We really are trying to cheer one another up. Whether it’s the unprompted phone call, or the offer to shop, we seem to be doing our best to help one another. And the internet provides another dimension! I’m sure I’m not the only one who’s received forwarded messages on my mobile, with links to cheery items on line. One we have enjoyed (and I forwarded in turn) is a very skilful dubbing of advice about protecting ourselves from Covid-19 onto scenes from ‘The Sound of Music’, with Julie Andrews and the young von Trapps singing advice and encouragement. And there’s a host of others going around.
Yesterday, the one that most touched me was Anne Atkins's musical lament on the death of her parents. Her father David had been the last surviving chorister from the first broadcast of Nine Lessons and Carols from King’s College Cambridge in 1928; so a musical tribute seemed perfect. Anne wrote her own lament, which her son then set to an ancient folk tune. Then a large group of musicians and singers got together virtually to perform it, and the result is hauntingly beautiful. You can find it on YouTube at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JLErbdfw_nU . Enjoy!
Fr John