As I sit and write this, the sun is
shining outside and there are a few daffodils and snowdrops bravely
showing themselves in the garden. I have noticed the increasing sound
of birds singing and their presence at the bird feeder. Today I was
driving out in the Derbyshire countryside and was so thankful for the
beauty all around. There are sheep out in the fields, buds appearing
on the trees and shrubs, and wonderful views and vistas. We are so
privileged to live where we do – and I don’t just mean
Derbyshire, I mean in a country that has such diversity and richness
in its nature. The weather we have determines this “green and
pleasant land”. Of course we are often plagued by the weather,
from localised flooding in recent times and hosepipe bans in the past
and everything in-between. We hear on the news that “Today was the
hottest day ever recorded”,- the wettest day, the snowiest day and
so on. Our weather is always a topic of conversation. Yet there can
be no doubt about it, our weather patterns seem to be changing and
this thing we call “global warming” is affecting us here in the
UK as it is affecting every part of the world.
During Lent this year our churches are going to be looking at how God has entrusted his world to our safekeeping and how we can make a difference for good. We can make excuses and say that whatever we do as individuals makes very little difference when we look at the big picture, but anything and everything we do does help. So whether you are cutting down on your use of plastic, recycling or upcycling, thinking of buying an electric car, flying less, growing your own vegetables, using more public transport – whatever it is, just go for it, because there is no doubt that we need to consume less and consume better in order to preserve this wonderful planet we call home.
Jane Williams
