Comment: Be kind , be strong and we can get through lockdown in a dark winter

The cost of this hellish, painful pandemic has yet to be calculated.

However much money our Governments can find to throw at businesses to keep them alive, there is a bill to be paid. It is one our children will still be settling for many years to come.

Getting the balance right between protecting our health, saving our economy and ensuring society pulls through intact has been tougher than anyone could have imagined.

They are so intertwined that we cannot tackle one without impacting on another, but all three have to be wrapped with the greatest care and carried as safely through this winter as possible.

Explore Kirkcaldy on foot this winter with a new walking festival

There are just seven days left in 2020 - but it remains a year with no end; one that will continue to cast the longest shadow over the way we live, work and socialise for many years to come.

Our immediate task is to get through a lockdown in the depths of winter, and, if we do that then, hopefully we can start to see a road back to something close to normality.

The next few weeks will not be easy.

Our hope is that you all find some warmth, comfort and joy this festive season.

It won’t be the one you planned, so, stay strong, find comfort in the silence of the streets and, above all, be kind to each other - and yourself.

Tomorrow there'll be sunshine, and all this darkness past.

Thank you for reading this article on our free-to-read website. We're more reliant on your support than ever as the shift in consumer habits brought about by Coronavirus impacts our advertisers.

Please consider purchasing a subscription to our print newspaper to help fund our trusted, fact-checked journalism.

https://www.localsubsplus.co.uk/nord/dm/FFP/V