Â鶹ԼÅÄ

A reflection and prayer to start the day with the Archdeacon of Bangor, Mary Stallard.

Good morning,

During lock-down last year, I tried to do some gardening. With limited expertise I planted a vegetable patch. Potatoes and beetroot were a great success, [we had a wonderful harvest of both]. Sweetcorn grew tall, and looked impressive, but I don’t think I gave that enough space or water, because it only yielded hard, shrivelled cobs of corn. Although I’d sowed several rows of parsnips, I didn’t see any plants growing at all, so I added them to my list of failures. I thought maybe I’d accidentally cleared the seedlings when I’d tried to do some weeding.

To my surprise, when I dug over the patch earlier this summer, I discovered a bumper crop of huge parsnips, deep below the soil. They were such an unexpected gift and set me wondering whether other things might have grown almost unnoticed during this strange and difficult time.

Amongst new learning I’ve valued has been a deeper understanding of the importance of attending to my own, and others’ mental and emotional well-being. Enforced separation has made me more aware of the value of contact with friends and family. And the length of the pandemic and the difficulty of trying to get back to some kind of normality is teaching me patience and a resilience I didn’t know I had. Many of us have acquired new skills at this time, but gardening’s teaching me to be on the lookout for hope in surprising places and to value every encouragement.

Gracious God, thank you for all that’s growing in our world and in our lives. Help us neither to be dismayed by hurt and failure nor to be complacent at signs of success, but rather open our hearts to notice all that’s good and fruitful. May we be continually inspired to live with the hope and courage we need each new day. Amen.