The weather today has been wet and freezing! I decided to go for a lovely beach walk, which was very memorable. The wind was blowing so strongly the foam from the sea kept blowing into me. It was bracing indeed!

I was so grateful to find my car in the mist in a field, that I failed to notice another little problem, there were cows! Cows and calves, looking super cute, but right in front of the car. I didn’t want to startle them, so I thought I would just sit, and they would move eventually.

Well, dear reader, it took a while. They did keep moving, but not necessarily away. Sometimes it was more towards! And then they would stop, have a chat and a snack, and then form a new configuration right in front of me. It took a long time! By the time I could safely move on, I had names for them……

As I sat there however, I was thankful. I had no schedule or agenda, I didn’t have to be somewhere else. I wasn’t in a hurry. I could just sit in a field of cows, and be content.

Maybe life is meant to be more like this. Listening to people who have come here to Uist, many have come to get away from frantic lifestyles and demanding work schedules. Here the pace of life is much slower, and patience is easier, especially when you are confronted with a herd of cows!

‘ Love is patient, love is kind’ – 1 Corinthians 13. Maybe slowing down, and waiting is good medicine.

God of creation, You are the God of sunshine and cloud, warmth and rain. Every season has its purpose. Thankyou that you teach us to value every encounter with people and creatures, and to seek their wisdom and good. Lord Jesus, You saw the beauty of the lily, and noticed the humble sparrow. Teach us to take time and look after your world in even the smallest ways. Holy spirit, give us patience, that we might cherish the beauty around us, even cows and their calves, and be content, Amen.