One June morning
our wee family sets off
on a walk through
Glenshane Forest
hoping to see
our first ever Mass rock!

Conifers with pale green tips
line our pathways
and a wee lizard sprints
across our path.
Larks warble invisibly
far above our heads,
a myriad of birds chorus
and far off in the distance
a cuckoo calls.

A tiny mountain stream
babbles and gurgles
over pebbles and boulders,
lush green grass
and golden buttercups
fringing its curves.

A slow procession
up a steep path
where tree stumps and boulders
are draped with dry moss
and sun filters
through the conifers.

Turning a corner
we arrive in a steep-sided hollow.
A large wooden cross,
several large boulders,
a grotto to Our Lady
and make-shift pews –
we’ve found the Mass rock!

This is a time
to stop, gaze and drink-in
the beauty and peace
of this sacred space.
A time to stand in awe
of Our God
and His creation.
A time to remember ancestors
who risked their lives
to celebrate Mass here
in days gone by.

Standing at the grotto,
I sing a simple hymn
to Our Lady
accompanied by birdsong –
a blessed moment!

I say a silent prayer
that, one day,
we may return to this Mass rock
so that, like our ancestors,
we may celebrate the Eucharist –
that wonderful mystery
of God’s love for us
in the majesty and splendour
of the Sperrins.

© Claire Murray, 13th June 2021

It’s June
and days are long.
In the evenings
we watch a wee bat
as it jerkily circles
the sycamore,
its silhouette framed
by a sea-green sky
that never seems to darken.

In daytime
bright colours adorn
shrubs and flowers,
bird song is all around,
lime trees hum
with buzzing bees
and fragrance drifts
through the air
from blossoming hedges.

And on precious blue sky,
sun cream days
it even feels like summer!

Thank you, Lord,
for bright June days
bursting with colour, fragrance
and the promise of summer!

© Claire Murray, 7th June 2021

A pile of rubble lies
at the bottom of our driveway.
But when I look at it
I don’t just see
sticks, broken bricks
and roof tiles –
I see …
P O T E N T I A L !

This piece of flagstone
would be perfect for the wall
of a wee hedgehog house
and sure wouldn’t that ridge tile
form a perfect entrance tunnel?

Those old bricks
in all shapes, sizes and colours –
just perfect for building
a wee bird-sized hidey-hole
down the side of the garage
where the robins always go!

In my eyes,
this is not just rubble –
it’s so much more!

That’s how it is with God
when He looks down on us
as we blunder our way
through life,
sometimes getting things right
and sometimes making
horrendous mistakes.

God looks at each of us
with eyes of love
as we stand
in the rubble of our lives
and God sees …
P O T E N T I A L !

In the quiet of our hearts,
God asks each of us to complete
a very specific task
that is tailor-made for us.

And so,
from the rubble of our lives,
God stands ready to construct
an architectural masterpiece.
The question is –
will we have the courage
to let Him?

© Claire Murray, 8th June 2021

It’s Communion time
at Kircubbin’s drive-in Mass
and the sun bathes the cars
in the packed car park
in warm sunlight.

Summer is in the air!

“How Great Thou Art”
begins to play
over the sound system.

For once
the noisy crows
that throng the sycamores
fall silent
allowing today’s chorus
from the song birds
to be heard.
These wee, tiny birds
sing their hearts out
as if they are proclaiming
in song,
“How great thou art!”
At the second verse
the crows can contain themselves
no longer
and the air fills
with their rasping, cawing cry.

It feels as if,
on this warm, sunny morning,
all of creation is joining together
to give praise to Our God,
with each bird telling Him,
in their own unique way,
“How great thou art!”

And in this glorious chorus of praise
every voice is welcome
(even the noisy, tuneless voices
of the cawing crows!)

© Claire Murray, 30th May 2021