Thank You , Winston.

One of my sons , knowing how very English I am ( LOL) and how much I love history , bought me a book about Winston Churchill. It was a real eye opener, as instead of the usual praise for the war hero he is known as , it shows him to be anything but. He was not the deft strategist and soldier that Hitler was and his insistence on maintaining certain outdated military processes almost cost the Allies the war. The book showed me that , in common with all of humankind , Winston Churchill had feet of clay.
Very recently I was reminded in a particularly bitter manner of this truth. Two years ago I was desperately searching for a job , and after many months finally found one with a small business run by people I rapidly came to admire and respect. Last week , for no other reason than the fact that my employers could outsource my work for far less money than they were paying me , I was retrenched. With a mere shrug , I was told that although they knew I was the sole earner for my family and it would mean very serious financial trouble for us , the deed was done and I joined the ranks of the unemployed . All my admiration for these people evaporated in that one awful moment and I came to see that just like dear Winston , they too have feet of clay.
What a big wobble that provided my diet with ! For several days I wallowed in self pity and ate everything which couldn't run away fast enough. But now I've realised that this is the chance for a new start , a new opportunity , and not the beginning of the end. Get a grip girl ! Stand up straight and get on with it ! So last week I resumed my discarded and much loved walking schedule , doing my usual tramp around my garden fence. Oho ! I can hear you chortle. Round the garden ! She's clearly not a believer in stressing her joints too much is she ! But it's over a quarter of a kilometer around my garden fence so four times around is one km. And the view is not bad either down the hill and across the valley to the neighbouring hillsides.
So what have I learned ? Yet again , a lesson from the Bible appears : so many scriptures tell us that God knows best , they say rely on Him , and do not lean upon our own understanding , because when you least expect it , those feet of clay will trip you up , and sometimes the effort of setting yourself back up on your feet can be quite a strain.
But I did get back up on my feet , stopped snivelling and bemoaning my fate , and am determined to do my best to find a job , lose this fat , get a bit fitter , and never forget to ask God how things should be done.
Oh and Winston ? I was brought up listening to recordings of his speeches , and once heard , that voice proclaiming " .............We shall fight them on the beaches...................and we shall never give up. Never." can not easily be forgotten. A great war hero he may not have been with those feet , but he had a few good ideas. Thanks, Winston.