July 6 - Day 89 - Rain before seven, fine by eleven
The picture today, which I know is a bit gloomy - sorry - was taken this morning (not last night). I know that lots of weather sayings usually have some link to meteorological science. The one in the title is, according to the met office, often right because four hours is supposed to be enough for rain brought by UK weather systems to pass. Looking out of the window now, I do remain quite hopeful but either the last few days have not been a normal weather system or as long as it counts still if each four hours is punctuated with a bit of sunshine or greyness then ‘Rain on Saturday, Dry by Thursday’ would be more correct.
Anyway, enough of the weather as I did have my waterproofs on and shouldn’t, therefore, complain especially as the focus is definitely not on me during this challenge but the people we can all help. To continue instead on the theme of significant days in history, 6th July is quite a bleak one in the UK. In 1978, 11 people died and 17 were injured in a fire on the Penzance to Paddington sleeper train, with rescue services hampered by people having locked their carriage doors overnight from the inside. The same day, ten years later in 1988, the world's worst offshore oil disaster happened off the coast of Aberdeen on the North sea oil rig, Piper Alpha, when explosions and fires caused the death of 167 people.
In more recent years, at least we have gained more understanding about the effect of trauma and the huge impact it can have. This isn’t often though about the big news events but traumatic events or situations in people’s past that we may be completely unaware of. It’s also about the trauma and suffering created when, as a society, we have treated people unfairly and when we have criticised or condemned people or communities unfairly. It doesn’t take much to reveal beneath the surface of adults like those we see every day at the Centre, who feel isolated, vulnerable, who struggle or just need a safe place to be, some kind of trauma in their lives - either now or in the past. What’s hard as a member of society is for all of us to accept some responsibility when that trauma has been created by unfairness, inequality, prejudice or has just been ignored. As has been said before, “There is nothing in this world that can trouble you as much as your own thoughts.” Being aware of that is often enough to show understanding. Another saying sometimes used in relation to understanding trauma is “You don’t have to save me, you just have to hold my hand while I save myself.” With your support and generous donations, St Wilfrid’s Centre will continue to metaphorically hold people’s hands and support people while they find a way through life.
