In my head, I've always seen Moodscope as a small park. Dotted with trees and marked out by a fence. It has a central tree around which sits one of those fancy benches connecting in a circle. I see us wandering in, some jogging through, some sitting a while, some walking with purpose, some wandering, unsure. Sometimes we leave notes hanging in the tree for each other, sometimes we just read them. Mostly, we don't visit the park at the same time and mostly we don't know anyone in the park much more than just a passing nod. But still we gather. It gives us a place to be, in whatever form we have.

Today, the park is our Christmas church. The tree stands ceremoniously with a mixture of frost and damp and it twinkles with fairy lights. It is winter-bare of leaves, but I see our words to each other hang there for encouragement and strength. It is a great tree. Our place to be, in whatever form we have. Our haven. Another Christmas is dawning.

There are often good bits and there are often awful bits. We can't change that. We can say "Its what we've got" and we can smooth the pinny, adjust the brow and go with it. Mary might have hoped for a memory foam mattress and she accepted the straw with thanks. Jesus might have preferred ear pods and said Myrrh was lovely thank you very much. Joseph might have felt daunted with what was ahead, and he trusted it would be ok. Let's do that.

Maybe this will be one of your best Christmas days, maybe your worst, perhaps it will be something mulchy in-between. Either way, we can walk through it together and there will be a note, a wave, a something and a someone if you choose to keep expecting it. I like being in the park. The place we can be, in whatever form we have. We are a park gang to feel proud of! Yes, proud. We choose to keep expecting change, and to keep pulling each other onwards. That is everything Christmas is about. May your Moodmas be steady and, on behalf of each of us to each of us, thank you for your gifts of kinship to all who attend the park. Merry Moodmas to one and all.

Much love from

The room above the garage

A Moodscope member.