One day, early in winter, we had one of those damp, rainy days which keep those of who have a choice, in doors. There was not much wind but the rain was heavy at times and the sky dull. However in the late afternoon it suddenly cleared up enough to allow me to go down to the village. The sun came out enticingly and although the ground was decidedly wet under foot I decided to take the long route back home. It was all on well made roads, which though narrow shed the water sufficiently that I need not fear getting wet feet. Many of the lanes round here are bordered by the typical high hedges of the county. The fleeting views of the sea from the higher ground were uplifting with the sun shining on the distant headlands but it was as I turned into the narrow lane leading to a nearby small hamlet that I beheld an even more uplifting sight.

The high trees in front of me still bore their narrow silvery green leaves and the low sunlight caught them in a wonderful way, making them glow with a beautiful light enhanced by the sparkle of the rain drops that still clung to them. But even more was in store as I turned into Meadow Lane. Now the low sun was directly in front of me, but partly hidden behind distant trees and hedgerow to the right. The rays of the sun now shone along the hedge where each leaf was surrounded by a rim of raindrops. Each drop took up the example of the sun and sparkled with a red and yellow light as if of its own so that the leaves and branches were surrounded by a glory of shimmering jewels. Each leaf too glowed with the transmitted light the veins sharply outlined and the colour tinged by the red of the setting sun. The field beyond glistened in sympathy with the hedgerows, and the light and shade of the shadows cast across the lane lifted ones heart in expectation.

Is this an example for us, we should 'shine like stars in the universe' (Philippians 2:15 NIV), spreading the light of God into the dark world around us, turning what has become ugly into something beautiful. Each drop on a leaf or twig passes on what it receives from the sun, and demonstrates how we should pass on the love of God to those who share this planet with us, so uplifting them heavenwards.