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Viewpoint from Rev Daniel Pritchard 13/09/2024
 Rev Daniel Pritchard
Deputy Lead Chaplain – James Paget University Hospital
Time Flies
Time flies, or so they say – it certainly feels that way as I get older! I was dead-heading some roses a while back, in the hope of encouraging fresh buds and extending the flowering season into the late summer. As I did so, I was reminded of the poet Robert Herrick’s famous words: “Gather ye rosebuds while ye may, old time is still a-flying; and this same flower that smiles today tomorrow will be dying”
Other writers have expressed similar ideas, notably the poet Horace whose ‘carpe diem’ was quoted by Robin Williams’ character, John Keating, in the 1989 film ‘Dead Poet’s Society’. Often translated ‘seize the day’ a little research tells me that some Latin scholars suggest a more horticultural translation – so that the phrase might be translated as ‘pluck’, or ‘pick’ the day, rather like Herrick’s gardening metaphor
 I rather like that. As, rather than urging a self-reliant grasping of the moment, taking what I can get (which may resonate with our consumerist culture) it evokes a gentler, more mindful approach. Not so much snatching at the time before it disappears – or I do, but treasuring the beauty and opportunity afforded by each new day; encouraging a deep enjoyment of the present moment and receiving every day as a gift, looking for the good it offers. This can be especially important at such a time as this when, in so many ways, the future may be unknown or uncertain.
It is an encouragement to enjoy and make the most of the present moment, using it wisely and fruitfully, knowing that it is just that, a moment. In the Bible, Jesus Christ’s counsel “don’t worry about tomorrow” (see Matthew 6:34, New Testament) similarly reminds us that while our attention is focused on what might happen in the future, or how we strive to secure that future, we can so easily miss the wonder of today. His advice is to focus our minds on higher things rather than striving, trusting that as we do, God will provide for our needs
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