Until a few months ago, the ubiquitous “Keep calm and carry on” slogans with the many variations felt very hackneyed and irrelevant. In the light of our current circumstances, I’m reconsidering my view. Originally, the slogan was on posters which were produced in 1939 to keep up morale at the start of World War 2. More than 2 million copies were produced but not many were displayed at the time. Only a few remain in existence today with the majority coming from a small collection that surfaced for an Antiques Roadshow in 2012.
If I were to adopt a variation of the slogan for these times, it would definitely be ‘Keep calm and keep baking’. Baking is sustaining me not only in my body (perhaps too much) but also in my mind by providing a welcome creative outlet as well as allowing me to continue to show care for people, albeit not at my table. As someone who lives alone, that’s something that I really miss.
After the resurrection and before Pentecost, the disciples took a while to start to understand what was happening to them. They continued in their normal activities such as meeting together, fishing and having their Sabbath walks. That desire to keep on doing normal things when the world around seems turned upside down is quite normal. And it was in those things that they met Jesus.
Jeff Claxton
