After a few days to rest and refresh after #UpAllNight I am back to business as usual…only it’s not usual, or normal, is it? Whilst walking at lunchtime today with my camera, I was really struck by this tree. It is situated in the very middle of a huge area of farmland, which doesn’t seem to have been used for farming for some time. There were very few weeds even, as the earth under foot seemed very dry, arid and parched.
As I gazed at this tree from multiple sides and angles, I felt something of an affinity with it…I wonder whether it sees the trees and shrubs around it coming to life, and is desperate to be part of that. Whilst none of us are likely to be able to see the world around us coming to life, I do feel that ‘normal life’ is in my mind’s eye and I am desperate to be a part of it.
Instead, the general stillness of life around has ceased to be a novelty, something to enjoy perhaps or delight in, before the full repercussions could be realised. For some that may have become quite harrowing as livelihoods are uncertain, or even lost; getting food to the vulnerable becomes more difficult, mental health begins to suffer…and then there is the loss. So many dear to us have been lost, and our familiar grieving rituals are stripped back or suspended. It feels like we are standing tall on very arid land. Unlike this tree though, whilst we may still be on arid land, we are not alone as we stand…we stand together, perhaps at the moment 2 metres apart(!) but together.
Tea and Theology 