We decide to spend today
pottering about the garden.
There’s plenty of work to do –
digging-out, dead-heading
and tying back.

An interesting discovery
in the garage –
two plastic pots full of bulbs.
Unidentified.

What can they be?

And so,
our curiosity piqued,
we plant these mystery bulbs
in pots
and position them carefully
in a sunny spot.

All of this
while drizzle falls softly
and birds chorus
all around.

Thank you, Lord,
for a delightful afternoon
spent pottering about the garden
and for all the joy
of anticipation.
(What will those bulbs
turn out to be?)

© Claire Murray, 21st March 2023

Lord,
the wind has stopped howling.
Our home is intact,
the trees are still standing
and the drone of traffic has returned
to the motorway.
Life is returning to normal.

The storm has passed.

Pastel-coloured skies
of pink and blue
greet me this morning
when I come downstairs
and outside, all is still outside.

I feel a sense of relief
that the storm is over.

Thank You, Lord,
for protecting us
during the storm
and for allowing us
to come through it
unscathed.

May we savour today
the peace and calm
that surrounds us
and may the peace
that only You can bring
reign in our hearts.

© Claire Murray, 25th January 2025

In a quiet corner of Musgrave
where shadows linger
and squirrels scamper
lies a pine tree
which was blown down
in a storm
many years ago.

Lying hidden
in the peace and quiet
out of sight, out of mind
and forgotten …
it quietly continued to grow.

Branches on its upper side
reached for the sky
forming a line of slender pines
and only when a recent storm
felled neighbouring trees
did this little miracle
come into view.

I look at the tree,
fascinated,
and think to myself,
“Never say die!”

As Christians we are called
to always hope
and to never give-in
to despair.

Called to believe
in an almighty God
and called never to underestimate
His power.

Called to believe
that our God loves us deeply
and will stretch out His hand
to help us when we call.

Because of our trust in God
we, too, can choose
to never say die
no matter what befalls us in this life.
And we, too, can flourish in adversity,
just like that pine tree.

© Claire Murray, 30th December 2024

Icy roads prevent us
from travelling
and so we find ourselves
at home
instead of at our usual
First Saturday Mass
in Newry.

This provides the perfect opportunity
for us to fill our log store –
a daunting task
that involves wheel-barrowing
hundreds of logs
from a far corner
of the garden
and stacking them neatly
in our log store.

It requires careful planning
and a wile lot
of hard work!

We crunch across frosty grass,
our breath frosting
in the freezing air
as we savour the smell
of freshly-cut wood.
By lunch-time,
most of the logs are stacked
neatly and safely
(with a hollowed-out log
at the very top …
maybe a robin will nest there?)

Quite a feat of engineering!

Thank You, Lord,
for this icy morning
which kept us all at home
and left us free
to spend time as a wee family
working together
companionably and productively
to fill our log store.

(Time for hot drinks now, I think!)

© Claire Murray, 4th January 2025