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A spiritual comment and prayer to start the day with Canon Ann Easter

Good morning.

I reckon that most of our children are back to school by now, with their oversized blazers to grow into, and their shiny new pencil cases.

There’s inevitable trepidation about a different classroom, perhaps in a new school and new teachers – most of whom will feel similarly apprehensive, but, once we get going, the majority will settle into the routine of school life and enjoy it..

I loved it, especially my small co-educational grammar school, but the bigger boys sometimes got a bit lively; one twirled his duffle bag so wildly around his head that the catch broke and it flew straight at my face, smashing my glasses!

I next saw that boy when, as a senior officer of the local council, he laid a wreath at a remembrance service that I was conducting – that was a bit of a shock but we still enjoy meeting up occasionally and laugh at his aim.

School teaches us to pass exams in useful subjects but it teaches us so much more too. We learn about diversity; that what we regard as the norm, may be quite different for other people. We learn about team work. We learn about leadership and about getting our voices heard and we learn that there are some people for whom life will almost always be a struggle and we learn how we can support them to be part of the group.

Lord, please bless all our schoolchildren and their teachers and support staff as they begin a new school year and help them to learn humanity above all else.

Amen.

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