I'm hoping to restart this blog soon. Since I last posted I have had a difficult time. It was a time of change, but not in a good way. I suppose I had a breakdown of sorts and had to take time out to get well. I am still recovering but feeling much better. So...watch this space!

Change

Last night, I spent 3hours or so learning to relax and meditate with Maitreya at Pureland Meditation Centre and Japanese Garden. It was a peaceful, relaxing experience, but made me realise how restless and impatient and anxious I can be. Maitreya does not follow any particular religion but believes in just being in the moment. This is very hard to do, but we were told not to strive - just to sit and be.
So, why am I sharing this with you? Well, I believe I'm at a point in my life when I need to change, for my health and my mental wellbeing.
This morning as I walked the dog I was struck by the subtle changes all around me in nature. There are some signs of autumn, a few leaves on the paths etc, but what I noticed most was the change in the blackbird's song. It almost felt like the blackbird's evensong. A time when he sings in the autumn and welcomes it. A time when he sings for joy at another season and the changes that are happening.
So - I take my lead from the blackbird and sing joyously for the changes in my life at this time, for the ability to just BE and enjoy the moment.

Apologies!

My health has not been good the past few month so my apologies to anyone out there who follows this blog.
It was lovely today,to get out in the park and woods.There's nothing like a bit of sun and a few green shoots to make you feel better. I'm always amazed that the snowdrops survive the winter and manage to poke their little delicate heads through the soil and leaves. It makes me have hope that no matter what happens, life goes on and it is just as beautiful as it ever was.

The Truth About Transubstantiation

Oak Trees

I discovered a beautiful old oak tree on my daily walk. It must be very old as it's about 50 feet high - maybe 2 to 3 hundred years old. I couldn't help thinking about what this tree had seen in it's long life. All that history and maybe personal stories of people who had sheltered under it, or had picnics there, maybe even had a first kiss.... And then all the weather it has withstood and yet it is still there, strong and healthy.
I guess there will come a time when it dies, it can't live forever and we can't rely on it to be there always. It got me thinking about God and how He's always there and always will be. In the storms of life he will shelter us under his branches, in the good times He will rejoice with us. He never leaves us or forsakes us. His love and strength are forever.

Earlier this year we visited Fountains Abbey in Yorkshire. What a beautiful peaceful place. If you're in Yorkshire it's well worth a visit just to sit and soak up the years of prayer that permeate this place. What a tragedy they were all destroyed by HenryVIII.

Skylarks

While walking the dog today I heard a skylark - the first in a long time. It reminded me of my Dad and the walks we used to have after mass on Sundays. We'd walk for miles, down lanes, in woods, looking for treasure. I learned a lot about nature on those walks - the names of plants and birds and other animals, and I'll never forget the feel of blackbirds eggs in a nest, all warm and smooth.
Today I was thinking about people who don't have any belief in God or the afterlife. How can you not believe in an afterlife when all of nature is self renewing? The bluebells are coming out here, yet a month ago there was no sign of them. They were in the earth just waiting for the right time to burst forth - and they do it every year without fail. When they've flowered they produce seed that falls in the earth. The seed is nothing like a bluebell, yet out of something plain and ordinary looking a beautiful flower emerges! Just think then how beautiful we will be when we are in heaven. It reminds me also of a very old hymn we sing in the Catholic church, a couple of lines are - "love is come again like wheat that springeth green"
It was lovely to remember my Dad and think of him renewed in heaven.