Photo was taken at Inniscarra, Co.Cork (Irl)

This field was completely covered in the recent floods. Thankfully receding floodwaters are a welcome relief for many.

Thought on Tuesday – January – 19/01/2016

‘There must be something strangely sacred in salt. It is in our tears and in the sea.’ ~Kahlil Gibran

For the past few months the only story in our news was the flooding and the exceptionally mild winter we have had so far. The huge stocks of salt that are used for gritting our roads remained untouched all winter. But that of course changed last week. On the radio each morning we got a constant update of roads that were covered in ice and the roads to avoid. Lots of salt has been used during the week and where it is used, it does make roads safer when they start freezing over.

Salt of course is something we can’t do without. It is involved in regulating the water content and balance of our body. Too little of it and we’re in trouble and too much also puts us in trouble. It’s all about finding the right balance. There are 35 references to salt in our scriptures. It’s no surprise that Jesus used it in his teaching. To use something that was so familiar to people was a great starting point. He said we are the salt of the earth. In other words we are crucially important, valued and loved. It is so important that we feel and know this. When it is taken away from us, we are out of balance and life then becomes a struggle. The main purpose of salt is not just to add taste to food but to bring balance to our bodies. It is the same with each of us. Finding the right balance in all we do is a life long challenge. Many search and long for this balance. Putting our trust and faith in a loving God gives us a great foundation to find and build this balance.