Photo was taken last month at the Dark Hedges, Co. Antrim, (N.Irl)
This beautiful avenue of beech trees was planted by the Stuart family in the eighteenth century. It was intended as a compelling landscape feature to impress visitors as they approached the entrance to their Georgian mansion, Gracehill House. Two centuries later, the trees remain a magnificent sight and have become one of the most photographed natural phenomena in Northern Ireland.
Their recent popularity is cinema and TV fame. The iconic trees have been used as a filming location in the series Game of Thrones, representing the King’s Road. Such is the volume of tourist currently visiting the road, no buses or cars are allowed up through it now.
Thought on Friday – June – 15/06/2018
Thought For The Week
‘In Asia they say that life is a great river and it will flow, no matter what you do or don’t do. We can decide to flow with the river or to battle it.’ ~Vincent Travers
The beautiful fine weather in recent weeks has been such a blessing. The colours of summer have reached a beautiful crescendo. The farming community who were in a very difficult place a few months ago have had a great chance to bring in silage and hay. Everyone seems to be in better form and a run of good weather definitely brings a feel good factor. Despite the fine dry spell there were some exceptions. A week ago there was a band of thundery showers that crossed Ireland from the east. Some places escaped the rain while other places like Millstreet had complete downpours. Streams and rivers that were at a standstill became raging torrents with flooding in some places.
So much can be said about rivers. We are only too aware of the great power of a river in flood and in contrast the beauty of a gentle flowing river in the height of summer. Every river has an energy and flow that nothing can stop. Even a dam has its limits. Comparing life to a river is a good image. The many meandering twists and turns of a river reflect life and its unpredictability. Every day brings us some measure of how uncertain life can be. Life can be so uplifting and rewarding but just as quick it can be cruel and unforgiving. We have no option but to go with the flow.
Where does God come into the whole picture? I like the image of the banks on either side of the river that somehow guide the flow of the river. God is there to guide us along through the unpredictable nature of life. It may seem sometimes that God is not around because rivers do flood but even in a flood the banks on either side are still doing a job. Even when the river floods out over the banks on either side, there comes a time when the river will gently recede back to where things were.
We pray for each other this week. We include special prayers for any person or family going through a difficult time and whose life circumstance can be compared to a river in flood. We also include prayers for those continuing to do the Junior and Leaving Cert exams during the coming week.
