Vitamin G... - Reflection by Dean Sue
Read Dean Sue's reflection for Thursday, 29 April 2021.
I am back in what I call my summer study. It is too cold to work in this room in the winter, but in the spring and summer I have a wonderful view over my garden and I have spent this week watching the trees as more and more leaves appear as the strong sun brings heat and light.
This week is National Gardening Week and it runs from April 27 to May 3. The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) uses this week to raise awareness of gardening and horticulture. This year the RHS is encouraging people to get their dose of vitamin G.
Over the past year I have been so grateful for my garden. I am not a gardener, but I do enjoy planting my patio pots with colourful flowers. The beautiful array of colour boosts my mental and physical wellbeing and over the past year there have been times when I have needed a boost.
According to the NHS website (nhs.org.uk) ‘greener gardens promote healthier residents.’ The web-site reports on some research undertaken by the universities of Sheffield, Westminster and Virginia. The research looked at the effect on households who renovated their front gardens and placed ornamental plants in the ground. They discovered that a handful of plants has the same stress-reducing impact as attending eight mindfulness sessions.
The benefits of having some greenery amongst the concrete is not just about mental health there are also benefits for biodiversity and air pollution. This year, in and around the Cathedral we are hoping to create some wild flower gardens which will enhance biodiversity and reduce our carbon foot-print. They will also, I hope, aid reflection on God’s creation and the wonderful world we live in.
In whatever way we understand creation, and God’s part in it, we cannot but look at beauty of our gardens and the parks in our city region and be grateful: grateful that we are approaching all the new birth offered through spring and summer; grateful that we live in such a beautiful area and world. Grateful that despite all the hardships of the past year God is at work in creation and offering us a wonderful feats of colour, smell and beauty.
Grateful for vitamin G.
Dean Sue
While you're here:
Why not prepare for next Sunday's worship? Our preparation sheet for adults and for children can be accessed by clicking on the Resources tab of this website: https://www.prayerforliverpool.org/prayer-resources.html.