Nichola and I have known this path for over 25 years. We used it as a highway for the buggy when the children were tiny, it was a training ground for carrying them in the backpack as they grew bigger and a Sunday walk later on again. Sometimes it is very wet and once last winter it was unreachable because of snow drifts.
This path tells me a lot. Last summer it was brown from the spring heat and drought and I never walked it without seeing people on their daily permitted exercise. This year it is overgrown with lush green grass, the wheat either side is almost all in ear and will soon flower. Where are the people?
Last night (10th June at about 8pm) I stood still to listen to the birdsong and try to spot the skylarks responsible for the wonderful heavenly chorus. It was one of those moments to treasure which does not have to be paid for. Where are all the people?
I have read a lot about the benefits of fresh air and countryside, which to be fair, I was brought up to understand. People have said they loved the tranquillity of the moments when the world was hushed in the early days of COVID last year. Where are they now?
This is only a snapshot from my privileged corner of Suffolk. But, let us not lose sight of the many blessings around us, whether it is in the open fields, by the waterfront in Ipswich or in the ancient Abbey Gardens in Bury St Edmunds. The world is full of problems for which we must pray and with which we are called to engage; these signs of God’s blessing around us are reminders that he is in it all with us. Remember to get amongst them as you are able.
A Prayer
Lord Almighty, maker of the skylark, the river, the flower and me, help me never to take for granted what you have given. When I am impassioned about what is wrong, let me not forget what is right, for the sake of Jesus who dies to make me right if I let him.
Amen.