Peace

21 February 2014







I have been reminded this week how lucky I am to live in a country that is not at war with itself or any other country.  Despite being a work of fiction, The Beautiful Truth set in modern day and wartime Poland, has been well researched and paints a vivid picture of life for ordinary Polish people trapped in their occupied towns and cities.  Many resisted the occupation, life must have been one of constant fear and hardship.  No one talked about the Second World War when I was a child, I did not study this period at school, it is only since having my own children that I have come to know anything about this period in history.  The more I read and learn about the war the more I have come to understand why no one wanted to talk about it.  I cannot imagine what it would have been like to have been alive at that time.

When you look further back in history we were a country often at war with others.  We had a huge navy and were often sending great warships off to battles.  As I walked round the HMS Victory this week it is really hard to imagine 800 men living and working in such a small space.  The noise, in battle, must have been overwhelming, especially for the younger members of the crew probably aged around 12 who may have been at sea for the first time.  The number of men who died on ships such as these must have been huge and there is a reminder of this in the Mary Rose Museum.  Whilst the remains of the ship is on display, for me it is the artefacts of life on board that are more interesting. The loss of life on this ship was huge, it sank close to the harbour bounds, and though life was lost it was preserved in the mud and has now been painstakingly preserved.  We will never understand what it was really like to live and work on such a ship, the noise the action, have been sunk with the ship.

I have noticed this week, whilst being away from home that I have less 'noise' in my head.  I am thinking, always thinking about what we are going to do on that day, the next, food, washing, jobs I need to do round the house, activities to do with the children and so it goes on.  It is distracting, it stops me sleeping but not this week it has all gone quiet, if only I could find a way to turn it off or down at home........the peace is wonderful and relaxing.

Some of the noise going round in my head lately has been my thoughts on education and the future of my eldest.  I have been trying to identify why and what it is about secondary education in Britain that I am not happy about, writing it down has helped to make it clearer.  I have made some peace with my thoughts this week following a discussion with my parents.  I had thought that they were totally opposed to me continuing to home educate the children beyond primary school age, but after discussing with them my thoughts and what outcomes could and need to be achieved they have changed their minds and are in total support of whatever I do.  I know that in the back of my mind this was bothering me, I would have taken the decision based on my eldest's needs not what they thought.  But I know that if they had not been supportive it would have been harder for me and I would have felt that I always needed to justify what I was doing.  I still need to give this more thought but my head feels a lot clearer now and I still have plenty of time!

What do you do to find peace?


6 comments:

  1. Ah, Peace! Yes a difficult one at the best of times :-) I made a decision at the start of the year to take better care of me especially with regards to my mental health, so I spend most days after lunch lying down on the loft room floor listening to a short talk on meditation and then doing likewise for the next twenty minutes. The kids know to leave me alone unless it is a dire emergency! i am so much better for that quiet time. This past week i have also instigated a regular prayer time throughout the day and just the action of sitting down and focusing on something else other than housework, food and kids has a quietening action on my soul.

    So pleased to read that you are finding peace in the education journey, I know and understand how hard it can be making the right choice.

    San xxx

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    1. I love the idea of taking time out for me, to think and reflect. I might try and add that to my day too.

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  2. I enjoyed your thoughtful post today, I'm glad you are getting some relief from the "noise". As a mom who wants to make the best decisions for their children, education (a pretty big part of our kids' lives) can be really tough :).

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  3. Yes life on war ship, even in times of peace, must have been very hard (and dirty) indeed. Can't even imagine what it must have been like during, and immediately after a battle.
    You sound like you have a hard decision to make for the future schooling of your eldest, glad to hear you have the love and support of your family to help you.
    Since getting a new puppy I have been finding time every day for walks with him in the forest which I find very peaceful and soothing. And then there's knitting!!!
    Enjoy your weekend.

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  4. I struggle to find peace and if I'm honest, rarely have a moment to myself that isn't full of the thought of things that need doing. Striking a balance is hard.

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  5. You're right, the horrors of war are unimaginable. I know what you mean about the noise, I'm not sure how to turn it off or get away from it, but it does help to be out of the house. But then again, I do like to be at home. It's a conundrum. I'm wishing you luck deciding what is the best course for your eldest's education. A very complicated decision I think. Enjoy the rest of the weekend, CJ xx

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