Â鶹ԼÅÄ

Good morning. The pretty Carmarthenshire village of Abergorlech has won prizes and awards on several occasions. Its name comes from the Gorlech stream, which flows into the river Cothi there. ‘Gorlech’ is a combination of the local Welsh words for ‘spider’ and ‘stone’. Stones with a pattern like a spider’s web are found in the smaller of the two rivers. I was once shown a geologist’s report which explained how these curious objects had been formed, but I’m afraid that the technical language defeated me.

When I ceased to be vicar of Abergorlech seventeen years ago, a kindly parishioner gave me one of these spider stones as a memento. I keep it on my desk, and use it as an occasional paperweight. The web is formed by a hard, concrete-like substance, which has bound the softer sediment together. For me it’s a constant reminder of the message of Saint David, who brought the Christian faith to Wales in the sixth century.

David taught his followers a simple three-fold rule of life. ‘Be joyful, keep to your faith and your belief and do the little things’. He was referring to those apparently small acts of loving-kindness which often turn out to be the greatest things of all. For hundreds of years those words have been the web that holds together the everyday life of many small rural communities across Wales and beyond: a cement as enduring as that which binds the spider stones of Abergorlech.

Heavenly Father, Give us the grace to live our lives with joy and faith and loving-kindness. Sustain and strengthen us and those among whom we live, that we may work together to create lasting communities that reflect your love. Amen.