Dear Member,
Please find attached the June edition in a series of Brochures which address very important issues that are affecting many Brethren and Companions during the Corona Virus outbreak.
This latest brochure helps to address one of the hardest issues that any person can ever endure – that of the death of a loved one. Suffering the loss of someone who we are close to is an inevitable part of life, however, knowing that the event will happen doesn’t make the pain that a loss can cause any easier to bear. I hope that the attached brochure will be of help to anyone who has suffered a loss, whether through this dreadful virus or through other causes.
It is also important to recognise that we all have a part to play in supporting those we know in their time of need. Most of us have experienced a bereavement, and will know that the pain that this brings is difficult to cope with, and as many of us are shielding, a loss without the close comfort and support of seeing our closest friends and family will make the burden of loss much more difficult to cope with.
There are a number of resources available on the internet, and through organisations such as and Cruse Bereavement Care (0808 808 1677 https://www.cruse.org.uk/) who will be able to help those who have lost, as well as those seeking to support them, and the Bereavement Advice Centre (0800 634 9494 – https://www.bereavementadvice.org/) who offer advice on the practicalities of what to do when someone dies.
With the easing of some lock down restrictions it may be that life could slowly start to return to normal, although the reality is that we are may well still be quite a way off being able to meet in our Lodges and Chapters, so it is vitally important that we keep in touch with each other. I’d like to offer you one of my favourite quotes, which is from a man who lost the ability to speak through illness.
“For millions of years, mankind lived just like the animals. Then something happened which unleashed the power of our imagination. We learned to talk and we learned to listen. Speech has allowed the communication of ideas, enabling human beings to work together to build the impossible. Mankind’s greatest achievements have come about by talking, and its greatest failures by not talking. It doesn’t have to be like this. Our greatest hopes could become reality in the future. With the technology at our disposal, the possibilities are unbounded. All we need to do is make sure we keep talking.” – Stephen Hawking
Take care, keep safe and keep talking.
Yours Sincerely & Fraternally,
Neil A. Moakes
W.Bro. Neil Moakes
Provincial Grand Almoner
Province of West Kent
07739 249398