It has been a challenging week, but there are always small joys to keep me going. This week’s list celebrates all the senses.

Thank God for the vivid red of a patch of poppies against a blue sky, and the small, spotted ladybird climbing a stem, and the wild strawberries I picked to make tea.

Thank God for the bright green and amber shield bug crossing our shaded path. Thank God for the green of the fields and hedgerows, and the way the light shines green through nettles and ash in our back windows. Thank God for all these constant reminders that there is always growth and goodness.

Thank God for the smell of hay as I pass the barn, and the way the honeysuckle perfumes the air, and the salty scent of the sea on the breeze.

Thank God for strong coffee, and barbequed peppers, and the bright fizz of lemonade.

Thank God for the warmth of a cat at my feet.

Thank God for the rain and the wind. Their freshness on my aching head tells me that the wilder parts of me are only natural. Thank God for the sun on my face, that tells me it is also perfectly natural to rest.

Thank God for the sound of strings like a lark, and the comfort of birdsong filling the field, “a song of light”.*

Thank God for the colours, the sounds and the wings. Thank God for the power of small things.

*This paragraph references Vaughan William’s beautiful, The Lark Ascending, and the poem that inspired it by George Meredith.