Photo was taken near Mallow, Co.Cork (Irl)

This barley is maximising some beautiful summer sunshine. If this sunshine continues the barley should be ripe in about two weeks and ready to be cut.

(To all our friends who check this website in the U.S, enjoy all your Independence Day celebrations today!)

Thought on Saturday – July – 04/07/2009

‘We pray today that we may never lose that vital contact with the source of all life and goodness or that we may never become the dried up withered branch of a rootless unconnected life.’ ~Aidan Ryan

Everyone seems to have their quota of the ‚ÄúR‚Äù word but it’s so hard to avoid it, even in the middle of summer. There have been many implications of the economic downturn. One is a realisation that we are vulnerable. Compare this to the height of the good times when we thought we were invincible. This vulnerability is being felt across every divide and every age group. Our immediate response is that we are now so conscious of the importance of roots, family roots, community roots, local roots, affirming and supportive roots. For those who believe in God there is a sense of spiritual roots. It’s hard to put it into words but these particular roots are the ones that connect us to a source of life, goodness, energy and a sense of purpose. All negative news drains us physically and mentally. It is so important that we replace this with the best root system that works for us.