Thinking SPACE Dear friends Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 Well summer is here and so we will be considering when and where we are going on holiday! When my children were small, we always stayed in England and went camping, as they grew up we went abroad and our favourite place to visit are Italy and also France. Part of going on holiday is sending family and friends a postcard to let them know where we are and what we are doing. I collect postcards of places I visit and the special things I have seen, I save all the postcards that are sent to me. It’s now a routine all my family send postcards when they are away. I buy postcards of the places we visit; I do take photos to remember what I have seen but postcards are just beautiful pictures taken and are used to remember where I have been and show others. For many years I have taken it for granted that I will receive these precious postcards but how would I feel if they suddenly stopped. Before I retired, I worked in care homes and realised that many people who lived with us did not receive any postcards and no longer went on holiday. I used my collection of postcards to discuss their happy times away. We joined a group called ‘Postcards of Kindness’ which is an initiative that asks people to send postcards to residents of care homes. What a difference this made to some residents they looked forward to receiving post and the cards were put up on the wall for all to see. We also returned cards to people who wrote to us if a return address was provided. So, when you go away even for the day, please consider making someone’s day by sending a postcard. If you are interested, you can find more details on the website ‘Postcards of Kindness’ or simply send a postcard to a care home near where you live. Have a good summer, Janet Norristhorpe United Reformed Church v