The roses are coming into flower. It has been a long cold spring but at last our gardens are coming into full colour

Thought on Saturday – May – 29/05/2021

Last Sunday we celebrated Pentecost Sunday. We sometimes associate the Holy Spirit to making our Confirmation and that’s it. We tick the box as having it done but never afterwards connect the Holy Spirit to our lives. This is such a pity because the loss is immense. The Holy Spirit is the greatest energy or presence in our world. It is alive, active, creative and prompting us always to God’s special presence in our world.

As soon as a yacht lifts up its sails to catch a breeze it becomes alive and moves through water full with purpose, energy and delight. If the sail is taken down and put away the yacht is almost lifeless and just drifts along. With regard to the Holy Spirit we have sometimes forgotten to put up our sails to catch and harness a unique presence in our world today. We pray to the Holy Spirit to guide and direct us through each and every day.

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Last week we celebrated World Bee Day. As a beekeeper myself I wrote the following few lines to mark the day. Bees make a world of a difference in pollinating so many flowers in our gardens and countryside. Many of the foods we eat each day is thanks to the work of our bees. We are also aware that our bees are under severe pressure due to declining habitats and a huge increase in pesticides. You can play your part to help our bees. Here are a few simple tips:

(1) Plant a section of your garden especially for the bees. Most gardening centres now have ‘Bee Friendly’ labels on flowers and plants. Those who work in these garden centres will be more than happy to give advice to you on what are the best plants to attract bees. Lavender is popular but there are many other plants that are well suited to your garden.

(2) STOP using chemical sprays in your garden. Do you really need to spray the weeds with chemicals that are horrible to our bees? Always remember a weed is a flower in the wrong place. A bit of digging and hand pulling is the best way to remove unwanted weeds. Our bees are super sensitive to these chemicals.

(3) When mowing your garden why not leave a section unmown. This will give flowers a chance to grow and mature for the bees. Clover is a really good example.

(4) In parishes do we have to mow every part of the church grounds? Could we not dedicate a section to Bio Diversity. We could also plant suitable wild flowers to attract the bees. Yes it may look a bit rough on the edges but putting up a few signs saying: ‘This part of our church grounds is for the bees’ will make a difference. So instead of others thinking you are lazy at not cutting the grass – they will be impressed with the efforts you are making as a parish community in helping bio diversity.

(5) It is the small things and the small changes we do that will make the biggest difference. Continue to BEE the difference!!