This is part of a series of posts about my thoughts on the Amazing Love Window, in the Hall of Wesley Memorial Church in Oxford. These are my views and do not represent the position of the church.
What is this life if, full of care,
Leisure, by W.H.Davies
We have no time to stand and stare.
No time to stand beneath the boughs
And stare as long as sheep or cows.
No time to see, when woods we pass,
Where squirrels hide their nuts in grass.
No time to see, in broad daylight,
Streams full of stars, like skies at night.
No time to turn at Beauty’s glance,
And watch her feet, how they can dance.
No time to wait till her mouth can
Enrich that smile her eyes began.
A poor life this if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare.
One of the images I gave Vital Peeters when he was creating the Amazing Love Window was an illustration inspired by the poem Leisure, by W.H.Davies.
I can not find the one I sent, but it illustrated the line ‘Streams full of stars, like skies at night’.
Wesley Memorial has a varied congregation, who after a service gather in the Hall on a Sunday morning for tea and coffee and conversation.
Many of these conversations are about planning future activities, which is necessary for the church to continue to be a lively, forward-looking place, but sometimes I need to be reminded of the importance of being as well as doing, and finding a time to listen to that still small voice of calm.