Reflecting on a Sabbatical a year on. Part 1 - I needed that
Looking back I was pretty exhausted. The COVID years were tough. While some of that time was exhilarating: working out how to be church in lock-down, how to be church when we came back, how to gather safely, how to help people reflect on that time in a healthy way, how to navigate the restrictions and vaccine passes and all the raruraru around that; it was also draining. And then people changed their attendance habits in the middle of all that, so the numbers attending church dropped by a third. We were not unique in that. But it was hard seeing all that work over 10 or so years undone. and people were left tired, and it was hard to get things going again.
In the middle of all that I had some health issues that meant that while I was planning to go away I was unsure if I was going to go. I am still dealing with those, with some more layered over the top. Yay for getting older. In all that I was also preparing for an event (IPTOC) that I will blog about later. This is a 6 yearly joint event with the First Order SSF, which the three minister generals tried to run with input every morning. I was doing my bit for that, and trying to get ready to hand over my role as Minister General to the new MG. I was stressed, exhausted, and struggling. I so needed that break. I was so tired when I left. Looking back I cannot believe how tired I was. The joy of being a priest, a vicar, and Minister General was gone. I struggled to write sermons. I gritted my teeth and got to August 6, and then the days after trying to get ready. In all honesty I am not sure how much longer I could have kept going without that three months away. I know I was not alone. I know there are priests out there who are still struggling, with little support or understanding. I was lucky. they are not. I heard stories while away of other priests who were taking early retirement because they had lost too much with COVID and all that followed, and they did not have it in them to continue. I was luck to have this time.
It was with relief and my computer (I had not finished doing all that I needed to do) that I boarded my flight out of Tauranga and on to London. I had applied for and got an upgrade on my flight to New York. I struggled to catch my flight to London - thanks for the delays USA immigration. 4 hours nearly wasn't enough. And on Friday august 11 I arrived in London - ready to gird my loins and get into it. And so the grand adventure began.
My plan was to blog as I went. But it turned out I was too tired, and not nearly organized enough. so mostly the blogging did not happen. I did do it for the first week or so, and I will put some links in my next post about that week.
Now my plan is to quickly catch up on the first two weeks of being away, and then to take time each day sorting photos and blogging about what I had been doing a year ago. I had better get on to it. This is mostly for me. But join me if you want.
Comments