Photo was taken at Ennismore Retreat House, Montenotte, Cork (Irl)

Despite a very hard frost last Friday night, this Fushia flower seemed to have survived it all the following day.

Thought on Tuesday – November – 26/11/2013

‘The only thing in life that endures is ‘relationship’. We are born into relationship. We are made for relationship. Ultimately relationships are all that matter. Wisdom is learning this truth sooner rather than later.’ ~Vincent Travers


Relationship is defined in the dictionary as the way in which two or more people or things are connected. Relationships are something we are all familiar with. Through relationship we are connected, grounded, loved, protected, nurtured, helped, encouraged and helped along in life. There are all kinds of relationships and many of them good and healthy. There are also unhealthy relationships especially if what we receive is negative and dark. There are times when we are pulled and dragged in a relationship, sometimes unsure of what step to take next and even sometimes we grind to a halt.

But without significant people in our lives we are always in a difficult place and it is very hard to survive. If we are surrounded by good and healthy relationships then we are in a good place and should never take such people for granted. Relationships begin to shake and crack if we begin to take each other and life for granted. If every day is meant to be a gift, then surely the person that matters most to us is also gift. Spiritual writers talk about satisfying the yearnings of the human heart and each one describes how God can be the one to fill this gap. Next week we begin our journey through Advent and it is always a lovely time to nurture relationship especially the ones that matter most to us.