Reflections of Ruthie

Despite not gracing this particular photo, I can say that numerous birds were in attendance this morning at a scenic location north of Brisbane, Queensland. It was estimated that about 20,000 soldier crabs were present too. I think I also saw a fish splash around in the distance at one point.  As a family group, we were 'in situ' to try and solve some complexities, and I'd been reflecting on the words, "look at the birds of the air..." from the book of Matthew. Enacting this idea has long had the effect of helping me to shift from earthly worries to experiencing the divine. That's why, years ago, I envisioned a collection of music called Harmonic Reflections, that featured a pelican on the CD cover. That's also why 2 bird events are among my most precious recollections from the first cruise that I ever went on with family members. The first was a lone pelican flying majestically around Lake Eacham in North Queensland and the second was the mesmerising spec...

  A gospel song from choir kept coming into my head last week. Included in the lyrics were the words, "It's my desire to be like the Lord." I felt particularly impressed by that, along with the not so melodic alto part, and I decided to embark on a fresh reading of Luke's gospel. I got as far as, "Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed." This made me wonder, "were the places merely isolated, or did he actually feel lonely?"  This line of thinking led me to contemplating times when I had plenty of scope for feeling lonely, but somehow didn't. Here are three of those times: 1. I was in China visiting family members and we were taken on a tour of a temple. While the guide, Eddy, went up into the temple with my sister, I chose to sit down near the entrance and watch the people streaming up the hill. Mum was in the vicinity. Surrounded by trees with olive green leaves, and looking very much the odd one out, I felt strangely connected, part...

Sometimes faith feels like falling into an intricate and beautiful tapestry that I cannot fully see. I can see glimpses, only.  The above use of the word 'only', reminds me of my maternal grandfather. He was a Dickens fan and he loved the following Scrooge quote from A Christmas Carol: "Are these the shadows of the things that Will be, or are they shadows of things that May be, only?" Grandpa was unimpressed by any rendering of A Christmas Carol that left out the word 'only'. He thought it was important for meaning and gravitas, I think.  In part, I owe my Christian faith to Grandpa. To me, he was a personification of the famous definition of love used in weddings: " Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth." The other day, I was sitting in the front room of our house, looking a...

Imagination has always been strong with me, so these Snoopies, arranged on my desk by one of my nephews, somehow reminded me of emperor penguins huddling together in the harsh conditions of Antarctica. These amazing birds are utterly reliant on each other for survival. They can't go it alone.   This led me to thinking about the famous verse from Psalm 23 - "Yea though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me." It is commonly understood that it is God who is with us in dark times and this can provide comfort; however, the following, from an ancient Jewish text adds an extra layer of wisdom: This is a person who sleeps in the shadow of a single palm tree, and in the shadow of the moon. But with regard to one who sleeps in the shadow of a single palm tree, we said he is in danger only if the shadow of another palm tree does not fall upon him. However, if the shadow of another palm tree falls upon him, we have no problem with ...

  This is one of the first felt pen pictures that I created when I started so-called 'drawing for relaxation' in June this year. I started on the sunny side and progressed to the moon side. No page smudging for me! Looking at the picture now, with its two luminous focal points, I am reminded of 2016 when I had some health issues. At that time, the planet Venus appeared night after night, week after week, radiant and bright through my bedroom window. While the predictability was comforting, it was also as though light was beaming into my body and mind.  These verses from Lamentations have bubbled up amidst my ponderings: The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; His mercies never come to an end; They are new every morning (or evening in this case); Great is your faithfulness.  Somehow, these ideas found their way into my thoughts about work this morning and they precipitated a touch of the old Heraclitus. I've been working in the same job and location for quite a while ...