Easter time is a time of hope and renewal.
Whether you are a person of faith or not, the signs are all there for us to see, the trees are bursting forth, the daffodils are gently swaying in the gardens and hedgerows, the birds are gathering up cosy bits for their nests heralding new births and the promise of what is to come.
It is oh so easy when we find ourselves in difficult situations to not be able to grasp all that is good in life, to become so sad and hurt that life passes us by, in a dark swirling mist of unhappiness.
When you have had contact with over 2,000 grandparents on a one to one it can seem that there is nothing good happening out there, that one human being seems hell bent on destroying another, I have heard things over the last 8 years that I thought I would never hear. Total devastation and destruction.
And for what?
One word sums it up, control.
Someone for what ever reason needs to have control over another, and to deny contact with the grandchildren is the perfect control.
It is never about the grandchildren, it is about inflicting the most pain.
So for me, I need to go back to Easter, the days leading up to Easter Sunday, were dark and desolate days, feelings of betrayal ,those who are supposed to care and protect another, let them down, too selfish, worrying about themselves, to stand firm against wrong doing.
Sound familiar?
Eventually I reach Easter Sunday, and I am faced with those amazing feelings of hope, that things are just starting, after such a dark time.
For me personally of course, it is a mixed emotion, as you know, it was Easter that we last had any contact with our granddaughter and my son his daughter, so although I have struggled a bit lately, I still have such wonderful memories, memories of laughter, of fun and all that is good. A relationship so special, so unique that is etched in my heart forever. Memories of those sunflower seeds she planted in little pots, that a few months later had grown tall and firm with the brightest yellow smiley faces I have ever seen. Whenever I see a sunflower, I see her beautiful face.
I can’t take away the pain that so many are feeling, but I can be there to share it.
Hope is what BGSG has always been about, and it will always be, hope that has been fulfilled this Easter time, for one of our grandparents who is reunited with her grandchildren.
Easter is that time of hope.
Jane