With Love From Chapel - summer Term - Week 10

“May the road rise to meet you, may the wind be always at your back, may the sun shine warm upon your face, and the rains fall soft upon your fields. And until we meet again, may God hold you in the palm of His hand."

The famous Irish blessing is one we have used a lot in this last year: when we have said good-bye to new friends, to our Year 13’s and some of our Y11’s - and this week, when we have had to say our goodbyes to many dear staff, who have given their everything to Rossall for a long time. One of these is our Headmaster, who has enjoyed singing the above in plenty of different versions and whose bass will be sorely missed next year.

But aside from the beautiful melodies this blessing has inspired, there is some real deep truth about the way in which God can and does protect us, and is all around us. He is in our back to help us move forward, but also in the sun that shines right into our face and warms it with His love and care. He is even in the rain that is needed to make our crops grow - nothing is too trivial for his attention and protection.

However, most importantly, God is able to hold you in the palm of His hand. When I was a child (and long before I appreciated metaphors) I always tried to imagine just how ginormous this hand must be. Metaphor aside, there is something very reassuring in a hand so big that we can rest on it, lean on it, be held by it…maybe even squeezed by it. In another Irish blessing, we can read: “May God hold you in his hand and never close his fist too tight!” 

God has got us - nice and tight and safe and secure in whatever we do - never too tight, but always tight enough to make sure we are held. 

With this in mind, the best wishes for your summer from the Rossall Chaplaincy - and until we meet again, may God hold you in the palm of His hand!