As a minister within the life of the church we get to see the real highs and lows of people’s lives. The highs as people have a day of celebration and are married, the lows as people grieve the loss of a loved one or are anxiously trying to make sense of where God is as they receive bad news.

My husband Peter was an eternal optimist and always saw the best in everyone and everything. He was also a Yorkshire man therefore, he was also always honest and would say things as he saw them, or as they were, albeit with a large dose of humour, a wry smile, and even a twinkle in his eye! He (and therefore we) did not “do Valentine’s Day”, his reason being that he did not need a saint’s day to remind him to tell people he loved them.

I’m writing this from self-isolation, having brought back American Covid at the weekend! Thankfully, unlike everything else in the USA, it isn’t bigger than ours, I’ve only got mild symptoms and expect to be back to normality (whatever that is for me!!) soon.