Transitions mean change. If we didn’t know that before, we have certainly learned it in the last couple of years. Transitions are always challenging, sometimes painful. We want to hold onto the familiar and the comforting even when we suspect that is not possible.

“On Earth Day this year (Friday), why not consider celebrating God’s good creation with a walk on which you try to name each plant and tree that you pass – not with the generic name of its species but with specific names that describe its beauty and its glory?”

“Whether it is because we are filled with horror of the conflict in Ukraine or the fear that as prices rise we will not be able to make ends meet we feel that ugliness surrounds us, not beauty yet we need the hope that these offer us. This is a time to embrace not just the beauty of spring bursting forth in our gardens, but also the beauty of broken and scarred creation of fallen people and fallen trees, the ashes of ruined lives and those that suffer everywhere in the world. Beauty can be created from the ashes, but it takes effort and sacrifice.”

“I am not just burning my mask however. I am using that as a symbol of transformation, a way to remind myself and those around me that the journey of Lent is preparing us for the beauty of Easter Sunday. So how will I accomplish this? This year, by creating artwork from the ashes.”

“One of my dreams was to see the aurora borealis. It is still on my bucket list. This amazing display of light illuminates the darkness of the coldest days. Gazing at photos of it reminds me that God illuminates the darkness of our world in spectacular ways. That is what the story of Advent is all about – light penetrating the darkness in sensational and unexpected ways, inviting us to gasp in awe and wonder at the mighty display.”

“The Celts approached God with awe, reverence and wonder but also saw God as an essentially human figure intimately involved in all creation and engaged in a dynamic relationship with it. This interweaving of intimacy and mystery embraced the Trinity as a family and each family unit be it family, clan or tribe was seen as an icon of the Trinity.”