February was a very dry month but that did not prevent those typically dull and misty mornings when you feel colder than you are. I took this photograph on one such morning, slightly before 8 am from the path round Framlingham Castle’s dry moat. The ancient stones, in various states of repair or not, have seen it all before but even they looked fed up.
Quite a lot of the news is gloomy. The passing of the first anniversary of the war in Ukraine makes us feel colder than we really are. The impact of various industrial action is dejecting and on top of that I am aware of several people I know well who have just died or who are in the waiting room.
About an hour after I took this picture the sun came out. By then I was back at my desk but the effect was almost instant. Gloom, what gloom?
I wonder how many of those of you reading this are similarly affected by the weather and have misty moments.
In some ways, Lent is a series of Misty Moments. We reflect on the testing of Jesus and get ready for the horrors of Good Friday, a day that can chill us through if we think about it honestly. But then comes the sun, and we easily forget the gloom. These moments are not all negativity though are they…they are opportunities to reflect honestly about life and remind ourselves what stands the test of time. On that February morning, the birds may have been quiet but the ancient castle stones were as irresolute as ever they are.
The stone, the one the builders rejected, is there always in gloom and sun, in testing and rejoicing. Let’s learn to remember not to forget it.
A Prayer
Christ the corner stone, as we walk with you this Lent, may the Holy Spirit help us to understand how it is that everything is built on you, our lives revolve around you and you are unchanging even though sometimes we see you more clearly than we do at other times. Thanks be to you, Amen.