Yesterday was full of complex issues… in politics, communities, faith… creating conflicting opinions…
…Home Secretary Suella Braverman’s tough new laws combatting illegal immigration… sending loud clear messages to people smugglers… Britain being taken for a ride by asylum seekers… flagrant breaches of the law by those crossing the English Channel…
…Football commentator Gary Lineker describing this as ‘An immeasurably cruel policy directed at the most vulnerable people in language that is not dissimilar to that used by Germany in the 30s.’
…Reading Chine McDonald: ‘Gone are the days of the stereotype of teenage mothers aborting unwanted pregnancies. Today the majority of women having abortions are those with a partner or those who are married… More than half of women terminating pregnancies are already mothers…’ …adding potential fuel to both sides in the pro-life-pro-choice debate…
I always try to be positive about life – appreciating it’s beauty, enjoying every opportunity, valuing each unique individual I meet, but yesterday…
…I met Nicola who I first new as an active, good-looking, mischievous child. Life’s been tough for her; now, in her 40s, she’s very ill with a rare cancer. Long sessions of Chemotherapy have left her without teeth or hair…
…My friend Derek told of the sudden and unexpected death of his son-in-law. Derek and his wife are with his bereaved daughter and young granddaughters: ‘I’ve never felt so utterly wretched’.
Musing… powerful politicians, celebrities, church leaders… strong, forthright opinions… dividing our nation and communities. Two sides of life… joys and sorrows, smiles and tears, beauty and ugliness…
St Paul’s humility puts our petty rivalries, personal agendas, and protected reputations into perspective.
17th century bishop and saint Francis de Sales described an ever-present Father God…
Yesterday’s local paper described the restoration of a Victorian ‘kissing gate’…. I like the picture of two people, either side of the fence, coming together to kiss…
Two opinions. To decide? Too much! …I need Paul’s humility, De Sales’ Father God, the kissing gate’s coming together in love.
malcolmsmusings.org 
I can’t help but wonder what it would be like if we did have open borders.
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It’s certainly worth a wonder! I just want the discussion to be about human rights and people – compassion and justice… and that to be what drives us forward rather than some political dogma…
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