Photo by Gill Henwood

Gill Henwood ponders on the protection a winter Iris needs in the Lake District where she lives. This leads her to think about the Protection we need in these dark times and as the year turns towards a new future on the threshold of 2021, we are encouraged to place ourselves under the protection of God anew.

The only way a winter iris can flower outside in the conditions of the Lake District – heavy rain, frost, snow, wind – is with protection
Protection from a sparkling water bottle as a cloche! As each bud reaches for the light, a bottle and cane are placed to protect it and enable the flower to open.
Beauty, joy, perfume of primroses – the iris fulfilling its promise in creation.
The survival of the iris even in snow has reminded me of many precious quiet times sharing Night Prayer: 

‘Keep me as the apple of your eye; hide me under the shadow of your wings’ (Psalm 17.8). 

So profound a prayer – for this new year, on New Years Eve.

[Gill Henwood]

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