From the February 2025 Parish Magazine
Dear friends,
February is the month where the days are beginning to feel a little lighter and longer and the first signs of spring are beginning to break forth.
Spring is a time of renewal and hope, tentative though that might be early in the month. The photograph below is of catkins. Catkins are seen on trees as the first promise that the trees are beginning to wake up. Catkins help the tree to reproduce by catching pollen and releasing the seeds. Once the seeds have developed they are dispersed by the wind and grow below their parent. For me there is something beautiful about trees, the way they grow and reproduce and the way they form communities through their root systems, sending nutrients to weaker or ill trees – whether or not they are part of the same tree family.
This photograph is a reminder for me of all that potential.
As well as that though, trees remind me to turn my face up to the heavens, I could spend hours sitting under the trees gazing up beyond their branches into the sky; it feels so peaceful and I often feel a sense of God’s presence when I am doing this. I love praying outside in this way, though I accept I might look a bit odd!
Later this month I will be starting an eight week Prayer Course, where we will be thinking about how we might become better at prayer.
Prayer is something that people often worry about whether they are getting it right – actually there is no right way, but I thought it would be good to have a space to talk about it a bit. In the meantime, I invite you to go for a walk in the pocket park, pick a tree to sit under and gaze up towards it’s branches and beyond. If you don’t feel comfortable doing that, try to find some catkins and ponder the new beginnings they represent! It’s a great month to explore outside as the days lengthen!
Every blessing,
Rev Morna