Words of Light and Hope from Muriel Rogers
Words of light and hope 7th September 2025 Muriel Rogers
Continuing Helena’s theme – Peace with Creation
A rare day off from work – in Fiji – so off to the beach. I settled in the sun beneath the gently waving branches of a palm tree. All was quiet, all was still. Eyes closed, I slowly became aware of a quiet rustling which quickly grew into an angry crashing. I opened my eyes and was startled to see the now violent motion of the palm branches above my head. I heard the mounting grumbling of the sea as it was woken by the increasing agitation of the wind, and then the raindrops started to bite, slowly at first but with increasing rapidity until it felt like I was being attacked by a swarm of vengeful insects bent on inflicting as much pain as possible. The force of the drops increased, the storm was hurling small silvery spears at me and suddenly, my quiet, beautiful beach had become a nightmare of sound and pain, the palm branches now lashing each other and bending down to the ground in their effort to reach me as they joined the wind in its terrible rage. I had to escape, but where to? The only place I could go was into the sea. Would it protect me from the savageness of the storm or would it join forces against me? In desperation, I took the plunge. All was grey. All sense of time and place had gone. Reality was suspended and I found myself in grey nothingness, I was surrounded by grey mist, immersed in a grey sea. It was as if time was standing still, all sound had faded. The world was holding its breath. I was holding my breath. I found myself surrounded by silvery jewels sparkling in the light as the sea rose up in slow motion to meet with the sky. Sea and sky became one as the beautifully sculpted globes of liquid, raindrops and sea, joined each other in a silent, graceful dance. The beauty of the moment was made complete by a small shoal of silver flying fish dancing around me as they wove their way between the glistening globes in the magical world I had dared to dive into. All sense of anger and rage had gone – here was true peace and beauty. Look around – really look – this moment, this breath, this light, this life will never be the same. (Photographic prayers – Holy Island of Lindisfarne)
