Category Archives: Postcards 2023

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Once it’s not you, you feel safe you know

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(In this piece I do not use quotation marks, as I may not have recalled the words exactly as said).

I’ve just listened to an interview with a journalist based in Gaza – a man from the region. He was so calm, and his voice so pleasant, despite having endured what I’ve heard described as the heaviest night of Israeli bombardment.

Towards the end of the interview there was the sound in the background of an aircraft approaching, and then a distant thudding sound.

Do you need to take cover? The interviewer’s question jittered down the line.

Oh. Okay, came the quiet response. Then, just as I presumed the interview was over, the voice from Gaza returned, strong and even. No. It’s okay. It’s about 100m away.

But … aren’t you frightened?

I paused, my coffee cup suspended and waited for the response, as my mind struggled to process what I was hearing. I could not understand properly that I was listening to words from a place of unspeakable violence – words offered up as evidence by a man prepared to sacrifice himself to help others see what could not be said.

You are so calm, the interviewer added respectfully.

Oh, once it’s not you, you feel safe you know, said the quiet voice.

Copyright Georgie Knaggs & The Phraser 2023

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When all is calm

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The end of another week. I hope it is calm and full of peace where you are, and I think of all those where there is no chance of feeling such stillness.

This past week, as with so many weeks, the darkest news has filled the headlines. The every days, and the quiet happinesses just have to tick on anonymously. Perhaps they’ll get a chance to feature in the new week. If they do, I hope we’ll find the time to notice them.

Life’s pulse is so unpredictable it’s all too easy to take for granted the moments that matter, to think that they’ll last longer than usual, or return as easily as they might have come. But it doesn’t always work that way. What I’ve come to realise is that if they do come your way, you should grab them and hold on to them. Enjoy them.

I’ve also learned that sometimes the best times aren’t always that easy to recognise … at least not at first.

Copyright Georgie Knaggs & The Phraser 2023

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The blessing of children

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We were at a christening recently – a Danish christening. We couldn’t understand a word but warmth and blessing filled the church. The pews on both sides were filled with the families of the two babies being christened, each family surrounded by its share of friends and godparents, with many of them bringing along children of their own.

Mayhem you might mutter … but it wasn’t. The mood was settled and quiet, and  the children calm at its core. Over-disciplined you might suggest, but we could see no sign of that. Aha! On screens you say. But you’re wrong. They weren’t, or at least not that we could see.

If there was any secret it seemed to be that everyone was happy to be there. So was the priest. His eyes shone with pleasure from start to finish, and he tailored his address to suit both the parents and the children in his audience.

The service lasted about an hour, and then we headed from the church to lunch, and still the mood held. In fact gentle calm seemed to reign until the sun went down.

Perhaps I was missing something. Perhaps the sample for my non-scientific assessment was too small. Perhaps it was too selective … although the parents and families of the two babies being christened didn’t even know each other. Perhaps it was just the luck of the day. Perhaps.

But I’ve come away thinking that the Danes have a way with children, and it works. What is it? I’m not sure but it seems to include a lot of love, a lot of family support, a lot of good nurseries, and a lot of parental leave for both parents.

Must be worth a try.

Copyright Georgie Knaggs & The Phraser 2023