I took this photo yesterday afternoon at 5pm in Curabinny Woods, near Carrigaline, Co.Cork. I really like the colours and life in the photo. Curabinny woods has got some beautiful pathways winding their way through the wood. With the trees bursting with energy during this month of May, it is indeed a beautiful sight. The vibrant colour of the new green leaves and the bluebells underneath all add to such a beautiful setting.
(All the normal bits and pieces will be here as normal tomorrow)
Thought For The Week
‘It doesn’t matter how you pray – with your head bowed in silence, or crying out in grief, or dancing. Churches are good for prayer, but so are garages and cars and mountains and showers and dance floors. Years ago I wrote an essay that began: Some people think that God is in the details, but I have come to believe that God is in the bathroom.’ ~Anne Lamott
There is a growing awareness today how beneficial prayer can be in our spiritual lives. We sometimes think that prayer is long, complex and boring. We certainly feel it’s beyond our reach. But in many ways it is within our reach and especially when we apply prayer to those everyday events that happen in our daily lives. We can find God present in what we do right now, be it out for a walk, reading a book, working in the garden, getting in some exercise or watching the beauty of nature. The list can never be exhausted. God is indeed present everywhere. As we grow in our awareness of this, prayer actually becomes more natural and hopefully more meaningful.
Mindfulness is a word we hear a lot about today. It puts the focus on the present moment. It is becoming aware of what we are doing while we are doing it. It puts emphasis on appreciating the gift of the present moment. When we are mindful, finding God in the present moment becomes so much easier.
The spiritual writer Aileen O’Donoghue wrote the following and it gives us food for thought: In my spiritual life, I try to seek simplicity. When I recognise that I’ve lost simplicity in prayer, I turn to a meditation that many spiritual teachers recommend. In rhythm with my breathing, I start with, “Be still and know that I am God”. Then I drop words off at the end to “Be still and know that I am.” I slowly let go more to “Be still and know” and finally the words I whisper are “Be still”. One can then add the last words back on again until you arrive at where you started, “Be still and know that I am God”. One can do it once, twice or a few times. If you get stuck in prayer why not give it a try.
The Thought For The Week is updated each Monday
