By Fr Brendan Lane of St Mary’s Parish, Dandenong
I love to go walking in Churchill Park which is surrounded by the suburbs of Dandenong, Doveton, Rowville and Narre Warren.
There I meet the numerous kangaroos, wallabies and the occasional echidna and various birds.
In these days of Covid lockdown, there are many more people than usual, walking the well maintained tracks.
Why are we all there?
We need some exercise for sure, but we can do that anywhere.
But we need to look after our inner self, our spirit and our soul, as well as our mental health.
The lockdown can get to you, if you are not careful.
But the beauty of the flora and the animals of Churchill Park lifts us up, refreshes and recreates us.
We go home, better able to face the challenges and burdens of our daily life.
We need beauty, rest, change, and a getting in touch with our inner self, for this is a depth in all of us.
We cannot travel, so we come to this wonderful place at our doorstep to enjoy the creation sustained by our loving God who has made us for Himself.
“Our hearts are restless until they rest in you, O God”, Saint Augustine discovered.
So Covid is not just a curse, but an opportunity to discover new places right near us, and new depths within ourselves, where there is more than we can know or even imagine.
Experts tell us that Covid will not disappear anytime soon.
So we have to learn to live with it, and adjust our lifestyles.
Many are now working from home, and saving hours of travel time.
Others, who can no longer travel, find that there are treasures closer to home. One of these is Churchill Park right on our doorstep. See you there sometime.
