It is at this stage that most of us discard the flowers – they are no longer of any use. But look more closely – can you see the beauty and the depth in the sheer fragility? 

Tenderness and perception make people attractive and humane – not the outward show of material achievement or strength. A very wise Bishop once said this about ministry:

In your ministry, despite your best intentions, you get things wrong sometimes, you will hurt people, you will fall below the standards God sets for you and you set for yourself. The grace and miracle of this letting go into human failure helps mend you and carry on with a deeper sense of love and hope.

What is true of a particular area of work is true for us all as human beings. Will we ever learn to be gentle with weakness? Can we ever let go of mistakes? Letting Go is such an important part of growing and changing.

Over the past couple of years I have been working and learning with a number of people interested in the way we think and reflect on loss,change and dying. It has resulted in a number of fascinating conversations where people across professional groups have come together to reflect about how we might promote wellbeing in dying. Our new web page has been launched and I invite you to look at it: www.wellbeingindying.org.uk . Pauline Smith has done a marvellous job in trying to convey our aspirations through the colours and movement of the header.

Be gentle on yourself and on others – remember that we are all human.

What would you like to see on this web page??