Looking Forward

On Sunday, at the Silhouette Stage School show, two young girls sung ‘Maybe’, from ‘Annie’:

Maybe far away
Or maybe real nearby
He may be pouring her coffee
She may be straightening his tie…

Annie, abandoned as a baby and in an orphanage run by the cruel Miss Hannigan, imagines what her parents are like and hopes that they will come back for her…

I remembered the old Beatles’ song:

I’d like to be under the sea
In an octopus’s garden in the shade
He’d let us in, knows where we’ve been
In his octopus’s garden in the shade

Ringo Starr’s Octopuses Garden is a bonkers imaginary world where we can hide away. Everyone is happy, safe and free from all worries and responsibilities.

Granddaughter-Hannah posted ‘The girlies are officially teachers; Uni is officially over.’ There’s a picture of nine young women taking responsibility for life, growing up, moving on from student to teacher. This isn’t Annie’s wishful thinking or Ringo’s creative imagination. It’s facing the challenge of an unknown future with courage and resolve.

I reflected on conversations at Men’s Shed – friends, men at the other end of life. A picture of them could be titled: ‘The men are officially retired; work is officially over.’ They look back on life – successes, failures, jobs, health, friends, marriages, families. They’re living today with regrets, bereavement, humour, gratitude, medication dependency, heavy family responsibilities, loneliness. They’re facing the challenge of an unknown future acceptance and pragmatism, but like the girls with courage and resolve.

Last night our church home group reflected on Minister-Lou’s Sunday sermon on Jesus, the Good Shepherd. We talked about… Jesus leading from the front, by relationship, not control… us as sheep following the shepherd, and what happens when we wander off… the importance of being part of the flock.

How am I looking forward? With …Annie’s wishful optimism? …Ringo’s happy fiction? …Hannah’s responsible resolve? Friend’s pragmatic acceptance? I intend to follow the good shepherd… green pastures, dark valleys, and eventually coming home.