The most vulnerable point of change is at the beginning, but if we can catch the little foxes that spoil the vine, those things that would want to kill new growth, then we can find the change. It’s spring here in New Zealand, and for grape growers, it’s the riskiest […]
Mental Health Recovery
8 posts
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, […]
Sometimes we can find ourselves stuck in a dark hole and feel like we are going down, but there is hope when we open ourselves to the connection and support from others. One property I work on as a gardener is a small farm, and I get to use a […]
Our brains can be so busy that it can feel like a concussion, but we can help the brain recover by finding some still waters to rest next by. When I wrote the first draft of this post, I was sitting next to a small stream. There wasn’t much water […]
Nurses, doctors, counselors, etc. can all make a difference to our mental health recovery, but the more lasting help will come from a committed companion — someone like Ruth who will break bread with us. It was like a revolving door of people entering their life and then leaving it. […]
When you don’t want to wake up the next morning, pray that God may gently wake you up to the goodness happening all around you. Then soak yourself in it. Take it in and let it mindfully grow throughout your soul. Last week I was out doing some garden work […]
The old saying is true. You can lead a horse to water but you can’t make it drink. It’s also true that you can take the water to the horse, put the water in a china cup and sprinkle rose petals over and it still won’t drink. In my years as a […]
Often I travel over some sharp twisty roads. One of these roads has a large hill, and just on the other side, there is a beautiful view with a fence that has been driven through. The driver didn’t take notice of the early warning signs. There are signs to tell drivers […]