Monday August 28th was a hot and humid day and the air hung still and lifeless. It was a day to stay inside and enjoy the air conditioned coolness but I had a calling to go out, to go to the small chapel at our local church and pray. The next day my sister-in-law was to have heart surgery, my close friend was recovering from a knee replacement, and another from two knee replacements, another friend had recently lost her husband of 48 years and my sister in New Zealand was continuing to have an ongoing pain issue and hearing problems. As my husband and I entered the chapel vestibule it had a bright cool air about it. Painted white with a notice board full of positive thoughts it was the right place to be. The chapel itself had pale oak furnishings and seats and kneelers covered in a soft flecked light and darker green fabric which gave a feeling of serenity and calm. The thick black book with a gold embossed cross lay on my lap as I settled in to pray. This was a “Book of Common Prayer” which used to belong to our father and I had brought it with me so that I could read the prayers for healing and perhaps some Psalms. In the stillness I brought my petitions to God for these dear friends and relatives and many more. After reading prayers I started to look through the Psalms and the book fell open at Psalm 104. The reason for this was that there was a pressed flower there. The central area of the flower still had a beige and greenish tint but the petals were now brownish with a hint of what may have been an original red color. Our dad was constantly picking and pressing flowers and leaves and I often found them tucked away between the pages of his books. I started to read Psalm 104 and realized why the flower was there. This Psalm is all about the majesty and beauty of a created world and praising God. Our dad loved nature and would often draw our attention to things so often missed. As I read it I thought of all the blessings in my life and especially the past year and also my recent visit to Scotland. In the past year I had celebrated my sister’s birthday with her, spent time on Cape Cod with dear friends, spent time in Scotland with all of our family and only four weeks previous to this spent an afternoon with all of my husband’s siblings and partners including his dear sister for whom we were praying. For the past few days as I continue to pray I think of the beauty of Scotland – the land of my birth – and how Psalm 104 describes it for me. Enjoy just a little sample of Scottish beauty.