Look aboot ye

I have heard that some people are forecasting that we will have a very hot summer this year – well we have all heard that before so I guess we will just have to wait and see. The summer, whatever the weather gives us an opportunity to get out and about whether on a day trip or for a longer holiday. And wherever we go, near or far, we usually find a change of scene makes for a good break.

In Alloa the other day I noticed a waste bin. On the front was the Clackmannanshire Council crest which has the motto “Look aboot ye”. These are said to be the words spoken to King Robert Bruce when he lost his glove during a hunting expedition. After a search the glove was found on a slope to the south of the present site of Clackmannan town. Alloa isn't the most picturesque town in Scotland but when you “look aboot ye” you see the dominating Ochil hills, the River Forth, Alloa Tower, and some fine trees and parkland.

When we go on holiday we “look aboot” and notice the landscape and the interesting buildings but when we are home we are so used to the things we see every day that we no longer notice the hills or the architecture.

As I mentioned last week, my aunt who died earlier this year was a talented amateur artist. At her request the following verse was read out at her funeral service.

"The wonder of the world, the beauty and the power, the shapes of things, their colours, lights, and shades; these I saw. Look ye also while life lasts."

The author of these words is unknown but the text is chiselled into a large memorial wall for Alexander Morton (1844-1924) which is located in Darvel, East Ayrshire. He was a Victorian industrialist who built up the local textile industry.

The two quotations sum up an attitude to life of learning to keep your eyes open all the time and notice the people and places around you. This is fun on holiday when we are exploring a new place for the first time. But it is also important at home where taking things for granted can become a way of life which if taken to an extreme means we can miss so much.

God has made a beautiful world and we can glimpse this everywhere. The ability to see beauty in unexpected places is a God -given gift. We can develop it if we “train the eye” to look for beauty. One of the best ways to do that is to take lots of pictures, which can now be done cheaply with a digital camera. Once we upload the photos onto a computer, we can enjoy the beauty long after the time we took the photos. Since God has placed beauty, truth, and goodness all around, may He never need to say to us, ‘Do you have eyes and fail to see’ (Mark 8:18).

(Picture Castle Campbell, Dollar, Clackmannanshire)