Dear One and All,

I thought I’d write a few words about ‘Saying THANK YOU’
This month marks the beginning of the autumn and already the signs of the colder weather are sneaking in; the fresher mornings, the nip in the air, I haven’t quite noticed the sight of my breath as we walk along the path at St Nicholas to Morning Prayer yet! This is the time of year when farmers and gardeners alike have all but gathered in their harvest from the fields, and from their gardens and allotments. As we all pause before the next cycle of growing begins, before the digging and ploughing starts in readiness for the sowing to be followed this time next year the harvesting, we pause to say THANK-YOU. It’s such a simple thing to say and yet it can be often overlooked, especially when we live in such relatively comfortable surroundings.

We often go down to Cornwall for our family holiday, a county of many narrow lanes where it is customary to thank passing cars with a wave or a thumbs up as each of you pass by as close as you dare to the hedge, or in some cases the very edge, along the road. A couple of years ago I noticed a difference. There were fewer ‘THANK YOUs’. It was as if even this small thing of pulling over to allow each to pass by is expected and therefore there is no need for this polite exchange. When I was a child I often heard the phrase, ‘it doesn’t cost anything to be polite’ – in other words there is no excuse not to be!

At this time of year many of us will gather in church to say THANK YOU to God for providing all we need. We give thanks not just for the food we have on the table and in the cupboard but for everything; for our health, our families, our loved ones and all those things in life that bring us joy and happiness. We also remember particularly those who are not as fortunate, it’s a time to move over and make room for others so that they too can enjoy life. God provides for each and every one of us the only reason why some have more than others is not because it is not there but that it is not shared. The harvest gifts collected by the all of us will once again be going to Open House and the Easter Team (Thank you Malcolm for collecting and delivering these gifts from us all year round). These are projects within our area which provide food, shelter and hope to so many people who find themselves in need. Having now visited Open House and seen the extent of their work not just for those lucky enough to be living there but to the countless number of people who benefit from their work, I can tell you that it is truly humbling to be thanked by them. People who know what it is to go without, people who live daily with the worry of not knowing where their next meal will come from or where they will be sleeping at night.

THANK YOU is not an insignificant thing to say, it’s uplifting, encouraging, warming. So the next time someone does anything for you no matter how small remember to keep those two little words alive, THANK YOU!
As George Herbert once said “Lord, you have given me so much; I ask for one more thing – a grateful heart”.

With every Blessing,
Revd Angela