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.
It doesn’t matter the weather
The bay radiates beauty
It could be delicate pastels
in the morning.
Multiple shades of blue
in full sunshine.
Brooding greys
of sea and sky
that are both foreboding
and magnificent.
Glorious golds, oranges and reds
as the day closes.
The point is to pay attention
and be open to the grace
lavishly laid on.
I gaze at the
pale blue sky
of the start of winter
with its welcome sunshine
casting a golden glow
as the day wanes.
Listening to the
joyful and captivating music
of Muddy Waters.
I sense God at work
in all this
(and more)
as I am deeply appreciative
of this moment.
I leave my home the next morning
and am greeted by the dark
and chill
and the splendour
of a slightly yellow moon
setting on its night’s work.
Ordinary? Maybe.
Yet it takes my breath away
and both calms and cheers me
to face the day.
Grace is always there.
Do I have the eyes to see?
Growing straight and tall
Having seen one hundred
Summers and winters go by
Smooth sinuous pale bark
With the occasion flecks
Of brown
Arms outstretched
In petition
For sun and rain
In acceptance
Of all that is given
Ordinary wonder
Of your creation
Connected to all
That was and is and is to come
That oozes peace
Pastels of blue and pink
in the sky
reflected in the water
that is almost perfectly still.
Gloden ochre cliffs
shimmering
help frame the scene.
Just when I’m filled with bliss
regular, gently insistent waves
which signal the tide
roll to shore
amplifying the beauty and peace
that my thirsty soul wishes to store.
Superlatives are rendered meaningless.
All I have is ‘thank you, God’.
At Easter we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus. We celebrate that suffering and even death do not have the last word. In our current circumstances of the pandemic of COVID-19, could there be news that is better than this, news that is more timely, more appropriate?
During this time, it is easy to feel upset, off-kilter, uncertain – but at Easter we need to remember Jesus’ words “I came that you might have life, and have it abundantly”. So we each need to ask ourselves, what gives me life?
Whoever and whatever they are, be with those people in whatever way you can, engage in those activities however you can. Be assured that the Holy Spirit will continue to be with us and guide us into the truth (John 16:13) – about ourselves and about life. Part of that truth at this time is our shared humanity and to do all we can to support each other.
