feb 2010d

A friend is a gift of God

Among the great and glorious gifts
Our heavenly Father sends
Is the Gift of Understanding
That we find in loving friends.
For in this world of trouble
That is filled with anxious care
Everybody needs a friend
In whom they're free to share
The little secret heartaches
That lay heavy on their mind,
Not just a mere acquaintance
But someone who's 'Just Our Kind'. . .
For, somehow, in the generous heart
Of loving, faithful friends
The good God in His charity
And wisdom always sends
A sense of understanding
And the power of perception
And mixes these fine qualities
With kindness and affection
So when we need some sympathy
Or a friendly hand to touch,
Or an ear that listens tenderly
And speaks words that mean so much,
We seek our true and trusted friend
In the knowledge that we'll find
A heart that's sympathetic
And an understanding mind, . . .
And often just without a word
There seems to be a union
Of thoughts and kindred feelings
For God gives True Friends communion.

Survival

It's been an interesting and busy winter for us all and when you look at Caryl's diary you'll see that some have been busier than others. The weather has been more extreme than anything we've been used to in the last 20 years or so and I really can't remember temperatures dropping to the extent it was minus twelve degrees on a couple of nights. Since the snow cleared I've seen foxes and roe deer while out walking and the various birds that come to the garden seem to have returned. Doesn't it make you wonder how they have survived over the past six weeks or so? I know some folks were panicking because they couldn't get their weekly shop at Asda or Tesco so just how did these wild creatures manage to survive in these relatively extreme conditions?

Before seeking an answer to the previous question, I don't imagine it is inappropriate to consider what the folks of Haiti have just experienced. While we have some potholes in our roads, they have lost some of their roads altogether and they will need to be completely rebuilt. While some folks have had burst pipes leading to some flooding and ceilings requiring to be renewed in our area, complete buildings have been flattened in Haiti due to the earthquake. People there have lost everything and many of them are living in improvised villages under polythene sheets and totally dependant on others to supply them with food and clean water. In relative terms I guess that we got off lightly and it is probable that none of us would consider trading places with any of those folks suffering due to the earthquake.

As far as the question raised in relation to the survival of wild creatures I can only offer the following explanations:

"All animals belong to God" (Psalm 24:1)

"All the animals in the forest are Mine and the cattle on thousands of hills. All the wild birds are Mine and all living things in the fields" (Psalm 50, 10-11)

"God cares for the animals" (1 John 4:16)

"Look at the birds flying around . . . Your Father in Heaven takes care of them" (Matthew 6:26)

"He gives animals their food and feeds the young ravens when they call" (Psalm 147:9)