You may not be prepared to pay for the view from my desk but it never ceases to interest me. In these ordinary trees I see the changing seasons and although sometimes I have a surprise when something like a woodpecker comes to call, some of my best entertainment is provided by the wood pigeons.
I am well aware of the ongoing battle between farmers, gardeners and pigeons over the right to enjoy tender green shoots and I have not gone sentimental either, but the antics of a bird perched on a branch, too flimsy to carry it safely, so it can feed, are fascinating.
Everyone has been talking about the cold May but now that is over and my window is open I get the added bonus of the rich variety of bird song that seems never to stop. This morning it is punctuated by the barking of a dog fox in the far distance, and a crow cawing. I looked up and saw two swifts on the wing.
If I can see and hear so much without really trying, how much more then can God see and hear when he looks into the canopy of clutter that commonly surrounds our lives. Life is in the normal things that God sees and understands in his love for us.
Much is being realised about the mental health benefits of being out and about in nature. I never cease to be glad that we live in a leafy backroad – we can walk to the shops, it takes ten minutes to walk to open fields and a moment to open the window. If that were not the case there would be the smaller things, the insects and the flowers in pots to entertain me and if not, still there would be the sky with its ever changing clouds and colours.
A prayer
Lord, ordinary sights and sounds become special when we focus on the detail just as ordinary people are special to you because you understand the intricacies. Just as it takes a moment to open the window and let in the sights, sounds and smells of the world around, help us relax and let you into the moments of our lives and remember that we are the detail that is important to you.
We thank you for everything that makes up life.
We thank you for letting us live here.
We thank you for letting us live.
Amen.