In a weird little slice of normalness, the clocks go forward tonight. There are no farmers on the radio, nor newscasters debating the danger of the roads in winter. Nobody’s advocating the shift into British Summer Time, and as far as I know, not many of us are prepping our barbecues for those long balmy nights either. It’s merely a formality this year - one fewer hour to sit in front of Netflix.
I phoned my Mum. We’re postponing our holiday to September, at the earliest. Who knows what the world will look like by then: hopefully safe enough for the three of us to get on a ferry to the Isle of Wight and be thankful for it. But even if not, there will be other things to be thankful for too. There always are.
That’s one theme that’s emerged strongly at a time like this. My friends and I seem to have arrived at the same point - that thankfulness is so good for keeping positive. We have One to be thankful to, which makes our gratitude laser-focused on Heaven. Somehow a thank-offering takes the focus away from the difficulty, and repositions it somewhere else. Birdsong, sunsets, vegetables, laughter, our families, technology, warm duvets, and cheese have all made it onto our daily lists. And rightly so.
So the strangest British Summer Time begins. Some of the more spiritual types in my circle believe this pandemic will be over by Passover - that’s April 16th at the latest. I don’t know; that would take a remarkable miracle, and I have a feeling something significant has to happen to America first. But I just don’t know anything, other than the changing picture of our world now. This Summer Time will not be typical. But my friends and my family and I will definitely remain thankful.
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