I used to have a sort of love/hate affair with this city. I think for me, the weather was always a deal breaker but my lovely family and friends kept drawing me back.
In the last 4 years, I’ve had deeper ties with this beautiful city that has made me set aside my prejudices and embrace all it has to offer.
Don’t misunderstand me; the weather is still very much dire and most of the time, the gloomy grey skies want to make sure your mood matches them but these days, I am learning to look beyond all that and it seems to be working.
These days, I actually enjoy being there. I am learning to look at things through new eyes and I see things quite differently.
This image was taken on the first day of 2017. It was bitterly cold, wet and grey but I loved it! It was beautiful in my eyes. I had taken a long walk around the Sloan Square area, walked into shops I had no intention of buying anything from and thought to myself what a beautiful place London was.
The events of the last couple of days broke my heart. The bible says the heart of man is desperately wicked and who can know it. Who indeed? As long as I live, I will never understand what motivates evil people to think taking the joy, peace and life out of other people will ever be the right thing to do. I can not understand this.
But, following the event, the response of people; people who have lost, grieved and have been relatively untouched brings joy to my heart. London stands and refuses to be cowed by cowards. Beneath the grey and seeming gloom, It arises! Today as you read this, people will still be walking with their heads held high, refusing to bow to terror and fear.
If this will ever send a message to these cowards of the futility of their actions, I probably will never know. But as I write this and look at a couple of London’s most recognisable icons; the post box and the double decker bus in the distance shinning bright despite the grey skies, my heart skips a beat because I know the hearts of its people will stand out of the shroud wanting to blanket it.
Shine bright, London. Shine bright!
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