I took this photo yesterday morning at 8.30am near Rylane, Co.Cork. As we head towards the Winter Solstice next week, any sunrise is always so beautiful at this time of year. This particular sunset had beautiful rays of light going in all directions.
I have shared a new video below and it is called a – A ‘wheelie’ different Advent wreath – It’s starting point is two bicycle tyres!!
On This Day
On December 14th 1287 in Northwest Netherlands the Zuiderzee seawall collapses with loss of over 50,000 lives. It was the fifth largest recorded flood in history
On December 14th 2021 the American Covid-19 death toll passes 800,000, with more deaths recorded in 2021 than 2020
On December 14th 2022 HSBC, Europe’s largest bank, says it will stop financing new oil and gas fields, in attempt to lower global greenhouse gas emissions
Birthdays Today
Stephen Donnelly (Irish Health Minister) is 48
Beth Orton (Singer) is 53
Mike Scott (Singer/Songwriter with the Waterboys) is 65
Michael Owen (Former Football Player) is 44
Saint For Today
Today December 14th is the feastday 0f Saint John of the Cross who was a 16th century Spanish theologian and mystic. Together with Saint Teresa, he reformed the Carmelite Order.
Significance Of Today
December continues to be Human Rights Month. Throughout history there has been so much blatant violation of the rights of people. Whether that was based on the colour of one’s skin, their nationality, religion, or merely being unfortunate enough to be living under the regime of another country, people have regularly been treated really badly. Universal Human Rights Month is here to remind us of that day in 1948 when the United Nations General Assembly codified the basic human rights of every individual on the planet.
Interesting Quote For Today
“There is no Wi-Fi in the forest, but I promise you will find a better connection.” ~Ralph Smart
Did You Know
Did you know that human teeth are the only part of the body that can’t heal themselves. Teeth are not made of live tissue and are coated in enamel and so cannot heal or regenerate.
Video for the Week🎥
The video for this coming week is called ‘A wheelie different Advent wreath’
Here is my Thought for the Week:
‘God is a circle whose centre is everywhere.’ ~Timaeus of Locris
The circle is a universal and sacred symbol with many meanings. It represents eternity, timelessness, totality, wholeness and God. It is a symbol of unity. It is also the symbol of infinity. It does not have a beginning or end nor does it have sides or a corner. No other shape is as unique or as complete as a circle.
In ancient culture the yin and yang symbol is represented as a circle divided into two equal parts by a curved line. One side represents the yang (masculine) and the other is the yin (feminine). Both are beautifully balanced and represent harmony and balance. When there is too much of one, the circle becomes out of balance. The invitation is to constantly find the balance and harmony in life as best we can.
For thousands of years the circle represents God. God is the circle whose centre is everywhere and whose circumference in nowhere. This ties in with our expanding universe. We know our planets circle around the sun and we know that the moon circles around our planet earth every month. We are surrounded by the beauty of circles.
The idea of God as a circle is inclusive, meaningful and accurate. God like a circle is at the centre of everything, not just the good stuff, but also the difficult and challenging moments in our lives too. When life gets difficult it is our belief that we are circled in light and love.
As we approach Christmas, it is all about celebrating a God who is at the centre of everything and the centre of our lives. If our lives feel out of balance as they sometimes do, we are invited to let the circle of God’s light and love bring some beautiful balance back in. Christmas is such a lovely time to begin to let this balance return.
