May you have the blessing of meeting a Goldcrest on a winter’s walk…

I have just had a quick nip out with the dog…both well wrapped up, but I’d left my gloves at home so my hands firmly pocket planted…there is still snow on the escarpment and a bitter wind.

And I heard a different squeaking in a nearby tree. We stopped to better listen and looked up to identify the squeak’s source

My eyes adjusted to see a tiny yellowy green brown bird flitting from branch to branch… a Goldcrest! …Apparently the adults weigh the same as a 20p coin…they are the UK’s smallest bird.

I felt truly blessed to be in the company of this minute miracle of nature…reminding me of Julian of Norwich’s words when holding a small nut in her hand…and marvelling at it’s smallness  is told that ‘It is all that is made’ and ‘endures because God loves it.’.

May we all endure this Advent’s busy times knowing that we are truly loved…

Today may you have the blessing of picking something up, at home, and finding that long lost special thing beneath it…you perhaps put it somewhere for safe keeping…you got distracted…and then began to lose hope of ever finding it…

Until…

It reminds me of the words in the hymn Amazing Grace; ‘I once was lost but now I’m found…’

This brings together all those loose ends into something more coherent; those times when we do indeed feel lost…lost amongst the chaos and the clutter of life; the tiredness after a fretful night. Feeling ragged and not quite sure of our direction.

Perhaps a well timed cup of tea, finding that lost something or other, just noticing a glimmer of beauty even in the dying flowers can help us feel ‘found’ again…

May the blessing of ‘feeling found’ be part of your Advent path….