³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ

Spiritual reflection to start the day with writer and broadcaster, Anna Magnusson

Good morning.

This being April Fool’s Day, I’m thinking of my childhood. I’m trying to remember how excited we were about playing tricks on each other. But I can’t for the life of me recall a single one - I only remember shouting, April Fool!, with great delight.

That’s the strange pull of childhood memories: they’re so vivid and present - as long as you don’t look at them directly. If you turn away ever so slightly, that’s when they step forward - and suddenly you’re sitting with your siblings at the kitchen table again, trying to trick each other with made-up stories; or hiding the teapot from Mum, and suddenly producing it with a flourish – from inside the fridge. Or something equally hilarious.

What I’ve never forgotten about the first of April, and never will, is that, after my younger brother died, we continued to mark the day. Mum still set a vase of daffodils on the kitchen table. She still laughed at our tricks and jokes, she was still present, still our mother - she stayed with us. And because of that, our brother was also with us - with all the silly jokes he used to tell, his smile and his huge delight in any kind of family celebration.

And because we continued to mark these days, and cherished being together, we could talk about my brother, remember him and keep him with us - every day.

So it’s not the April Fool’s tricks or excitement I think of today - it’s the blessing of being with my siblings, all those decades ago, and being thankful for each other still, every single day.

My prayer this morning is for families everywhere, of all kinds and sizes.
May there be love and laughter, and may God comfort and bring light. Amen.