Dear Friends & Neighbours,

Happy March…

According to the meteorological calendar, Spring starts on the 1st March…I think most of us are pleased to see the bulbs beginning to appear, the evenings drawing out, the hedgerows greening up and the first signs of birds nesting; It brings a smile to our faces as we begin to look forward to the warmer months. I love summer and the sunshine, so I always feel really grateful when I see signs that winter is nearly over, and I feel a real lightness in my being as I see the signs of new life beginning all around us.

March, in the Christian calendar also sees the beginning of Lent. It starts on Ash Wednesday, the 2 nd of March and is the time when Christians across the world begin to prepare and look towards to Easter. We think about Jesus heading towards Jerusalem, we celebrate Palm Sunday and the events of Holy Week leading to Jesus’ death on the cross on Good Friday. And then we celebrate with thankfulness, wonder and joy, His resurrection on Easter Sunday. Just like Advent, Lent is time of preparation and reflection as we look forward to Celebrating God’s intervening Love in world. For me Jesus’ actions through the period we call Lent demonstrate a God who does not shy away from difficult and hard stuff but is prepared to go through it in order to bring us new life… and that’s something I think that needs celebrating and giving thanks for.

Celebrating and giving thanks are really important. To celebrate and give thanks for what God has and continues to do for us important …Celebrating and giving thanks for creation and the new creation we see in the Spring lifts our spirits. Celebrating and giving thanks for each other… our families, communities and friends is really important too.

For a number of years now there have been days designated to RAK…Random Acts of Kindness. So, I have a thought… how about we could mark Lent this year in a different way. Instead of thinking about what we might giving up for Lent …how about we look at different ways of thanking people with Random Acts of Kindness. Perhaps each week until Easter we could try to do one act of kindness to or for somebody. It could be anyone… from the hairdresser to the shop keeper, teacher, postman, friend or family. It doesn’t have to cost, It could be a smile, a compliment, a card, a flower, a bar of chocolate. It’s just an idea … but I think it would be great fun… It would also help to remind us of how grateful we are for the new life we see in Spring and the new life that Jesus made possible through rising again that first Easter.

Enjoy the beginning of Spring and have a good Lent

God Bless

Cathy