In the Open Air

I am away in a small country town called Bom Jesus in the State of Espirito Santo in Brasil. It is party time here and the streets are filled with stalls and amusement arcades and everyone seems to be having a high old time. Bom Jesus is chiefly and agricultural area and I visited a small farm yesterday.

Farming is similar the world over I find but because of the low rainfall here at certain times of the year and the heat - it regularly rises to 40 degrees C or more, the cattle tend to be Brama cattle that originated in the Indian sub-continent and are therefore able to live with the heat and dryness. The earth is very red hereabouts and because there is a lot of clay it is not suitable for growing crops, only for raising animals, mostly cattle. It is hilly and to climb to the top of a small hill and view the undulating countryside all around was a wonderful experience for me.

The birds are looking so colourful just now because here it is spring and I saw several hawks, woodpeckers and of course the ubiquitous vultures which are everywhere in Brasil. Because it is warm, although the countryside is not disimilar to England, it feels very different. Nevertheless it is still liberating to the spirit to be on a hill with the wind blowing through your hair and watching cows grazing contentedly. Even the grass is unusually green here at the moment because they have had a lot of rain and that reminds me a lot of England too. As I gazed across the countryside I realised that it matters not where you are, if you surrender yourself to your surroundings, you will feel uplifted and so I was.

It is always a joy to be in the country and I relished this opportunity and was able to feel the closeness of the earth to the spiritual world and to marvel at how everything is arranged so perfectly if only we will take the time to stop, look and listen. (As the signs at railway crossings urge!) I hope I have been able to communicate to you just a little of what I felt and tempt you to search in the countryside around you for the link between earth and heaven.

Have a wonderful day.