Thought for the week: Gillie Bolton mends her ways

‘The mend in an object is sometimes its strongest part.’

by Gillie Bolton 24th February 2023

Gerard Manley Hopkins glories in the muddle that is the natural world. But the imperfections of people and nature can be far from endearing or beautiful: Ukrainians suffer the horrors of war; Syrians endure devastating earthquakes, bringing down homes with loved ones inside. We ourselves survive sickness, abuse, accidents, bereavements, albeit wounded. We ask ‘Why do some hurt others in this terrible way?’, sometimes ‘Why me?’, sometimes ‘Why did I do that?’