Remember, Remember…

Ah, here we are in November – the month of remembering…

It sits quietly between October’s fading ghost of summer, and December’s frenetic season of joy!

November invites us to just pause a while and to reflect.

Forgetfulness in the form of busyness and distraction can threaten to squash and steal our moments of pondering, but even social tradition waves its flag on our calendars, gently beckoning us to surrender our attention to the slow art of memorising, of re-membering ourselves into connection with what has gone before.

Early in the month, All Souls Day gave collective opportunity for certain strands of faith to slow down and remember dear departed ones. This is not a day that I have ever observed, but there is a precious aspect about giving time to reflect on loved ones who have since passed. Time to be thankful for their presence and their impact on our lives. I consider the many friends and family members I have loved who have, even unknowingly, shaped my life and left an indelible imprint on me. I remember the often gentle, understated individuals who went about their lives with quiet composure and grace and also a touch of humour – and my heart sings with immense gratitude for them.

Days later our diaries tell us to ‘Remember, remember the 5th of November…’ Oddly enough we still mark the day when Guy Fawkes was arrested and his plot to blow up London Parliament was foiled. Tradition calls us to celebrate this by gathering around bonfires and admiring firework displays as they light up the sky.

In our world as it is presently, it feels somewhat incongruous to be crowding around bonfires and explosions in celebration whilst people in other parts of the world are cowering from such things in fear for their own lives. And yet we do. Life goes on.

Here in the UK, traditionally children excitedly wave their glow sticks or sparklers in the cool evening air, faces lit expectantly, as groups huddle together in the dark, waiting. The crunch of autumn leaves gives way to the crackling warmth of a communal fire. Flames lick the piled-high dried wood like hungry lions devouring prey, sparks spitting out tiny embers like discarded shards of bone. Fireworks rip through the wide darkness in an array of sounds, shapes and colours. And pets tremble! Hours later it’s over and crowds disperse. The fire, a diminished, smouldering heap, its fiery passion spent, whispers its shadowy haze into the night.

Lest we forget, Armistice Day falls next, on 11th November. A time to pause and show our respect and gratitude for the sacrifice and service of all those men and women who have defended our freedoms and protected our way of life since World War 1. On the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month, we stop and we silently remember. We think too of those still caught up in the pain and loss of war. We offer our prayers for peace and reconciliation and we open our hands and our pockets in practical efforts to help ease the plight of our fellow humans.

As we move through the first half of this month, in rhythm with the season, we have lots to remember and reflect upon. We memorise our gratitude for people, for partnership and for peace. And we celebrate connection in the face of times which otherwise could tear us to pieces.

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