There’s a Time for the Everything

-It’s all a part of life.

I am always amazed that whenever I write to you via the blog thing on the net, I always manage to stumble across a connection, often multiple, to what I’m doing at church, or in church music as a composer or AP. From time to time even the work in the pub, gets connected to my blog, my church music, or words from scripture.

As I write to you today, a song has popped into my head that we used to sing in Primary School. A TIME FOR EVERYTHING - written by Mark & Helen Johnson and the fabulous Out of the Ark team. The song, for those who can pick out scripture in a song, will be screaming Ecclesiastes 3.

On Saturday 27th June, is Mawsley Village Fun day, between 2pm-6pm.

By the time you read this post, we will either be running around packing away or sitting down because we’re done!!

This will in fact be my last Mawsley Village Fun day.

After nearly 4 years, plus the stint before. It’s time for me to challenge myself to something new, look at a different set of four walls, and serve the good folk of Mawsley in a different way.

I actually remember my interview for TCAM back in Feb/March ‘22, where I inadvertently made Claire Thorpe laugh, because the question I asked wasn’t worded quite right!

Golly, there are so many memories. Good and bad. The best I will cherish for ever! I think the bit I am most grateful for was the support and encouragement to walk back through those doors again and I must thank the vast majority for the welcome and helping make TCAM a welcoming safe space. I only left the first time to enable my transition to come out.

I first came to TCAM having just left school, wanting to hide from all the people that made my childhood a misery. Nobody knew who I was or anything and it was great.

I have met so many wonderful people over the years, I have made friendships with the loveliest of them along the way.

When you work in customer service, it’s often the little day-to-day things that make the enjoyment last. I remember once fixing some young lads bicycle, we had only one spanner in the TCAM Tool box, but it happened to be the perfect size to tighten up the handlebars and get the bike functioning again! The smiles and laughs shared at the funny moments, the winding up of Liverpool fans, (Sorry George!) the silly things like “Ellie’s Ice Cream Delivery Service” where I’d personally hand the little person their pot of snack rather than just plonking it on the bar. The random things that have made people smile, this is hospitality sometimes. It’s never been just pulling pints it’s been about serving the community.

We have celebrated many things with many people. We’ve also said farewell to some of our greatest and most loved and respected villagers. -it’s all a part of life!

I have given TCAM my all, it has been “an honour to serve” this wonderful place for so long.

I must of course thank every single one of you wonderful people whom I have served, served with, and made these years so special and so enjoyable.

The biggest, and most meaningful thank you of them all must go to our wonderful centre manager Nicola, who has offered me the job, twice, and put up with my faults all this time. Nic has encouraged me and brought out the best in me and made me a better person, I’ve learned and developed more operational skills, Nicola should be recognised more often for the truly amazing job she does running TCAM.

It has been a true honour to serve!

A letter that took 4 days to write

Lots of tears shed

Remembering memories-

Good and bad.

I am sad to be leaving,

even though I’m glad.

I’m proud to say I’ve worked here

And what a truly great time I’ve had

I’ve given it my all

I’ll give the next adventure just the same

Just like I did for you all.

There's a time to laugh, there's a time to cry,

A time to ask the question "Why?".

There's a time for birth, when you say "Hello",

A time to turn and wave goodbye.

There's a time to reap, and a time to sow,

A time to wait and watch things grow.

- There's a time for everything,

It's all a part of life.

Love to you all. TCAM