Dear Friends,

I always enjoy the BAFTA’s and thought this year’s ceremony on Sunday evening was as good as ever. For me it was good to see Leonardo Dicaprio receive the best actor award as he has been nominated for several BAFTA’s and Oscars but has never received anything; until last night. He delivered a powerful speech of thanks and what struck me, was that whereas most celebrities spend their time thanking their agents, their managers, their lawyers, make-up and sound etc, Dicaprio went out of his way to thank the most important person in his life: his mother. His parents divorced at an early age and by all accounts Dicaprio’s mother bought him up in a remarkable way and encouraged his first steps into acting.

Mothers Day – or more accurately Mothering Sunday – will soon be upon us; it takes place on 6th March. For many people it is a very difficult day; for the infertile or for those whose mothers have died or from whom they are estranged. My mother died very suddenly and out of the blue eight years ago at the relatively early age of sixty-four. I miss her dreadfully and regret that she never got to meet Alice or of course Archie and Eliza. She was a very big influence in my life and helped me and Jamie enormously after my first wife Kirsty died. So if you are lucky enough to have a Mother in your life make sure she gets pampered on 6th March! But of course we don’t really need a special day to celebrate and give thanks for our Mothers. We can say “Thank you” or “I love you” whenever we want. And of course a Mother’s Love is very special, very unique. Mothers never ever stop caring about and loving and worrying about their children; no matter how old they get!

With every blessing,
Fr Andrew