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Chapter 4  - Masks

There are moments in life when we realise that fitting in and belonging are not quite the same thing.

In this chapter, Drew reflects on faith, anxiety, identity and the roles we play for the world around us. From a crowded Salvation Army gathering to a supermarket aisle lined with tins of soup, these are stories about barriers, masks, fences and gates — and the quiet search for places where we can simply be ourselves.
Because perhaps the people who matter most are not the ones who expect us to fit in everywhere...
but the ones who accept us exactly as we are.

This chapter includes reflections on anxiety, mental health and a period of emotional difficulty experienced by the author.

This chapter is dedicated to the memory of Lewis Smith. And to everyone who loved him.

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Between Chapters – Not The Hero

This week, a shorter and more personal pause between chapters.
Drew reflects on storytelling, memory, ego, kindness… and the strange reality that when you write about your own life, you can never fully step outside the frame.
With warmth, self-deprecating humour, and honesty, this episode explores the difference between being the central figure in your own story… and believing yourself to be the hero of it.

Not declarations.Not achievements.

Just reflections.

Come in… sit awhile… and perhaps recognise a little of yourself along the way.

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Chapter Three – The Blue Suit

In this deeply personal chapter of Big Skies and Small Ponds, Drew Baxter reflects on the quiet emotional weight carried by those who stand at the front of a funeral service.

Through the story of a highly visible funeral for a mother and daughter, Drew explores the unseen work of a celebrant; the preparation, the listening, the responsibility of telling someone’s story with care… and the strange reality that a crowded chapel and a quiet room can carry exactly the same emotional weight.

At the centre of it all is the “scruffy blue suit”,  part uniform, part armour, part companion and worn while walking into some of life’s hardest moments.

This chapter is not about grief as spectacle, nor about the details of private loss. Instead, it is a thoughtful and humane reflection on trust, dignity, compassion… and the hidden emotional labour of helping people say goodbye.

Contains some adult language and references to sudden death and bereavement.

Drew Baxter

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A small note before we settle in… this chapter touches briefly on sudden death and police experiences, and includes one or two moments of strong language where they belonged to the story.

Big Skies and Small Ponds – Chapter Two - That Voice

If words matter… then perhaps the way we speak them matters too.

In this chapter, Drew reflects on voices — the ones we hear, remember, trust… and sometimes carry with us for years afterwards.

From standing beneath Lincoln’s Stonebow as a young police officer… to learning how calmness, humour, kindness and pause can shape human moments… this is a gentle and deeply personal reflection on finding your own voice, and discovering what it can mean to others.

Because sometimes a voice is more than sound.

Sometimes… it becomes reassurance.

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Chapter One 

In this opening chapter, Drew reflects on the stories we tell… and the way they shape how we remember.

From childhood memories of being read to and listening in wonder… to the fragments of lives shared in his work as a celebrant, this is a gentle exploration of storytelling in all its forms.

Because sometimes… it isn’t the story itself that stays with us…

…it’s the telling.

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A short introduction to the world of Big Skies and Small Ponds - a place for stories, memories and quiet reflections...