Thought for the Week

Well it’s official— it is now autumn, according to the meteorological office.

The poet John Keats called it the “season of mists and mellow fruitfulness” and certainly there is something very special about this time of year .

It somehow shows us the beauty and the vast variety of the natural world in all its glory, a beauty and variety perhaps overlooked in summer.

I remember our first October week in Scotland, as we went for a day out around Aberfoyle and walked around Lochan Spring.

The stunning beauty of it all was breathtaking –even the children who were quite young at the time were amazed at the colours of the trees, the size of them and the stillness of the Loch.

It was the variety of colour size and atmosphere which provided beauty and splendour.

We live in a country of variety, not just of natural world but of the human race. We may have neighbours of different cultures, languages, gender orientation, ages and views but let us celebrate our diversity, not see it as a threat.

This time is often a time when Churches hold Harvest Thanksgiving services, specifically geared towards thanking God for all the gifts of creation but also to remember and focus on those who don’t have as much as we do.

The need for foodbanks seems to be growing in our community and even more people are forced to rely on them to feed their families.

This coming weekend at Morrisons there will be a special food collection for the Rutherglen and Cambuslang foodbanks -perhaps this weekend we could make a special effort to thank God for the variety of food we are able to access and to think of those who have nothing and respond to the appeal. Joy Weightman Cambuslang Baptist Church