I have just lost the view from my study window. Why? It always happens around this time of year as the trees come into leaf.
The month of May has seen an explosion of growth in our gardens and countryside. The West Midlands comes into its own in the Spring, a beautiful picture of life in all its abundance. One feels lucky to live here. May I encourage us all to look out of the window, or as we walk down the road to say ?thank you?.
As we say ?thank you?, we may be reminded that this beauty that surrounds us comes at a price. The beauty that we see in our hedgerows, woods and fields require care, it is so easily spoilt. The Reverend Fran, a gifted photographer, took pictures of rubbish that caught her eye as she was walking locally.A lot of it is simply plastic and tins that is carelessly thrown away ? if only it was not dropped or somebody picked it up then the beauty would not be spoilt.
I now find myself often collecting rubbish as I walk the dog?why just walk past it? If one sees rubbish being dropped, that an ?accidental? dropping has taken place gets a favourable response in my experience.
These are simple things that we can do to help maintain what is a gorgeous part of the world in which we are privileged to live in, so let us treat it as a privilege. For the beauty of the earth, for the glory of the skies, for the love which from our birth over and around us lies; Lord of all, to thee we raise this our hymn of grateful praise. Let us praise God by caring for His creation.
Richard Thorniley