All Things Bright and Beautiful:
I love this hymn it never dates and makes us all grateful for everything God provides. Everyone is appreciative of the flowers, insects and animals we have in our wonderful countryside, but we must make sure we sustain them for the future generations. We all love the colours and scents in the gardens but if we insist on using hybridized Busy Lizzies, Begonias and Geraniums for bedding, we all must realise that these are completely barren as food plants for insects of all descriptions. To sustain a healthy pollinator population we have to realise the benefits of planting insect friendly plants. Open single blooms with access for all, full headed flowers with many separate blooms, bell shaped flowers on stems that buds open at various time giving a food source which last weeks rather than days. Allowing nectar rich clover, daisies and dandelions to thrive in out of the way patches, with even clumps of nettles hiding away. Falling in love again with those old fashioned flowers of yesteryear Cornflowers, poppies, asters, marigolds and even wallflowers. Perhaps making room for a nectar and pollen rich fruit tree with single blossom flowers like the cherry or apple, lots of miniature varieties available now, instead of those barren magnolias, which are beautiful when they are in flower but feed nothing. To keep our World all bright and beautiful please let us all do our part and give the insects the help they need to thrive. Every person has a choice and when all the pollinators have gone what choice will we have then?
Lord help us this day and everyday to put something good back into our World. May we be the generation who cared enough to take care of our Planet.
Creator of the World we pray to be silent, be still, say nothing, ask nothing,
Let our God look upon us and help us to do what is right,
We marvel at the mystery of the stars, moon and sky, sand and sea.
We marvel at the mystery of the sun, Twilight, high noon, dusk and dawn.
Though we are mortal we are creations crown. Flesh and bone, steel and stone.
We dwell in fragile, temporary shelters. Grant steadfast love, compassion, grace.
Sustain us Lord, our origin is dust. Splendour mercy, majesty, love endure.
We are but lower than the angels. Resplendent skies, sunset, sunrise. Creation lifts our lives.
Evening darkness, morning dawn. Renew our lives as you renew all time. AMEN
