Â鶹ԼÅÄ

A spiritual comment and prayer to begin the day with Bishop Helen-Ann Hartley

Good morning.

Recently a photo memory popped up on my tablet screen reminding me that nearly a year ago we acquired a rescue kitten. She, along with a sibling had been found in a garden and handed in to the local vet. Just a few weeks’ old she arrived in our home, and spent the best part of three weeks hiding in the shoe-rack right by the front door. To avoid the potential drama of letters and parcels landing on her head, I placed a cheerful sign on the front door alerting the postman to ‘mind the kitten’ and kindly leave our mail round the side of the house.

I happened to meet him one morning, and he wondered what kind of kitten we had given that his usual animal challenge might be an enthusiastic dog! Sharing our home with a four-legged bundle of energy has been a source of great joy particularly in the long months of lockdown. Our kitten is now a cat, I have continued to marvel at her curiosity when I return home and place my bags in the kitchen, and her immense patience watching birds and squirrels for hours on end.

As this day turns into the next, I recall the narrative of creation in the Biblical book of Genesis. God gave everything its place in creation, and commanded human beings to share in its stewardship. Whilst recreation is an important aspect of our lives, the need for rest is something animals and human beings share. As I go about my tasks today, I will look to my cat for a lesson in how to find rest when needed, and often in the unlikeliest of places.

God of creation, thank you for animals who share our lives. Help me to learn lessons of wisdom from their ways, and to care for all creatures great and small.

Amen.