Dear Brethren,
We are all well aware that the year now closing has been dominated by the Pandemic, as was the previous one. The effects have been widespread and have touched all of us in one way or another and with varying degrees of severity.
However, although the Pandemic is still with us, we have at last been able to take our first tentative steps to a resumption of more normal life, masonic and otherwise, and what relief and pleasure that brings. As we go forward let us proceed with proportionate caution and do all we can to keep ourselves and others safe.
At this time of the year, Pandemic or not, the Festive Season is upon us, the signs are there for all to see. The Christmas movies now showing daily, the wonderful decorations in houses and streets, the cards being sent and received, and the music being played in shops are all clear signs that Christmas and the Festive Season are indeed upon us.
Christmas and the build up to it can be truly wonderful, depending of course on our circumstances. For many of us it will be a predominantly joyful and uplifting time, for others it might be a source of worry and anxiety, whilst for still others it might evoke nostalgia and a sense of sadness and loss. These mixed effects were beautifully summed up by Charles Dickens when he wrote, “Christmas is a time when abundance rejoices and want is keenly felt”.
To the effects of Christmas, we can add those of the Pandemic, one consequence being that wants of various kinds have been keenly felt by most of us. In the face of this it is so important that we think of one another, that we reach out to one another, and that we are there for one another. It is in this spirit that Dorothy and I extend to you our warmest best wishes. We hope and pray that for you and your loved ones the Festive Season will be the very best it can possibly be, and that it will be followed by a year of significant safe and sustainable progress in the resumption of more normal life.
My sincere Seasonal Greetings to all of you.
Denny,
PGM.