³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ

Spiritual reflection to start the day with writer and broadcaster, Anna Magnusson

Good morning.

The high winds in January blew down a lot of tree branches in our garden. One or two were so old that they shattered when they hit the ground.

But it’s all good for storing – we had the biggest branches cut up and stacked in the wood pile. They’ll dry out over the next year or so and we’ll have more winter logs for the future.

We had a wood pile at the house in the countryside where I grew up. I remember that some of the logs came from a massive tree in the back garden which was blown down in a storm.

What I loved about a fire in the winter was the ritual: first, put on a coat and go out of the back door into the freezing, black night to get the logs. They were stacked in piles at the side of the house. They were cold to the touch, I remember. Wear gloves and a coat, gather up an armful and hurry back inside. Then, deposit the logs into the basket by the fireside, and gently, carefully add one or two to the blaze.

Having a fire made me happy. It wasn’t a necessity, like a coal fire was in my mother’s childhood - when it was the only heating. Like it is today for millions of people around the world. Our log fire was a comfort and a delight. We lit it for family gatherings, for parties, for Hogmanay - and occasionally, just for sitting by on dark winter evenings.

I pray this morning for families who depend on fire for daily survival. I pray for families displaced by war, whose homes are destroyed and who must survive in the ruins of all that was dear.
May God bless them and keep them. Amen.