I am living in a rented house and unfortunately it has a very boringgarden, a rectangle of grass  with two pots and nothing else. So overthe weekend I tried to plant some colour which might brighten it up. AsI watered in the plants I noticed something I had not seen before, thedroplets of water were gathering on cobwebs and transforming them intothe most beautiful and delicate strings of silver - minature works ofart.

There is much beauty in this world but sometimes it is hidden behindall the bad news that makes up the headlines in our lives. Last week Ithought the news of the murders perpetrated by two children wasparticularly troubling and raised all sorts of questions about oursociety and world. If I see only that, then my viewpoint on lifebecomes darker. However I need to go back to the beginning and remindmyself that God created this earth and all that is in it and for eachact of violence there are (often unseen) many beautiful acts ofkindness and heroism taking place every day in ordinary lives.

Just like my rather bleak garden, within it, if I took time to look , lay something rather beautiful.

"For the beauty of the earth,
For the beauty of the skies,
For the love which from our birth
Over and around us lies,
Lord of all, to thee we raise
This our grateful hymn of praise."

Words by Francis Pierpoint (1835-1917)