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Fruits of Creation<br />
We have a magic<br />
basket at home<br />
which sits at the top<br />
of our stairs. It really<br />
is quite amazing.<br />
My children and I regularly drop<br />
our worn or dirty clothes into<br />
this basket, and as if by magic<br />
our clothes then reappear in our<br />
wardrobes, washed and ironed!<br />
I wonder if you are lucky<br />
enough to have such a magic<br />
basket. I guess that at my house<br />
we are particularly lucky, because<br />
we also have a magic kitchen.<br />
When my children and I get<br />
home from work and<br />
school, we find that<br />
delicious hot, healthy<br />
and homemade food<br />
magically appears<br />
on our plates for<br />
us to eat. It’s quite<br />
fantastic! Not only<br />
that, but we have a<br />
magic vacuum-cleaner, a<br />
magic window-cleaner, some<br />
magic polish, a magic garden that<br />
is magically tended and a magic<br />
fridge, freezer and pantry.<br />
I wonder if we ever stop to think<br />
about all the wonderful magical<br />
things in our lives, and where they<br />
come from. When we next drink<br />
a glass of cold fresh water, dip<br />
some freshly baked bread into a<br />
bowl of steaming hot soup, get<br />
into a warm clean bed, put on nice<br />
clean clothes, I wonder if we stop<br />
for a moment to think about the<br />
magic behind it all – who made<br />
it, and where it came from. Or do<br />
we just take it all for granted; all of<br />
those everyday, ordinary things,<br />
so simple and yet so important.<br />
I wonder too if we stop often<br />
enough to think about those who<br />
have so little of this magic in their<br />
lives, so little of the comforts that<br />
we have in this country in such<br />
abundance. I wonder if perhaps it<br />
might be time to be more mindful,<br />
more grateful, and to express our<br />
thankfulness.<br />
The magic behind my washingbasket<br />
is of course a person,<br />
my wonderful wife, to whom my<br />
children and I will from now on<br />
I hope be more mindful of her<br />
labours of love and express<br />
this in thankfulness. Perhaps<br />
we should all take a moment,<br />
maybe at the end of each day,<br />
to be more mindful of all<br />
the good things we<br />
enjoy in God’s good<br />
Creation. To express<br />
our thanks, we might<br />
join the Psalmist who<br />
wrote: “He makes<br />
springs pour water<br />
into the ravines; it<br />
flows between the<br />
mountains. They give<br />
water to all the beasts of the<br />
field; the wild donkeys quench<br />
their thirst. The birds of the sky<br />
nest by the waters; they sing<br />
among the branches. He waters<br />
the mountains from his upper<br />
chambers; the land is satisfied by<br />
the fruit of His work. He makes<br />
grass grow for the cattle, and<br />
plants for people to cultivate –<br />
bringing forth food from the earth:<br />
wine that gladdens human hearts,<br />
oil to make their faces shine, and<br />
bread that sustains their hearts …<br />
All creatures look to You to give<br />
them their food at the proper time.<br />
When You give it to them, they<br />
gather it up; when You open your<br />
hand, they are satisfied with good<br />
things …” (from Psalm 104, the<br />
Holy Bible).<br />
Daren Craddock<br />
St Chad’s Church, Linden Avenue, Woodseats<br />
Church Office: 9 Linden Avenue, Sheffield S8 0GA<br />
Tel: (0114) 274 5<strong>08</strong>6<br />
Page 22<br />
email: office@stchads.org<br />
website: www.stchads.org
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