Its that time of year when many of us will be be throwing open our doors, making sure bins are emptied, stocking up on a wee dram and madeira cake (just in case, you never know if next door might arrive) and generally making sure that all those Hogmanay traditions are stuck to. Ironic isn't it that one of them, opening all your windows to the let the old year out, is also the one action that might just save your life. We'll be sharing life affirming quotes from poets and writers of yesteryear, joining elbows in a chorus of Auld Lang Syne and sharing photos of negative tests all in a bid to have some form of what we would define as normality. But as the unseasonably warm rain clouds disappear on a year that has challenged our perspectives on normality, it is with a sense of foreboding that many of us will face 2022.
2021 seems to have been a year of loss! The immense sadness felt at the departure of family, close friends and acquaintances has left a mark that unbalanced our lives and brought a deep sense of disbelief into our souls, with even the most hardened believers in "everything happens for a reason" struggling to find the why. 2021 felt unreal and the reality of some of things that occurred in our lives only became tangible when the Christmas card or the cheeky text didn't arrive. No matter how infrequent connections are, they are still connections that keep friendships alive and no matter what anyone says, virtual Zoom will never replace being there.
In the earlier part of the year when lockdown was at its height, I was asked to create four images for an order of service for a funeral. Each image had to contain the word finding and a sunrise or sunset as the lady who had passed away said every day "at least I have been able to see another one and I still find joy in that no matter what". Apparently even in the darkest mornings, she could see that behind the rain clouds there would be a glorious sun, and in this belief she hoped she was giving her family a sign that she would still be with them. The word finding had to be included because in her family's own words, in her ending she finally found the peace, love and joy she had missed out on for most of her life.
Working on these images really moved me, they look so simple yet there is so much within them and I am incredibly grateful to the family for allowing me to share them. We all went, and are still going through, so much that all too often we forget about those tiny moments that bring us peace, joy and love.
I hope 2022 brings you whatever you need in your life and that all the challenges and difficulties 2021 made us face, helps us to grown stronger and more open to growth.
Happy New Year
G
Images used as background were sourced via Adobe Creative Cloud Express and were created for the family free of charge.
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