Today is the first day of Term 2 so we began the whole home schooling thing online. We dealt with frustrations of an overloaded system, delight in seeing familiar faces and some sense of a routine beginning and school work accomplished. I also recieved a timely email from my sister Debbie with a series of permission slips for parents -instead of focussing on the ways we mess up, we give ourselves permission to be human… permission to be imperfect, to feel feelings, to be a work in progress, not to solve problems, to have boundaries, to parent differently, to be silly, to have a bad day, to have limits to what you can do, to take time by yourself, to not know everything, and to seek help. Important to remember in these days, whether we are parenting children or not.

To add to our new beginnings today, and more exciting than school starting back was the arrival of the SPCA van this morning delivering a puppy needing a home during lockdown. Her name is Alma and amidst all the change she is experiencing, she is already thriving on cuddles -of which there are plenty here.

This morning’s psalm was Psalm 36: 5-9 Your steadfast love, O Lord, extends to the heavens, your faithfulness to the clouds. Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains, your judgements are like the great deep; you save humans and animals alike, O Lord. How precious is your steadfast love, O God! All people may take refuge in the shadow of your wings. They feast on the abundance of your house, and you give them drink from the river of your delights. For with you is the fountain of life; in your light we see light.

A puppy is a precious reminder of our need to snuggle into a safe place when things are changing all around us. We too can take refuge -snuggle in- in the shadow of the wings of our God of steadfast love.·