Dear friends,
‘Say it with flowers’ was a slogan from a florist some years ago.
There is something about the fresh colours and life that they represent which gives a boost and encouragement to us. The fact that someone has thought of us and gone to the effort of ordering and getting the flowers delivered is a powerful reminder of our belonging to others and that love can be shown in real ways.
Some flowers can last a long time and so the shared expression of love and support extends for a while. Even when the flowers wilt and shrivel, and have to be disposed of, the memory of the gift continues.
Of course it does not have to be flowers, there are numerous ways to express love and concern. It could be chocolates, a bottle of wine, a shared walk in the park, a phone call, text or message.
Many imaginative ways of communicating love are being practiced in lockdown. Around Christmas in our churches of Bents Green and Banner Cross we tried several ways to do this beyond the walls of the church to the wider community: knitted angels, Nativitingle, Christingles.
The best gifts are unexpected, but timely and appropriate. Given freely, with no hope of a reciprocal response. This is what generous giving and living is like. Some take great planning and others are spontaneous.
I hope that you have received expressions of love in recent weeks and months, and have also offered some to others. Might we try to do something each week to someone we know or someone we don’t? Random acts of kindness speak volumes, like the police officer called to arrest shoplifters, who realised that the youngsters were stealing food to eat because they had none themselves. He treated them to a meal, ate it with them and sent them on their way with hopefully a lesson in graceful compassion learned.
Peace Tim