Try a little tenderness

This charming piece was part of a complex windowsill arrangement at a friend's house over Christmas, and it sang to me this morning as I was looking through my images -- I suspect because (like millions of other people) I was watching Downton Abbey last night -- and I have a child on the other side of the world who's been feeling anxious.

There's so much tenderness captured here in these simple figures.  I think a large part of spiritual practice is simply coming to understand that God feels that same tenderness for us, and finding the heart and strength to be a channel for that tenderness; to share it with those around us who may need to feel that bond of warmth and sympathy...