Today marks the 72nd birthday of Britain’s National Health Service, otherwise fondly known as the NHS.
The official Thursday evening ‘claps for our carers’ has stopped a few weeks ago. And many of the NHS and care workers have resumed their normal roles – caring for the sick while others are still fighting the virus.
There are still the odd sightings of ambulances parked along the side streets near where we live.
Remember those days when the delivery men and postmen were the only people we saw every day during lockdown?
We were ever so grateful for delivering our posts, the packages from shopping online during lockdown! LOL!
And our rubbish continue to be collected every day without us thinking too much about it …
These essential workers saw us through lockdown while they sacrificed their own safety.
As for teachers – after all that home schooling, surely parents must be appreciating them soooooo much more! LOL!
We have stopped clapping not because we don’t appreciate them but because our lives are going back to ‘normal.’ Already, these signs have been replaced by regular advertising at bus stops.
And wonder when these pretty heart shaped floral wreaths will come down.
Rainbows drawn by children have become the symbol of hope and gratitude.
And soon all these drawings of rainbows will disappear. Some of them are already fading.
So as we move ‘somewhere over the rainbow,’ may we always the frontline staff and the essential workers as we have done during the COVID-19 pandemic. They are our heroes.
May’s comment: Appreciation of those essential workers was part of lockdown in all those countries badly affected. I remember the first night we clapped for our carers – the clapping that erupted in our courtyard put a lump in my throat. It was beautiful and emotional. And we continued to clap every Thursday evening for ten weeks.
The outpouring of gratitude to the NHS staff as COVID19 seeped into our everyday lives. We saw signs everywhere shouting out our gratefulness for their bravery in fighting an invisible enemy.
In the 72 years since the NHS and social care system was established, 2020 had proven to be their most challenging by far. The COVID-19 outbreak brought to the forefront the much forgotten frontline workers. Not for the last time, but let’s today reflect back and be thankful for all those who took care of us and made our lives possible when we were in the darkest of days during the pandemic fear.
Last night candles were lit …
and landmarks were lit in blue as the nation stood silent to remember all the lives that were lost to Covid-19.
This evening on the birthday of the NHS we will be clapping in appreciation one more time for the brave army of frontline workers.
