Yesterday we walked a remote hill in the Scottish Borders, passing Neolithic Copper mines, and a 2,000 year old broch, as we followed the course of an ancient dark river. This field of thistles was lit by the low early evening sunlight as we retraced our footsteps back to the car. On the outward leg of our walk the sun had been high in the sky and the thistle field had just looked a little ragged, not worth a second glance, but now the early evening light bloomed through the soft white seed heads, creating an eye catching spectacle.

As it was the end of a long day, I only had a little battery power left in my camera, and as I took the last shot I could, a little breeze picked up, and the air filled with a million air bourne seeds. They danced like blossom up in to the clear blue sky, swirling in clouds, higher and higher, and I had no chance for a photo. I stood gazing heavenward almost as though I too could be swept up into the sky, as light as a feather, and my spirit soared with the tiny soft seeds. The energy of change swirled in waves around me, as the plants trustingly released their hope of growth next year, into the air. Every tiny seed might in turn release its own thousand seeds.

I became acutely aware of the turning season, just in that moment, as if even a few hours earlier there had been nothing happening in this field of thistles at all, and now it was the epicentre of change and release on earth. Everything has its time, and its season, and I just happened to be lucky enough to be present at the point of release for this particular field of thistles. Had we dallied longer at the broch we would have missed it, had we kept walking instead of resting with our toes in the river, we also would have missed the show, but we didn’t……and it all came together in that perfect moment.

To every thing there is a season,
and a time to every purpose under the heaven:
a time to be born, and a time to die;
a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;
a time to kill, and a time to heal;
a time to break down, and a time to build up;
a time to weep, and a time to laugh;
a time to mourn, and a time to dance;
a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together;
a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
a time to get, and a time to lose;
a time to keep, and a time to cast away;
a time to rend, and a time to sew;
a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
a time to love, and a time to hate;
a time of war, and a time of peace.

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8