Courageous Effort and Group Celebration!

It seems to me that many things are changing in today’s world and some things are changing very fast. It can seem hard to keep up. Communication is one area where it is all happening. You (or your child or grandchild) may have the latest phone or Ipad and next year it is out of date.

Sometimes the changes are very welcome, but others can be worrying. Looking back, something which has not changed in the last twenty years or so is the idea of sponsoring someone for a charitable cause when they have made a special effort. Indeed, this seems more popular than ever and social media advances have given more ways to get sponsors. There are media stories almost daily about courageous endeavours in aid of one charity or another. Many individuals are inspired to set up their own charity out of experiences of personal sorrow. There are so many examples of good coming out of tragedy.

A really ‘Aquarian age’ phenomenon coming out of sponsored events is the way they draw people together in groups in joyful celebration. Looking back on my own life, one of my proudest moments was cheering on my son Michael when he ran in the London Marathon. The feeling of group celebration as the runners were cheered home in St. James Park is something I shall never forget. As with every year, the so-called ‘fun runners’ were supporting many different charities and had put in hours of training. There were so many tears of joy, so many proud supporters and so much needed money raised for many good causes.

Last weekend I had a similar experience of joyful group celebration following courageous endeavour, when I stood on the beach at Colwell Bay on the Isle of Wight to cheer in my son-in-law, Joe, as he completed his swim across the Solent (the strip of sea between the southern coast of Hampshire and the Isle of Wight). Not having been a strong swimmer before, he signed up for his swim to support his local sports centre as well as my own little charity Star Action. It was a fantastic achievement—I was so proud. As I drove home afterwards I passed groups of cyclists with the name of a charity they were cycling for on their T-shirts and more crowds cheering them on.

We live in a wonderful world, I thought. Yes, there are awful things happening, but there are truly many wonderful people doing amazing things; things which inspire everyone to think of others and give—even if it is only a ‘widow’s mite’. Of course, the act of giving brings its own inner gift to the donor too.

So I would say, don’t be depressed about where our world is going. We are doing well! The magic of the Star is touching many, many hearts and minds, and they are opening.