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‘Maureen’s Musings’
The Vicar’s monthly letter for the Parish News
September 2020
We plough the fields but sing not,
The Virus is to blame
We cannot decorate the church
It really is a shame.
But Harvest time is coming
The Combines are about
So let’s find ways to gather
God’s bounty won’t run out!
[With apologies to Matthias Claudius(1740 – 1815) and his translator, Jane Montgomery Campbell (1817-1878)]
How to celebrate Harvest Festival with social distancing? – It is quite a challenge for this month and to be honest – I have no idea at present since I am writing this at the end of July thanks to holidays and printing deadlines! But since I must assume that things will not change greatly before the Autumn now, I conclude that our traditional Harvest Festival will be very difficult to realise.
We will make sure that the Harvest is marked in some way of course – even if “We plough the fields” has to move totally on line. At present I am pondering whether we might hold some kind of open-air service on the playing field… watch for further announcements via ChadNet and posters and social media.
One aspect of Harvest that will remain is the need for us to send contributions to the Good Shepherd for their food bank. I imagine that this year our gifts will be even more needed than previously. When the history of this extraordinary year comes to be written I suspect that it is the economic cost to the world that will be highlighted as catastrophic – even more than the loss of human life, which is just mind-blowing in its severity, even though – at the time of writing – Pattingham and Patshull have been spared the worst effects of the pandemic in terms of illness and lives lost.
So much to be thankful for this Harvest tide – Thankful for the faithful efforts of farmers, and haulage contractors, and food processors, continuing to work and ensure that the country can be fed. Thankful for the NHS and all our Care Workers at the front line of fighting this virus (and very poorly rewarded for all their effort). Thankful for the clean air we breathe and the space around us here in rural Staffordshire and Shropshire, so different from crowded housing conditions that make the spread of disease so much more likely.
Harvest Festival– however we eventually manage to celebrate it, will continue to be held on the last Sunday in September – we had hoped that it would coincide with our next Scarecrow Festival of course, but sadly that is not to be. .. Nevermind, there is so much to be truly thankful for – God’s bounty certainly will not run out!
Every blessing
Maureen.