Let’s do this well- together!

God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Psalm 46:1

A slight change to be layout of my blog today! I usually put the daily Bible verse at the end of the post, but somehow, yesterday’s verse vanished. So from now on I will put the verse BEFORE my musings!

Today, where I live, the sun is shining and there isn’t a cloud in the sky. It’s a perfect spring day, so Clive and I took the dog in the car and headed off along the coast to the town of Portrush, where we had a lovely walk and nodded greetings to the small number of other strollers, all keeping a sizeable distance away from each other. I’ve never seen Portrush so empty on a sunny day. As we drove home, we listened to the news on the car radio and as the depressing headlines spewed out, I looked through the car window at sparkling sea, the gleaming white cliffs of Rathlin Island and the Mull of Kintyre in the distance and the whole situation seemed surreal. The contrast between the beauty all around me and the awfulness of each news headline was too wide to comprehend.

Will the world ever be as it was before this pandemic? As I ponder that question ( and I have no answer to it), I wonder if it will be a better world when this is over. I hope and pray that it will be a kinder and more caring world, where people help their neighbours and give their time to help their communities.

I am touched by the many offers of help we have received from younger neighbours and friends. Yet when I look at the media, it is evident that there is still panic and selfishness which in some places is dividing communities rather than building them. As individuals, we are the building blocks of community, so let’s make sure that we contribute to everyone’s well being by sharing whatever we have to share, whether that is time, talent or material goods.

The earth itself seems to be benefitting from the crisis as pollution levels drop across the world, and surely that’s a benefit for everyone. And while the tourism industry worldwide is badly affected by the current crisis, we can learn to appreciate our own country. The National Trust have removed parking charges from its properties, so why not make the best of that and explore outdoor spaces where you would previously have had to pay for the privilege, keeping a good distance from others, of course and washing your hands when you get home!

Happy wandering!