Being a vicar gives me a privileged window on life in our villages.

For example, I see babies born and then baptised, which is a real joy. I see children grow up and leave their primary school.

Couples come to see me about getting married, and I am so looking forward to Danny and Candice’s wedding this month at All Saints.

And of course, there are life’s downsides, like the loss of a job, with anxiety and hardship often resulting. There is ill-health, sometimes with the hope of recovery, and sometimes not. And we see that people die – bringing pain and grief, and sometimes anger, as a result.

No two situations are alike, and I find there is no point in making comparisons, because things are as they are for you and not otherwise.

The cycle of life, like the cycle of the seasons, turns. We are now plainly in the summertime of the year: we have perhaps forgotten the heavy snow of the winter, even if we regret the loss of plants or shrubs.

For Christians, the faith to which we hold is that through the ups and downs of the cycle of life there is an underlying presence of God to be our footing. It is especially vital to remember that the divine presence holds onto us when we’re going through the downsides, the negative parts of the cycle, and we are to hope and trust that we will come through it.

I wish you a very good summer, whether part of it is spent away or not, and whatever your situation.

With every blessing

Stephen