大象传媒

Well the clocks went forward, it鈥檚 lighter for longer in the evenings, the suns shining a little more and for me it was just a reminder that seasons do change. I grew up in East London on a council estate and i鈥檇 be lying if I told you聽聽I didn鈥檛 see some crazy things. People around me were in some really dire situations, which were the effects of poverty, fractured family relations and to be honest some circumstances which were out of our control. But we battled on. My parents for example came over to England from Ghana and worked a couple of jobs at a time to put food on the table.聽

It is my experience that seasons change. I used to interpret that in a little bit of a superficial way. You know, I鈥檓 in a bad situation and one day I鈥檒l be in a good one. I feel differently now. I actually think that most of the time. seasons change when my perspective does. I鈥檝e been quite open with my grief journey after losing my Dad. I was waiting for that season to change. For the hole that he left in my heart to be repaired so I could feel whole again. The truth is, I just got a bit stronger over the years. It got a bit more bearable. I had to make peace with the fact that he鈥檚 not coming back and I can either give up on life, or further his legacy by fighting on. The situation didn鈥檛 change but my perspective helped bring me into a new season.聽

My mum used to always share a Bible passage with me when I was growing up. It鈥檚 from John 3:30 and it says something like Jesus wants you to have life and life to the full. I used to think that meant everyday was going to be amazing and filled with happiness. But now I think that maybe life to the full means the fullness of everything life has to offer. The fullness of joy, of sadness, or grief, and of hope. But through it all, if I can maintain a positive perspective, the sun will likely shine again because God is with me, and because even on the worst of my days, I know there are still blessings to count.聽