Start As You Mean To Go On
Well, it’s actually quite daunting to be tasked with writing your blog entry on 1 January! On the one hand if you don’t write something around 50% of the people reading will assume the reason you didn’t do so is because you’ve perhaps had a drop too many and they’ll shake their head in silent disapproval, on the other hand you write something and the other 50% who read the article wonder just why it is, when all others were out partying hard, you decided to keep a clear head and write your article, all the while shaking their head in silent disapproval.
The truth is, as is often the case, a blurry blend of the two. Just before the office broke for the Christmas period we laughed and joked about the blog writing schedule (don’t be fooled folks, we do have one!) and just why it was that I, of all people, should be allocated 1 January as my designated day. The reality is that today is pretty much like any other day to me, to you and the majority of the people we help here at ScotsCare. Yes, it’s the start of a new year, fresh beginnings, reflections on the year that’s just gone, a clean slate but what does that actually mean in the real world?
Now, I’m not ordinarily known within the confines of 37 King Street as being the most cheery of people, especially at this time of the year. I freely admit I see no purpose in Christmas other than for retailers to make up in the closing 4 weeks of the year the losses they made in the preceding 48; a time for people to put themselves into a little more debt in the belief that the smile on their loved ones face’s makes it all worthwhile and very usually it does. All that said, in a perverse way it’s also probably true that the reason I seem not to care too much for this time of the year is because I do care for it.
The end of a year really is a time for reflection, of the good and the bad that has happened not just in the 12 months gone by, but in all the years we can remember. The friends who have come, those who have gone. The moments that have made us cry with laughter, those that have caused us to shed a tear in pain; yet through it all we survive, very often with the help of family and friends. However we need to remember that not everyone has friends and family to fall back on, at best a lot of us survive with acquaintances and even that is a rather loose term.
So this year, as you either sit nursing your head which might be throbbing from a little too much celebration or reading with dismay that others might have given themselves over to the demon drink, spare a thought for those less fortunate. I don’t just mean those obvious ones such as those who sleep on the streets or in night shelters, I mean everyone. The families that face losing their homes in these times of recession, to those who start the New Year knowing that they no longer have a job, to those that feel they will never have a job.
Whether we know it or not, just about every household is probably leaving 2008 and entering 2009 with some less than perfect news. So whether you raise a glass of ice-cold champagne in their honour or a steaming mug of tea, pause for a second and think of them, then carry on with your day and bask in the warm glow that all over the UK and here in London, charities such as ScotsCare are doing their best to help those who need a helping hand to get on with their lives.
If it is one thing we’ve learnt here at ScotsCare since 1603, when the first seeds of our existence were sown, it’s knowing how to weather the storm, face what obstacles life throws at us and just be here for those that need us, when they need us and all of this is made that little bit easier with your support. Whether you give time or money it all goes towards the common good and is much appreciated by clients and staff alike. On behalf of them all may I wish you and those close to you a very healthy and prosperous New Year!
This entry was posted on Thursday, January 1st, 2009 at 12:01 am by Marc and is filed under General, Welfare. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
