As we head towards the winter solstice this coming Thursday, the photo today reminds me of the beauty of this time of year. Even with so few daylight hours we can still get stunning skylines. I took this photo in my back garden in Carrigaline, Co.Cork
(It is exactly one week to go before Christmas Day. The coming week is busy for everyone. There is a good busy and an exhausting busy. I hope your busy this coming week is good. I hope the coming week is a week of blessings for you. I hope you can enjoy beautiful connections with your family and friends. Whatever your plans are remember the beautiful message of Christmas, that God is with you, that God loves you and that you are precious and special.)
On This Day
On December 18th 1865 Slavery was abolished in the United States
Birthdays Today
Christina Aguilera, (Pop Singer) is 43
Saint For Today
Today December 18th is Saint Rufus
Significance Of Today
December 18th is World Migration Day. Migration has been a courageous expression of the individual’s will to overcome adversity and to live a better life. Today, globalization has greatly increased the number of people who have the desire and the capacity to move to other places. But migrants face difficulites and challenges and in particular employers taking advantage of migrants and paying them poor wages. It is important that migrants are treated fairly and with respect.
Interesting Quote For Today
“Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma, which is living with the results of other people’s thinking.” ~Steve Jobs
Did You Know
Did you know that the earliest human migrations are estimated to have taken place around 1.8 million years ago. This was when Homo Erectus began to migrate out of Africa and into Eurasia.
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.
