Flash of bright colours

red, yellow, orange and blue

Flurry of wings and

screeching

simultaneously

jolt me

awake

make me smile and

see again

the spring newness

of leaf and flowers.

The joy of

your presence

shining through.

How many times

have I walked on the sand

especially

at my local beach?

Sandcastles and

holes dug by children

Scrabblings

small and large

by canine friends.

Lumps of wood

seaweed

human detritus

shells, rocks

graveyard for a variety

of aquatic life.

Yet seeing

footprints

transfixed me this morning.

How many sets of footprints

have marked the sand

only to be erased

by wind and water?

Such a passing marker

of the human race

that considers itself

so dominant

so apart

from the rest of God’s creation.

Are footprints

a symbol

a reminder

like this pandemic

that we are passing?

And what will will we do

with our brief time?

Shall we build

or destroy?

Music feeds my soul.

Elevating me

with its grandeur,

calming me

when needed.

Evocative of

joy

sorrow

good times.

Energising me

with its beat

or driving guitar;

stirring me

to justice.

Its benefits are amplified

in concert,

especially connecting

as fans belt out the chorus

together.

I survive without it.

I live with it.

All the ‘stuff’

that we can aspire to own,

does it actually

own us?

So caught up in wanting

and having

things

that we can neglect

what really matters

like loved ones

and integrity

and friends

as well as the gifts

we cannot buy

that make life worth living

like sunshine

freedom

a flower

a smile

hope

love

It’s hard to know

where to start

I feel so lucky being married

for so many years

to a woman I adore.

This woman is

my best friend

soul mate

and lover.

This woman who

tolerates all my flaws

and still loves me.

It is her love

that has freed me

to be the best version

of me – which is

no mean feat.

My theological training

taught me

that we are each

made in the image

of God who is love.

We are made whole

when we give ourselves

freely in love.

And I get to live

that graced reality.

There is a joy

I experience

when I smell

boronia in bloom.

This nondescript plant

only has its

small brown bell-shaped flowers

one month in the year

but they signal

spring is close.

So the smell

triggers memories

of emerging from winter

but there is also

a delicate sweetness

to the fragrance

unlike any other

that is guaranteed

to put a smile

on my face.

Gratitude is always important

but especially

during a lockdown.

Shining stump of a rainbow

which dives into the bay,

shrouded in clouds

from white to

shades of grey.

It presides over a scene

notable for its icy, lashing wind

and waves

topped in white,

crashing against the shore

spreading seaweed and human detritus.

Bleak?

Some may say.

I think it’s best described as

Grace

Glorious wonder

Sustainer

There are those

who are casting around

looking for someone

to blame

for our COVID predicament.

The answers are more complex,

subtle and nuanced

than would fit

into a sound bite.

Pity.

Some answers could be

greed, selfishness, ignorance and entitlement:

the modern Horsemen?

More importantly

what will help

is compassion

for another’s plight and

acknowledging

that we are constantly

in each other’s arms

and that we are better,

more true to our fullness

when we do so.

This battle will continue to rage

and I will hope…

Looking forward

Can be a good thing

Future focused

Is a buzz term.

But what happens

When the future seems

Filled with uncertainty?

Looking forward

Is then like an exercise

Towards anxiety.

Better to savour

The giftedness

Of this moment,

This situation,

These people,

Revelling in the beauty

And the challenges.

This gift called

The present.

Now I just need

To take my own medicine…

Taking our dogs

for a walk

on the beach

my breath is taken away

by another glorious sunrise.

So much so

it jolts me into

rethinking the idea of

ordinary.

Ordinary has overtones

of plain, everyday or boring.

This scene

of pastel pinks and blues

framed by delicate clouds

and crowned by the moon

is neither plain nor boring.

There is a sunrise

every day

but this scene

is not ordinary.

This scene

teeming with delight is

gobsmacking

grace-filled

and reminds me

again

to not sleep walk

through the joys

right in front of me.

Rather, to open my eyes

see

and savour

God’s bounty

in all its forms.