By Reina Free
What a wonderful blessed relief that after all the very heavy rainfall of the previous months there came at last a dry spell, with lots of sunshine, so that our farmers at last got the opportunity to harvest the wheat, oats and barley.
It gave me special joy to see that our farmer Chris Ruttle was also able to cut and harvest the linseed, which had been flattened badly by the heavy rain. It comes to show many of us had a ‘word’ on behalf of our very worried farmers.
And now the pigeons have invaded the empty fields – great flocks of them, gorging on the left-over grains in case of a shortage of feeds in the winter. Also the squirrels are very busy gathering in the hazelnuts, storing them in places only known by them.
It gives me food for thought. The leaves on the trees are turning, changing into auburn and gold. The ferns are bending low, in a movement of submission. A special stillness of melancholy. The robin sings now his subdued autumn song. The badger cannot frolic any more in the now-empty fields. A weasel rushes across the lane just in front of me.
And so in and outside our churches, with thanks to God in the first place and our farmers in the second, we are able to sing with sincere hearts, “All is safely gathered in.”
At the time of writing this, confusing, disturbing things are taking place in the financial worlds of banks and stock markets, caused by sheer lack of ordinary common sense and greed. It beggars belief, causing immeasurable harm all over the world in various ways.
Through manipulation the very very rich become even richer. What will become of those who need any kind of help badly? One man gorges and indulges in extreme extravagance, the other one has not even a slice of bread and a cup of clean water. But God knows and the blame is NOT HIS.
Could it be again a time for ‘having a word’?