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A spiritual comment and prayer to begin the day with Canon Anne Easter

Good Morning!

I live in one of the most densely populated inner London boroughs that has about 350,000 residents; our streets teem with people, we have great transport links and there are loads of shops, many of which seem to be open all the hours God sends!

Now I don’t very often get further than the M25 and I must confess that I’m one of those city dwellers who thinks that all fields look the same anyway - so it might come as a surprise to hear that I love to listen to Farming Today.

It’s billed as offering us ‘the latest news about food, farming and the countryside’ and I’ve heard all sorts of fascinating issues about intensive animal farming, the sorts of diseases that can affect trees and the joys of the county show which I must say, sounds like great fun. I didn’t realise that around seven million people attend county shows each year.

And I’ve learnt about the human side of rural life too – the joys and drawbacks when families work together, the difficulties when income isn’t assured and the shortage of farm vets.

So, when I’m asked to say grace and thank God for our food at a big city dinner or a church picnic, what I’ve heard and learnt has made me realise something of the human cost of getting that food onto our table and of guarding our countryside. I feel that I pray with a little more empathy and understanding.

Father God, Farmers have worked with you and your creation since the beginning of civilisation; we ask you to bless farmers and their families today, give them strength, wisdom and endurance.

Amen.

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