Inner Writing
Saying good morning to the bush
It was only a glance, maybe a tenth of a second, but in that very short moment I saw all of her majesty, beauty and mystery. I sat on the nearest park bench to see what would happen next.
Photo by Jeffrey Eisen on Unsplash
Its best I tell the story from the beginning. For this story the beginning is totally irrelevant but all good stories ought to start at the beginning.
As you know it has been very hot indeed. I had spent the previous two days in front of a fan scrolling my phone because my mind could not focus on anything else. But the third day I realise this could not continue so decided to get up very early and go for a walk so at least I got a bit of exercise. I took myself off to the park across the road. Not only was it lovely and cool but it was rather nice not having vast numbers of dog walkers adoring their dogs. Nor were there many joggers to point their finger at me (they don’t actually point their finger – but it seem as if they do – jogging past with energy and ease, its just a bit unsettling).
Anyway – so I was enjoying the most beautiful early morning asking myself why oh why do I not do this more often. So enthused by the experience I decided to slip into the park garden to do some light stretches given there would be nobody there that time of morning. So I did just that. Holding onto the sundial railings I did some modest stretching and bending and felt better for it. I decided it was time to sit down so started walking to a garden park bench. I just happened to glance to my right and it was then I saw her in that nano of a second. I was not alone in the garden.
She wore a black dress down to her ankles and a black turban hat on her head. She was probably Nigerian. In one hand she carried a large branch or walking staff and with her other hand she was stroking a bush, yes she was stroking a bush – and I could hear her – she was saying “good morning” to the bush!
In that glance I could sense her energy and serenity it was as if she inhabited a different time zone, or perhaps better, a different world. She didn’t scare me – she draw me in. I knew that if I sat on this park bench I would see her emerge from that little path and get a better look. It took a good while but she did eventually emerge slowly majestically into the area of the sundial. I could now see her turban was studded with costume jewels and her walking staff was taller than her it was a tall thin log. She was a sort of Moses or Ezekiel figure. Given the powerful aura around her she would have no problem parting water or defeating the prophets of Baal in SE London. She started circling the sundial – stamping her feet twice at each point of the compass waving the hand which was not carrying the walking stick/log.
I wanted a blessing from this woman – I don’t know how I knew but she had power to bless. But I didn’t want to intrude nor did I want her to discover I was sitting there watching her. So when she looked my way I raised my hand to wave and she raised hers and smiled – she smiled at me. That smile was a blessing for sure but more it was an affirmation a recognition. She turned and walked away from me – waving at the trees calling out ‘good morning’ and lifting her palms to the heavens in praise to the Divine Lover she saw around her in tree and flower.
Photo by Thomas Kelley on Unsplash
The Benedicite
I think it was in Lent but it could have been in the period between Easter and Pentecost where we would sing the Benedicite (answers on a postcard). It is a beautiful thing and a great shame it is not part of our liturgy much now. But being a 13 years old choir boy I found the Benedicite did go on a bit – actually it goes on a lot. It is a canticle taken from the book of Daniel (song of the Three Children) used to be sung at Matins.
It is a repetitive thing “All ye works of the Lord, bless ye the Lord, praise Him and magnify Him for ever”. Then it would continue “All ye angels of the Lord bless ye the Lord, praise Him and magnify Him for ever” , then “All ye priests of the Lord…….”. It would continue asking the stars of heaven, snows, frosts, winds, dews, rain, trees flowers all to “bless the Lord…praise Him and magnify Him for ever”. There was, for the choir boy, some relief in the middle of this piece because the song asked “Ye whales and all that move in the waters bless ye the Lord, praise Him and magnify Him for ever”. At that point my mind always moved from the choir stalls in my country church to the very flat sandy shores or Skegness (where we always went for a day trip in the summer). Surely, surely whales and other massive creatures ‘moved in the waters’ around Skegness and why oh why did we not see them on our day trip in that grey north sea?
That was all a diversion.
The thing is, the Benedicite praises God by asking the whole of creation to glorify God. We join with the whole creation in the magnificence of God’s glory – indeed by being a wonderful tree, bush, frost, snow, whale, the creation IS praising God. The touch and fragrance of the creator is detected in the created world. I’m sure this Nigerian woman with her big stick was responding to that touch and fragrance of the creator and became one with the created order in lifting her heart to the Divine – joining her praises with the trees and bushes.
I did try and say “good morning” to the bushes and give them a bit of a stroke but at that time of morning it didn’t quite work for me in the same way and I got a nasty scratch from a bloody thorn bush – so went home for a coffee.
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