Experiencing Covid

 The last week has been somewhat unusual at The Manse as both of us have had Covid.  Maybe, because I’m married to a teacher, it was inevitable.  Once the symptoms appear (in my case a high temperature and cough), and having posted off the PCR test, it’s a surreal moment to be pinged, in the middle of the night, by the NHS with the positive result.  You look twice to make sure it’s your name on the communication, an electronic missive that tells you about the legally binding isolation which is now in front of you.

Over these days we have both become grateful for the many ‘little’ encouragements which have smoothed our path.  Everything from supportive messages of goodwill to one son’s girlfriend picking up the dog walking!  And I was touched that Erna offered to read my sermon last Sunday – it was an unusual experience to tune in to the recording and hear your own words spoken by a colleague – and spoken very well I may say!!

I was intrigued to hear the other day that if we collected all the Covid virus up, that is now prevalent throughout the world, it would fill just half of a can of Coca Cola!  Amazing that something so little has blighted so much of the last two years.  Wonderful too, that those two trips I made to a pharmacy in Northwood to have the injections have personally meant that come the time when I had Covid my inconvenience was just for a mere ten days.  I am profoundly grateful to those scientists who developed the vaccine, and I’m thrilled that at AFC we can show our gratitude through the October Mission Offering as we support raising funds for Developing World inoculations.