You might think that I have lost the plot and not realised that today it is July. Being on sabbatical, I admit that I was thrilled with the idea of “No Mow May” I am no gardener and mowing the lawn is about my limit when it comes to horticulture. We had a week away directly after the coronation and experienced a week of sunshine and rain and when we returned home, after being away for just five days, it looked as though there had been six months of growth in my absence, and this was the scene I was faced with.
The council have been around since and have run their tractor over the grass, sprayed a bit of weed killer and with the blazing heat of the last few weeks, everything is now arid and look terrible in a different way. I pass a house on the way home where the man lovingly tends his garden, his lawn is immaculate, a beautiful shade of green, like a bowling green, with neat little flower beds. While all the other grassy areas that are the council’s responsibility look overgrown and unkempt, his little plot is always as immaculate as the rest of his garden, and I envy the results of his labour.
Please don’t misunderstand me, I fully support all the climate change work that is being done and several of the Churches where I work are now eco churches and I believe that is a good thing, and it has been lovely seeing the wildflowers and the insects at work and I completely get the idea of letting nature take its course, and whilst I have moaned about not being able to see over the top of roundabouts, this is the world as God created it, and it is good. I always appreciate this time of year with poppies in the meadows and along the verges and I often feel that the countryside is at its most beautiful.
Today, in the Methodist Church, we commemorate the excellent work of the Charity “Action for Children” formally called “The National Children’s Home” then “NCH” and it is important to acknowledge and treasure the work of charities like this.
Over a hundred and fifty years ago when Thomas Bowman Stephen first established the “Children’s Home” the intention was to provide a place for orphaned boys who were living rough in London towards the end of the nineteenth century. The world has moved on and as the charity has changed its image, reimagined its work and invested in evolving to make it more relevant and suitable for the modern world, the central motivation is to help families to cope with the challenges and complexities of the modern world.
I balked a bit when the title NCH was dropped in favour of “Action for Children” but I can now see that the aim today is to nurture the family unit, to tend and care for people and the gardening experience has reminded me of the importance looking after the planet and those who inhabit it. There is a middle ground somewhere between, just letting everything run wild and striving for perfection, a show garden for others to admire. I would suggest that what is needed is balance, let nature do its bit, but at the same time to play our part in supporting, nurturing and caring.