Flower Ceremony (Day 18)

As I head out from the Inn in Cricklade, I find a begonia flower on the street, fallen from a nearby window box. It lies directly in my path. I will bring it to the river. Set it afloat as a gift for the gods that be, like a candle being set afloat on the river Ganges during Dev Deepawali, the Festival of Lights.
At this moment, I hold in my heart the phrase: " I have nothing to give that is not already yours". I do not remember where I first heard it, but it feels particularly apt. Here are three manifestations of nature: a flower, a river and a human. Each has nothing but is part of the never-ending wholeness of existence. Nature uses these three pieces to honour itself and to celebrate. I set the flower afloat and watch as a crayfish shakes itself free of the shallow bed and scuttles after it. The gift is accepted.

Watercolour and ink on paper