We have enjoyed some lovely Spring weather recently and, I think some of you may have enjoyed walks on the promenade. It’s always a popular place in Felixstowe. It’s good for walking or jogging, being flat, even and smooth.
Having lived here all my life, I have sometimes felt it a bit boring.
However, on two separate occasions, folk have said what a joy it is for them, now they have come to live in Felixstowe. They feel like they are on permanent holiday, as they walk along the prom., enjoying the gardens & delighting in watching the sea, which is ever changing its moods & its colours.
So, I am looking at the familiar views of my native town, with fresh eyes.
There’s the sheltered bay, with the cliff gardens, having numerous shady nooks in summer, and suntraps for cooler days. The changing seasons are marked by the variety of flora in the gardens. These all hold a magnetic attraction for the young and for the young at heart!
Do we always fail to appreciate that which is familiar? Does familiarity really breed contempt?
Herbert Hensley Henson, one time Bishop of Durham said, “Familiarity, so far from being a disadvantage, invests forms of praise & prayer with a kind of inevitableness, which adds greatly to their spiritual value.”
Are we so familiar with the Easter stories that we miss the wonder, the amazing mind-blowing truths?
“God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.” (St. John 3 verse 16)
“We believe that Jesus died & rose again & so we believe that God will bring, with Jesus, those who have fallen asleep in Him.(1 Thessalonians ch 4 verse 14)
“Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep.” (1 Corinthians ch. 15 verse 20)
May the joy of the Resurrection and the hope we have in the Easter story be yours afresh, this April.
With love, Mary R.
