I have just come back from spending a wonderful weekend away with one of the churches in my sector. I was doing the talky bits. I really enjoyed myself, and the people from the church said nice things so I think they were blessed too.

But now it’s Monday morning and the joy and blessing of the weekend are rapidly fading in the shadow of the week ahead. Garfield (the cat) famously hates Mondays. We talk about ‘that Monday morning feeling’ – usually meaning dread and gloom that we are about as far away from the weekend as we can be.

And this morning I have a real sense of that Monday morning feeling.

But it’s not dread and gloom.

It’s a sense of anticipation – what does God have in store for us this week? Whom will I meet? What will happen?

It’s a sense of blessing – I have so much for which I can be and am thankful, and I have Someone to thank.

It’s a sense of privilege – I have been given the gift of time this week for me to use selfishly or share with others.

It’s a sense of solidarity – not everything is lovely and sweet and happy and fluffy. There are shadows and difficulties and I will be meeting people who are struggling and in pain. And I have the privilege of accompanying people as they go through those things, and others are in solidarity with me.

And so much more. It’s not a question of whether the glass is half full or half empty: there’s a glass and it has some water, that’s more than many have!

There’s a good old hymn that encourages us to “Count your blessings, name them one by one…” and while I don’t often sing it (but it’s now in my head for the day) I think it is good practice, especially to counterbalance the woes that can loom large and distort our perspective on life.

So why not give it a go, and embrace Monday for all you’re worth (and that’s a lot!)

Be blessed, be a blessing.