PAUSE IN THIS PLACE Pause in this place.Yes, look around,what do you notice? Listen for the heartbeatsof those close by,flow with their breath. Sense with their eyes,tune into their ears,know with their soul. Who are thesewe walk on by,whose air we share? Pause in this place.We don’t needto be elsewhere. We are needed here.Doing what … Read more
It doesn’t seem to matter where I go in our little valley; moss is at home here. Not just one kind of moss, but a delightful plethora of shapes, colours and textures. The nature of the terrain and the fact that alpacas don’t treat moss as a delicacy probably help. So does our leaving fallen … Read more
As human beings, most of us have a strong pull toward the place we call home. Yet, this drawing might be tangled and fraught with complicated tension for various reasons. Do I belong here? My lovely friend Joanna Maberly has written a profoundly beautiful and moving account of opening unexpected doorways in On Covid, corvids … Read more
When you stop, what do you hear? Is it the echoes of unfinished conversations,the insistence of a reply,the sadness of the moment,or things said that were better left unsaid? What about the call of the wind,the whisper of water,the wordless sound of a place,or the rumble of the Earth? And what about the comfort of … Read more
What a wonderful invitation to quieten down, to stop and look. To see again what is before us and enter. Walking with Wendell Berry’s poem has shifted my perspective over the last few days. What we need is here. It’s not gone. It is within us and between us. And there is no need to … Read more
We think we see reality when perhaps we only observe what we expect. And the stories we tell ourselves become amplified, and our role in them is firm and secure. Until they aren’t, and the world is no longer what we thought. Yet we have this opportunity to see with fresh eyes. If we are … Read more
We may feel powerless, insignificantbut we can breathe,in and out. Choosing life and hope,over death and despair. Present, while separate,keeping hold of humanity’s threads, remembering, we are all connected.
Place is more than geographical territory. It is within us too. If we are not at home in ourselves, then everywhere has a sense of alienation. So perhaps at this time, we need to rest awhile and come home. To be rooted in our inner being for the days ahead. This is John O’Donohue’s blessing … Read more
‘Bright sadness’ is the term that Eastern Orthodox Christians use to describe the current season of Lent. This year, the phrase is incredibly evocative. And as I’ve been pondering on this place’s calling, I cannot divorce it from what is happening in Ukraine. Because places, while distinct, are connected. My place, here in the valley, … Read more
I’m still wrestling with what it means to be here at this time: Hearing again the deep call of place. So I’m still here. Listening. And I’m grateful for a beautiful gift from Alistair Kelly, which helps tune our attention. River haiku Being from becoming,Emerges and fades,And becomes again. + Alistair Kelly