It takes energy to hold a closed hand, but with gentle movement, we find an open hand. In openness, we both give and receive. A few years ago, I noticed that my right hand was often clenched tight into a fist. Not a fighting fist, but more a fist […]
Getting Well Staying Well
This didn’t feel normal AT ALL, but when they offered the words ‘That’s normal and you’re going to be ok’, a flood of reassurance swept into me. After they had told their story, the psychiatrist looked at them and, with quiet compassion, said these words. For what you’ve been through, […]
We often question ‘Am I on the right path’ but learning to hear the shepherd’s voice gives us an assurance to know and trust the good shepherd. I want certainty. I like to feel secure knowing that I have made the right choices, but there is always an invitation to […]
There is a kind of loneliness when you have wounds and scars, but it’s met when someone comes with their wounds. It’s an invitation to connection. I don’t like to see scars on a human body. They tell me that something has gone wrong. There has been injury and therefore […]
And there was beauty, but are you comfortable with beauty in yourself and others? I suppose we are mirrors of beauty to a hungry world. I love to look at beauty. A sunrise or a sunset. A rose in the garden or a bird singing for joy. I recognise beauty […]
If you’re always watching the wind or looking at clouds, you’ll never step outside your door. But with quiet practice, we can give generous attention to what truly matters. I tried something new last night. Something I haven’t done for a very long time and building up to that […]
Many things go into the shaping of one’s life. ‘I am a product of long corridors, empty sunlit rooms’ says C.S. Lewis. What are you the product of? Mathematics wasn’t my strongest topic at school, but somewhere in the deep recesses of my mind I recall the term ‘product’. […]
I want to forget some things. But does God forget? Does God choose not to remember and if so, how does this help me heal? I once visited the ancient ruins of Olympia, Greece. The tour guide told me that in the entrance to the athletic stadium there were once pillars […]
We don’t want trouble, but when Jesus says ‘You Will Have Trouble’, there must be something to help us through. There are some promises I would like God not to keep. I’m not sure if you can still get them or not, but you used to be able to buy […]
It can feel very lonely when we don’t experience love. A sense of abandonment. To know that ‘I am loved’ is like the permanent embrace of presence. To be loved and know it deeply is, I think, the quest of every heart. According to early Church writer Paul, it is […]