For anyone still concerned about my duff holiday experience of 2023, this year’s trip to the same campsite was a welcome success. I followed my own advice and joined in with activities, looked around to initiate conversation, and brought lots of books. Apart from the lapse in judgement when I joined the group bike ride (more like Tour de France) and found myself hurtling down the road on a bone shaker straight out of Funnybones*, I had a good time.
Sweeping out the caravan on the final morning, I came across a 2-cent coin. I didn’t think twice about tipping it – along with sand, dust, and sweet wrappers – into the bin. It always feels wrong to throw money away, but I didn’t have my purse to hand and my dress didn’t have pockets. I was in a rush, keen to hand back the keys and get on the road.
Later on, rooting through my purse to use up my 5, 20 and 50 cent coins on a drink on the ferry, I was reminded how useless the odd copper coin is on its own. Grouped together, they are worth something, but a tiny coin of negligable value is good for nothing (other than the old halfpennies still used to balance grandfather clocks).
Being five when it was discontinued, I am nostalgic about the halfpenny. Never turning my nose up at one found in the gutter or down the side of the sofa, I’d happily sprint to the local corner shop and use it to buy one cola bottle. I remember the sadness I felt when it was taken out of circulation. It had become more expensive to produce than its face value, yet each tiny coin seemed like a piece of treasure to me.
Of course, this brings to mind the Parable of the Lost Coin.
Or suppose a woman has ten silver coins and loses one. Doesn’t she light a lamp, sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it? And when she finds it, she calls her friends and neighbours together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost coin.’ In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.
Luke 15:8-10
In Jesus’ day, women usually recieved ten coins as a wedding present. Losing one of these would have greatly unsettled the owner as it would have a sentimental meaning attached to it. It was also worth about a day’s wages.
Jesus explains that every person is of great value to God, and when they return from being lost, there is a great celebration in heaven. The Bible makes it clear that we are to celebrate with every individual who was lost and is found. In our churches we might clap when someone choses to follow Jesus, and the moment they share their testimony is often very moving.
It feels amazing to be part of a team, a club, or a group of friends. Conversely, it feels terrible to be isolated. As summer comes to an end, it’s a great opportunity to regroup.
This word ‘regroup’ has been going round in my head for a few weeks now. It’s the name of one of my WhatsApp groups – women made up of friends from various other gatherings who came together at one of the Activate weekends away. Regroup is a verb meaning ‘reassemble or cause to reassemble into organised groups, typically after being attacked or defeated.’**
That last part of the definition made me smile – even after the best adventures we emerge from the holidays with a sense we have been defeated (sometimes by our families and the people we’ve spent a lot of time with, not least during an over-competitive game of Dobble!).
Who needs to be part of your regroup? With which comrades do you need to gather and strategise for the term ahead? I’d love to know your favourite activities for an organised reassemble: spa evening, coffee date, dog walk or barbecue. Whatever it is, I hope this is a reminder to be intentional with the last few days of August and regroup with your life supports.
No coin left behind!
* Big Skeleton and Little Skeleton got up to all sorts of bone-shaking adventures in Funnybones, a favourite picturebook by Janet and Allan Ahlberg.
**Oxford Languages definition