You don't know what you've got 'til it's gone

So many things around us we take for granted and only seem to see their true worth when they’re gone, or their existence is under threat.

Often I stand with a bereaved family and friends who tell me they didn’t realise how much their deceased relative meant and how much they’d achieved until they were no longer around.

This week I’ve said farewell to a colleague of over 13 years, Rev Janice White, associate minister at St Margaret’s and assistant rural dean of Thurrock and many other things besides.

I don’t think we realised how much she did or how widely she was appreciated. Thank you Janice! And then there’s Petroplus.

Just another company down by the River Thames, but in the public eye because its future is under threat. The refinery and the 1,000 people there whose jobs are threatened don’t just process oil and chemicals. They serve our community.

Trawl through back copies of the Gazette and you’ll find plenty of instances of Georgina Clark and her colleagues at schools and community groups, making generous donations and investing in the local area.

Perhaps only now do we realise how much we’ll miss them if they are forced to go. So spare a thought and a prayer for Jon Barden and his team.

The apostle Paul wrote “we remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labour prompted by love and your endurance inspired by hope”.

Let’s take care of what we’ve got and not forget them. – John.