“A harvest marks a moment of arrival. Something fresh has been prized from the earth. Something new has been given or begun. And we marvel at what has been delivered, not thinking yet of all that is to come, or must again be worked for. This is the moment to wrap up in ribbons. A time to savor, without sowing seeds of doubt.”

Episode 6 had several storylines. 

We had Tony and Tina Bianchi, they were having their first baby, and he was diagnosed with breast cancer. His mother had died five years prior with this same diagnosis. 

He felt stigma as a male with what he felt was a “woman’s disease.” Dr. Turner and Shelagh Turner were amazing in the many ways they jointly informed him and then stood by with support and encouragement to reach out to his brothers as he slowly traversed his way to acceptance of this diagnosis. 

As well, Joyce assisted the couple with a fast and furious, precipitous birth over the telephone with calmness. 

These are always crazy and frenetic calls!! You cannot exhale until you hear that cry. 

Tony really did shine with the birth and even handled the cord around the neck as a slight complication. 

Gwen was a female wrestler (Harmony was her stage name). She was knocked out, and Trixie was luckily on hand, as she was attending an AA meeting, when she answered the call for a medical provider. 

She and Dr. Turner connected the dots to diagnose Gwen with Lupus and helped her to see she really needed a new direction for her career. 

Rosalind found out she was pregnant. Joyce was such a good friend and supported her along the way. She displayed friendship, love, and discretion. Cyril was there with maturity, love, and openness to this new avenue they will need to travel. 

Beryl (Sister Veronica) is at the Olivet Christian Retreat Centre and trying to navigate her decision regarding her life path. Geoffrey arrives with love, acceptance, and an offer of a more neutral place to think or ponder her way forward.

Sister Monica Joan is diagnosed with chronic kidney disease. There are treatment options to elongate her life a little. However, Sister Monica Joan is calm and measured as she reflects and is actually at peace with what is ahead. 

And, an equally difficult storyline is that the Maternity Home will not have its license renewed. Dr. Turner is taken aback when Mr. Threapwood notifies him. Dr. Turner states the license has always been renewed as a formality. 

Mr. Threapwood retorts, “This is the brave new world, Turner. There is no ‘always’ any more.”

As a modern-day midwife, what stood out to me was just like our modern days — nothing is guaranteed. The one thing you can always rely on is CHANGE. It is how we face and adapt to our challenges, struggles, and life as it unfolds. 

What we saw from our characters were individuals that consistently met the call to help or guide. They engaged in non-judgmental ways with loving actions. Life is unpredictable and rocky at times. 

It is so important to consider not only HOW we move forward in life, but also WHO we traverse that path with. It can mean everything! 

As I was growing up, my parents always said, “Show me who your friends are, and I’ll show you who you are.” 

In Call the Midwife, we see a fabulous team that catches each other when they need a softer landing, or they celebrate each other with their successes. They display the ability to listen and to hear; to look and to see; to truly accept and allow space for the other person’s growth. 

As well, the path forward is not always the path you thought you would travel. 

I was moved by William Shakespeare’s Sonnet 73 lines that Sister Monica Joan recited, “In me thou seest the twilight of such day / As after sunset fadeth in the west, / Which by and by black night doth take away, / Death’s second self, that seals up all in rest.”

Sister Monica Joan has led an amazing life. She lived with purpose and helped many throughout her calling as a nun and midwife. She was always there with wisdom to help others within Nonnatus House (albeit sometimes with a wise crack or two). 

The lines in the sonnet are a beautiful metaphor of fading twilight to represent our aging and our eventual death. 

I went back to read the sonnet, and it begins with, “That time of year thou mayst in me behold,” and it addresses the certainty of aging and the strengthening of love in the face of death. 

I could really feel Sister Monica Joan’s calmness and acceptance. She has had a life well lived. She is tired and faces what is ahead with open eyes and peace.  

I feel the shifting tides of beginnings and endings. The Nonnatus House nuns, nurses, midwives, and Dr. Turner are a team / friends who are true and strong. You know they will be there to walk the path with each other with love, support, and open arms and hearts. 

We hold our breath as change is in the air.  

“There is no good harvest if there’s been no rain. …the earth requires it and so do we. For how else does the heart grow? Not through relentless sunshine. Nor under a cloudless sky. Life expands. Not in spite of the weather but because of it. Thus, we are nourished. We take root. We are taught how to endure. But there are times when the soul is hungry. When fruit falls to the ground. And we cannot tell if it’s a blessing or temptation. There are times when we know nothing. Nothing at all. Not yet.”