Winter sun
Slanting lightilluminating spaceswe don’t normally see, the gift oflooking sidewaysfor shadowy possibilitiesthe brilliance of summercannot find.
poetry
Down amongst the leaves
Pause, breathe,settle downamongst the leaves.There isn’t elsewhereyou have to be. At least for now.
Darkling
Gideon Heugh has just published a new book, Darkling: An Advent Journey, and I wanted to share it with you. This is a book for darkling days. A book for those who are hunkering down against the winter storms of life. A book for those who feel weary, lost, uncertain. It is not a book … Read more
The gift of seeing slant
Seeing from the side,the edge whereothers care notto stand. What do you see? And what do you hearon the wind, that speaks aloneto you? Or what do you noticethat is callingfor your soft, innerattention? This is for you. Open your handsto receive, andyour heart to respond. We are waiting.
It’s time to open wide the gates
Given the current climate challenge, I decided against ‘opening the floodgates’. However, there is something gloriously abundant about slowing down, being quiet and appreciating hope and joy. Especially when we become more connected with each other and this astonishingly beautiful earth we call home. We start to notice shifts. Our way of seeing stretches wide … Read more
The gift of poetry in resetting our lives
HIT RESET Slow. Stop.Take a deep breathStand stock still.Hit reset.Here is the dayCherish the nightNotice your lifeAs it’s passing by. + Martin Wroe, from ‘Julian of Norwich’s teabag’, Wild Goose Publications, 2022 Poetry is brilliant for pressing the reset button. It unlocks things we didn’t know were locked yet does it without a sledgehammer. While … Read more
Come step into the quiet
I am not sure we can hear and see what we really need in the rush and noise. Sure, we might find answers to the immediate issues of today. Yet do they have the wisdom of time and space? Pause and step into the quiet with this poem from the Chilean poet Pablo Neruda: KEEPING … Read more
Make a place to sit down
More than usual, this week, time seems to have fashioned a particularly elastic quality. Drawing tight to remind me that each moment is precious. While also opening wide and shrugging off boundaries with a sense of eternity. And we live in the messy and unpredictable in-between, with its associated sense of disorientation and ephemeral opportunities. … Read more
Being open to a different take on wholeness
I love the way poetry can ask questions we wouldn’t know how to frame. And the way words plant seeds that sprout in unexpected places. Blooming in colours we weren’t anticipating. Yet I guess we need to be open to exploring these different dimensions of wholeness because it doesn’t come to order. Allison Joseph’s poem … Read more
Following the beautiful thread
Recently I encountered the lovely poem by William Stafford, The Way It Is. His words enable me to see more clearly the weave of our lives. And his insights encourage me to keep hold of the thread, which at times feels almost ephemeral. THE WAY IT IS There’s a thread you follow. It goes amongthings … Read more