This young cygnet is taking it nice and easy!! What a lovely photo by S. Hermann & F. Richter from Pixabay

On This Day

On May 4th 1959 the first Grammy Awards were presented, and the winners included Frank Sinatra and Ella Fitzgerald

On May 4th 1979 Margaret Thatcher became the first woman to be elected Prime Minister of the United Kingdom

Birthday’s Today

Rory McIlroy (Golfer) is 34

Laura Whitmore (TV Presenter) is 38

Randy Travis (Country Singer) is 64

Interesting Quote for Today

“Too many of us are not living our dreams because we are living our fears” ~ Les Brown

Saint For Today

Today is the feast day of  St Florian, and he is the patron saint of firefighters

Significance of Today

Today is International Firefighters Day. Those who work in the fire service put their lives on the line every day to save our lives, loved ones, homes, and even forests and cities. Today we thank them for all the great work they do, often in very difficult circumstances. The day coincides with the feast day of St Florian

Did You Know:

Did you know that an ostrich’s eye is actually bigger than its brain.

 

Thought For The Week

Jesus said: ‘I am the gate of the sheepfold. Anyone who enters through me will be safe. They will go freely in and out and be sure of finding pasture.’ ~John 10:8-9

As we move into these early days of May there is a sense that summer has finally arrived. Out in the countryside the newborn lambs are such a lovely sight. In our scriptures the image of a shepherd looking after sheep is used many times. Sheep were important in Palestine, and they are still important today all over the world.

Here are a few simple facts about sheep. They have excellent vision and can see almost 360 degrees. They can almost see behind themselves without turning their heads. There are about one billion sheep in our world and China is the country with the most sheep with 200 million sheep. Sheep are also very intelligent with very good memories. If one of them gets sick, they will always self-medicate. They will go out to graze and look for certain plants and herbs that help them get better. Wool is the most important material that comes from sheep and lasts so much longer than cotton or silk. Lambs can walk just minutes after they are born. Clearly sheep are not dumb and know a lot more than we think.

Jesus often said that he was like a shepherd. As our shepherd he is close to us, cares for us, minds us and keeps us safe. We all need love and kindness. It is a basic human need. Spiritually we believe that Jesus is a beautiful source of love, kindness and so many more blessings. A shepherd never leaves the flock unattended. It is constant protection. We also believe that Jesus is always with us. There are times in our lives when we feel God has abandoned us or let us down. But it is at these times that God is closest to us and nearest to us. The beautiful line from psalm 23 sums it up best: ‘near restful waters God leads me to revive my drooping spirit’.