By Hazel Warhurst, a long-term member of our congregation.

Gratitude: for so many blessings in my life:
• for my own situation – with family and friends not hugely affected by the pandemic.
• for gentle living – in a supportive, rural community surrounded by beautiful countryside.
• for an opportunity to really slow down and assess my life.

Guilt: a life-long habit of dwelling on what I feel I could, or should have done:
• increased by reading on social media and elsewhere of all the industrious activities of others during lockdown.
• that having had a glorious 2019 of celebrations with family, my personal life ever since has been affected in such minor ways, compared to the lives of others.

Time in the garden – however short – is a necessary therapeutic part of each day for me. I try to ignore what I haven’t tackled as gardening is always unfinished business. I’m grateful for these sunflowers “planted” by the birds. Admiring little successes of soft fruits and vegetables, and the act of dead-heading to prolong a display, is very calming.

This summer I have grown Cosmos, so here’s an attempt at a Haiku in celebration!

Cosmos
How the bees love them,
Nodding gently in the breeze;
Bright palette of pink.