Something on the horizon...

It's never easy when there is beauty in the distance but you can't quite reach it yet

- Caro Giles

In the month since I wrote my last column, where I described my summer of uncertainty, life has been turbulent and exhausting.

Against a brutal and devastating global backdrop, my own little world has been harsh and unrelenting. I spend my days seeking respite from the storm, but shelter is hard to find and I am frequently overwhelmed by the onslaught of obstacles being hurled into my path.

This morning, a gentle drizzle taps the plastic roof of my utility room as I pour boiling water onto a tea bag in my favourite mug. After I have driven one daughter to the bus stop at 7am, I take a mug of tea back up to my bedroom for half an hour, before another daughter must be woken up. I like these stolen moments when no one needs me, when the day is still full of promise and I can feel hopeful. Mostly, in the last couple months, the promise has been forlorn, and my efforts to try and build a brave new life for me and the girls seem futile. Yet I still try to wake with hope in my heart and imagine that one day soon our dreams will become a reality.