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From the Reverend Kate Bottley: 
I never mean to be late Zoe but some days it just can’t be helped. And despite my best intentions, the challenges of organising two reluctant teenagers, a laid back husband and a disobedient greyhound, sometimes proves too much and the clock runs away with me. This is exactly what happened last Sunday evening. I was meeting my swimming women for one of our regular wild dips in our local river but I was going to be late, not 5 minutes late, not even 10 minutes late but more like 30 minutes late. 
There are some occasions this wouldn’t matter too much, but to miss my chums at the river would mean I couldn’t swim, because a big safety no no in open water is swimming alone. And I’ve promised my Mum I won’t risk it. So without breaking the speed limit, but hoping every traffic light was green, I drove to the swim spot expecting it to be a wasted journey. Imagine then how utterly chuffed I was to get to the river to find my girls waiting for me to arrive, the water was fresh, the swim sensational but the company made it and knowing that we were all there to look out for each other made me just a little bit emotional. 
This week right across the Â鶹ԼÅÄ it’s been mental health week in many of the stories I’ve heard and in from my own experience, the importance of the support and presence others when times are tough has been a recurring theme. It’s one that’s echoed in scripture too. When Jesus’ friends faced an uncertain future the words of comfort he offered them were ‘I am with you’ and while it can’t solve everything, everybody needs somebody. 
You might be the lead singer of the band, the principal actor in the drama or the breakfast show d.j., but without the support of others the wobbles become wobblier and our stroke uncertain. We all need our team, our gang, a group of people who have got our back, who will support us and when we are struggling will patiently wait for us to get there and when I’m wading waist deep in the river will be with me and remind me that no one ever needs to swim alone.