The posting we did a little while ago, which centred on Elephants, inspired my friend Gill Henwood to write a poem about ‘Watering holes’, places where we find refreshment in our journey through life. A journey which is spiritual as well as physical. Gill is fed, too, by the countryside of the Lake District where she lives. Nature is always a source of opening our hearts, minds, souls and Cumbria is one of those places which are ‘thin’, places where God is very near and where heaven and earth are within touching distance. In these difficult days, Gill takes up her theme of Living Water.

The ‘tarn’ referred to is Tarn Hows and the ‘Lake’ is Coniston Water.

Watering Hole

Elephants gathering at precious watering holes 
weathering the drought of hot summer, 
water, life-giving, cleansing, refreshing, 
joyful in splashing spray
and, if you have a trunk, 
spraying about!

We in our Covid drought,
seek  a precious watering hole
where  God provides
the living-water we need
to weather this long unseasonable time.

So the little beck wriggles its way down fell,
trickles under ice
to find its way into the tarn
before waterfalling through woods
into the tributary that feeds the lake.

Shower us.
Refresh us
with your living spring of water. *

*John 4:14

[Gill Henwood January 2021]

The Beck at Tarn Hows photographed by Gill Henwood