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A spiritual comment and prayer to start the day with Yousra Samir Imran.
Good morning.

There are many species of plant life, that we equate with being English, but which in fact gradually migrated across from other continents to our shores, or were introduced to our soils by other empires.

Take the rose, the national flower of England. Only a handful are in fact native to Britain; and the majority were introduced to our lands by the Romans, such as the demure white alba, which we know as the white roses of York, or brought back by returning Crusaders from Syria, during the Medieval period, like the fragrant and vibrant pink rosa damascena.

These delicate flowers travelled thousands of miles, yet managed to survive and re-acclimatise here, in a climate that is vastly different to the temperate one of their homelands. They integrated themselves so well, that they have become part-and-parcel of English culture.

And that got me wondering about people – if flowers and plants manage to assimilate so well, that they are now considered part of English culture, what does it mean for us to be considered native, and belong to a land?

It is the variety and assortment of flower and plant species, that enable a meadow to thrive. I believe it is our differences as people, that contribute to a society that thrives. I also think it is our differences that make it interesting and fun to get to know each other.

All faiths agree that God loves all His creatures. And so I pray, that I am able to whole-heartedly celebrate and embrace everyone’s differences, and recognise that everyone is important to this land, to help it flourish.

Ameen.