Welcome

“ This season offers an opportunity to give thanks for the beauty of the world and lands in which we live.

HAVE you ever paused, just for a moment, to drink in the sight, sounds and smells of creation?

This month marks the beginning of Creation Time (September 1 to October 4) which can be celebrated in some churches with the season of harvest in thankfulness for the safe gathering of the gifts of another year.

September is regarded as the beginning of another season of change ‘the time of mellow fruitfulness’. The seasons in other parts of the globe will be a little different, but in the UK, this season marks the end of summer and its effects can be found all around us.

The days are shortening and the colours are changing, but the world and gifts of creation are no less spectacular with the departure of summer.

The leaves of some trees start to change colour, moving from green to orange to red and there can be spectacular displays (sometimes depending on summer weather).

For many people, lives are filled with endless busyness, ‘to do’ lists to complete, appointments and tasks to be fulfilled.

This season offers an opportunity to give thanks for the beauty of the world and lands in which we live. Whether urban or rural, there is beauty to be found for all, sometimes in the most unlikely spaces. It can be the changing light of the season casting shadows or illuminating plants and trees, or it can be sunsets or the last vestiges of summer sunshine. It can be the beauty of azure blue skies casting its light onto sea and loch, or it can be witnessing a moment of nature – wildlife feeding or at play.

One day last autumn I was wandering along a nearby farm path, deep in thought, when I happened to turn and caught sight of four Sika deer feeding on grass and greenery in a field. They had not been startled by many presence (thanks to rubber-soled trainers) and it was a gift to be barely six feet away.

Such moments of tranquillity bring joy but also remind us of a duty to steward our world which belongs not only to humankind, but a multitude of wildlife. The season also reminds us of a duty to care for creation and also think of others who do not have all the gifts that we so often take for granted from the world in which we live.

In this season taking a moment each day to find beauty in something new – and giving thanks for that moment – is a welcome reminder of our ethical responsibilities to the world.

Lynne McNeil Editor