I took this photo last evening at Carrigaline GAA Club, Carrigaline, Co.Cork (Irl)

Carrigaline celebrated a fine county win in the football yesterday afternoon. Retired Bishop John Buckley was part of the celebrations too and shared in joy at the club later in the evening

My latest video is below

(All the normal bits and pieces here return as normal tomorrow)

Significance of Today

This month of October is Mental Health Month. Taking care of our inner selves is just as important as our physical health. In any given year, more than one in five of us will experience some type of mental health problem. So we all have a part to play in minding our mental health.

Quote For Today

Some mental health quotes:

  1. “Your mental health is just as important as your physical health.”
  2. “It’s okay not to be okay.”
  3. “You are not your mental illness.”
  4. “Your struggles do not define you.”
  5. “Taking care of your mental health is an act of self-love.”
  6. “You are worthy of happiness and peace of mind.”
  7. “There is no shame in seeking help for your mental health.”
  8. “It’s okay to take a break and prioritize your mental health.”
  9. “You are not alone in your struggles.”
  10. “It’s okay to ask for support when you need it.”

Did You Know

Did you know that most people living with mental illness lead productive lives despite their challenges.

My Latest Video 🎥

This is my latest video and it is called ‘The Floods One Year Ago – Then and Now’ with a little spiritual thought towards the end of the video.

A new video is posted here every Wednesday morning

The video below I had up last week and it is called – ‘Crows In Song – We Are United Together’. If you would like to see a selection of my other videos on Youtube you can click this link here. https://www.youtube.com/@JamesMcSweeneyFr/videos

 

Thought For The Week

We look forward to Halloween this coming week. So why do we have Halloween and why is it so popular? Halloween has its origins in the pre-Christian festival of Samhain which was always celebrated on November 1st. It was a sacred day where the spirits of those who had died were allowed and given permission to pass safely on to the next world. Bonfires were lit and gifts of food and drink were provided so that any wandering spirits did not wander or go hungry.

Samhain was mainly a pagan festival and it marked the Celtic New Year, the end of summer and the end of the harvest season. For farmers this time of year was a time to celebrate, to bring the cattle indoors, dig the last of the potatoes and make sure all the oats were in dry storage before Halloween.

Christianity then put its stamp on all of these activities by bringing in the feast day of All Saints on November 1st and All Souls on November 2nd. Halloween puts us very much in touch with the mystery of life and that there is often a struggle between light and darkness, between good and evil and between life and death. It puts us in touch with the passage of time and the cycles of nature which we so often take for granted.

Halloween reminds us that we sometimes need to respect mystery and the unknown. We won’t always have the answers to everything we would like to know. The start of November allows us to remember with love all our loved ones who have gone on before us. It is a sacred time, it can be a sad time but it can also be a hope filled time too.

Thought For The Week is updated each Monday