2023 A Year of Joys

2023 A Year of Joys

This year has been marked out with celebrations and precious time spent with family and friends around the world. The scribbles below give a potted journey through the year illustrated with postcards that I'm sending to myself to remember this year packed with joys!

In the beginning ...

The wedding of Tom & Saarah Ambrose began the year in opulent style where the fusion of cultures meant a feast of colour and style beyond anything I could have imagined. It was such an honour to be invited to be a part of their day and to wear traditional dress for this magnificent occasion.

February saw the first of three international trips when a dear friend gifted me a flight to the USA to attend the Movement In Worship USA Tribe weekend in Augusta. Laughter, joy, and delight denoted each moment of this whirlwind weekend with a fabulous gathering of passionate movers who use every muscle of their body to worship Jesus in spirit and truth. An exhausting but exhilarating 4 days. Let's do it again ladies!

Back home there was more joy as a small team from MIW taught the first hybrid online and in-person banners workshop from my local village church here in West Bergholt. Technology was challenging, and the cold was horrible, but the joy was immense as we taught about the biblical use of banners. The workshop enabled people from at least 3 countries to simultaneously discover the joy of moving in worship with banners and enjoying the freedom of making worship colourful and vibrant!

But both February and March were also months of sadness as I bid farewell to two dear friends. First, it was Julie Hogarth, my dearest friend from Darlington. Julie had taught a very African teenager how to be English when I first arrived as a shy, confused 15-year-old in the UK from Zimbabwe. Julie's voice still rings clear in my memory, always bright, adventurous, and kind. 

Then, my friend Andy Clark passed away too which brought more sadness. I joined her family to celebrate her life and hear the stories that made up the colour of a life that had been lived well despite the challenges of a lifetime of disability. 

My regret for both of these friends remains that I did not see enough of either of them over the passing years. Life's distractions stole away the opportunity to make more memories with these precious friends.  However, in sadness there is still the joy of memories and knowing that my life has been enriched by their friendships.

Spring ushered in new joys

April and May brought Ginny and Mark back to the UK for an Easter trip which is always a joy to have them in my home. Of course, it was bluebell season so visits to the West Bergholt Woods were essential. I also introduced Liudmyla and Yehor, my Ukranian lodgers, to the joys of walking amongst the bluebells too! They lodged with us right through to the summer. Yehor was a regular helper in the garden in the 9 months that they lived with us, always enthusiastic to dig holes and organise me into his next game!

The season of celebration

The summer included a fabulous long weekend in Italy visiting my dear friend, Maria. Craig, my brother, came too and we lazed by the waters of Lake Como and indulged in a little dip too! Maria is the ultimate host, and, I must declare, one of the happiest people I know. I've never seen a day when her smile is not as broad as the horizon and her energy as great as the Italian sunshine! What a lady!!

Tim & Diane Abbott celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary, Temi her 50th birthday, and Segun celebrated a special birthday too, of which I was delighted to attend! These were just some of the sweet moments that defined a summer that spun by too quickly. 

The great joy of the summer and highest achievement of all was the graduation of Mircale from the University of Essex with a Ph.D. in International Law. It was such a joy to host her graduation party in my garden and give honour to Dr. Mircale Uche. She worked for so many years to reach this highest academic award! Her mum and Aunts came to celebrate from Nigeria bringing the WOW factor as they dressed for church and graced the Lexden gardens for an impromptu photo session. It was a fabulous weekend of celebration, joy, and colour! These ladies quickly became like sisters and it is a joy to be linked to this family because of Miracle. 

With the summer still in bloom David Ives and I visited Anglesea Abby and were treated to magnificent dehli blooms on a perfect summer's day. Laura, Louise and I walked and got lost together in the woods! Stephanie, Yehor, Liudmyla and I visited the zoo. And thanks to the gentle persuasion of a friend, Jeremy, I joined the festival goers to attend David's Tent, a 72-hour worship event, and loved it. We danced till we could dance no more and then danced again! I can't wait for 2024 and have my ticket already.

Home is where the heart is

While all of this fun was afoot, Reuben graduated from Bath Spa University with a degree in computing and completed an internship with the Uni to help him begin his career. As I write he is applying for jobs in IT but it is proving challenging to land that first all-important position. Samuel continued his career driving moving from curtain-sided HGVs to containers. I'm suitably jealous that he gets to drive such impressive vehicles and consistently scores an 'A' every week as a professional driver as he tours the UK with his heavy loads. For fun, he invested in his first motorbike and has enjoyed kitting himself out with the coolest gear to complete the look.

Just when one would say the year had adventure enough, the temperature of fun was about to rise even higher. As Autumn fell, the Movement In Worship Annual gathering brought a weekend of intense pleasure, and work, as over 80 of us, including Shannon who flew in from the USA, descended on a retreat centre in the South Downs for a weekend of worship and connections. What joy!

The BIG adventure

After a year of planning, an epic trip to New Zealand with my dear friend, Georgina (known as George to many), was on the agenda in October and November. And with it a most important opportunity to see my Aunty, Uncle, and cousins (from my maternal side of the family) and cousin (from my paternal side). It had been at least 15 years since I had seen them so there was much to catch up on and, sadly, not enough time. Mostly I was so delighted to sit again with my Uncle Roy and hear him play his tunes on the organ. And to wander through their beautiful home and hear stories from my Aunty Karen, as she piled us with heaps of delicious food, stories of adventures and trials that had befallen them as they joined the exodus from Zimbabwe many years before in search of a new life. Their voices and hugs brought back happy childhood memories as well as fresh perspectives on a history that I only known then through the eyes of a child but now encountered afresh as an adult.

The biggest surprise of New Zealand was the abundance of rainforests and lack of snakes - the perfect combination! We walked many hours in the forests and never grew tired of admiring the tree ferns and their amazing colours of green, bronze, silver, and gold through the stages of life. We travelled extensively for just under 4 weeks seeing volcanos, glaciers, beaches, sounds (aka fjords), lakes, grass savannas, mountains, and rolling hills. Around every corner was another stunning view and photo opportunity. We hiked in the national park of Abel Tasman with my cousin, Laura, and her partner Peter, discovering beaches so beautiful you wished to stay a lifetime. 

Mostly we relaxed, deeply and fully. And just when I thought I could relax no more, we did it again. Surprisingly I have become quite good at it. George is an excellent travelling companion, we so enjoyed our travels together! 

On the way home we stopped in Singapore for a couple of nights. The highlight was meeting up with new friends, and forming connections previously only enjoyed via Zoom. Of course, we indulged in far too delicious street food thanks to their generous hospitality!  

 

 

 

 

 

 

Returning to the UK winter

November brought another sad farewell, this time to Bill Kitteridge, Laura and Will's dad. Whilst he had lived a long and full life, all the same, saying goodbye is never easy. I was pleased to be there with them, standing there as an extension of their family, my family. 

December has been joy-filled with many long chats with friends on the phone and in person. I've really enjoyed having the time to just call up and say 'hi' to so many of my friends and, in particular, the amazing leaders who have journeyed with me online and in Colchester as part of Movement In Worship. They have been a constant highlight throughout the year, spending time worshipping together as an expression of our faith in Jesus. 

My team of superheroes

My joy has included work too. The redPepper team has had a fabulous year. It's not always easy work, but definitely fun! Erin has spoilt our 'office dogs' and even started an Instagram and TikTok account for Biscuit, all under the heading of 'marketing research'. The team has produced some fabulous work this year and I am so proud of their achievements and the results that they get for our clients. I can honestly say that their work makes the businesses of our clients better and more profitable. It's tough and requires constant learning and creativity, usually on a shoestring budget, but they make it happen, brilliantly! 

Check out their latest creation, a parody from Love Actually. Of course, the music is by my wonderfully talented brother, Michael, who we persuade from time to time to work with us on TV ads and audio branding projects! (Thanks Mike, you are the best!).

I am a super proud mum, dog lover, and entrepreneur. I love my home, my family near and far, and the amazing array of friends that I have from so many cultures and generations. If you've made it this far in reading about this epic year, I want you to know that I cherish and love you. I pray that you will know joy, adventure, and rest, in the year ahead, all tumbled together to make a year of joys in 2024! And, I hope, we can do it together! 

Lv Michelle