St Peter’s Church, Lodsworth
St Mary’s Church, Easebourne
‘in FAITH we FOLLOW + in HOPE we LIVE + in LOVE we SERVE’
If you would like to view any of the reflections or services
that Derek recorded since March 2020 please click here.
To find a simple form of daily prayer click here (also available as a video)
Other prayer resources may be found on the Church of England website.
January 2025
Dear Friends,
As we begin another year, we often set ourselves challenges or New Year resolutions. To be honest, I gave up on New Year resolutions years ago. My lack of determination being a contributing factor. What I tend to do now is look forward to “new experiences” of life, usually, for me, found in nature. In 2023, I managed to see my first Avocet. These beautiful birds, the symbol of the RSPB, grace our wetlands and coastal plains with such elegance, definitely a highlight of 2023!
In 2024, whilst on holiday in France, I witnessed a bird which I’d never seen before. It looked like a seagull, both in size and colour, and yet as we watched, every now and again it hovered! Seagulls do not hover, so what, I wondered, could it be? On returning from our trip, I asked a close friend, and he confidently told me it was a Black Shouldered Kite; sometimes known as a Black Winged Kite. How amazing! Then, to add to this, on a trip to Farlington Marsh near Portsmouth, I saw my first Wheatear. It is a bird of such gentle beauty and, as you can imagine, I was thrilled. So, what is on my list for 2025? I would love to catch a glimpse of a Bearded Tit. These birds are found in tall reed beds, the male having stunning markings, especially around the face. I know that they are at Farlington Marsh, so I will need a level of perseverance if I am to add this bird to my list.
These small highlights may not seem like much, but to those of us who love nature, they are real moments of pleasure. As I will never hesitate to tell anyone this is all free. It is God’s gift to us! So, what will be your highlights this year? What is it in life and nature that will excite you and enlarge your horizons? We all need these special moments in our lives. May 2025 bring you many new simple experiences that enrich and enlarge your life and many blessings to you all.
Reverend Canon Derek Welsman