said something I have always thought ……. that someone somewhere will be saying “Christmas is for the children”…….. which again sounds ‘true’ but actually is a half truth or indeed a lie. The truth is that “Christmas appeals to the child in us”…… which is such a great saying as it includes us all whatever our background or personal circumstances.

And so I head into 2022 with this mantra “Live kindly, live loudly”…….. to be kind is not always enough, sometimes something is just not right and we need to

speak up

call it out

strive and work for justice for all.

As Cinderella famously states in the 2015 Disney remake “Have courage and be kind” because “Just because it’s what’s done, doesn’t mean its what should be done.”

Here’s to an amazing 2022!!