… dig your toes into the earth and know that you are evolving here and now, even among the untidy mess of the unknown. It’s all becoming mulch for the green growing heart of you, coming home to yourself. Jenneth Graser, Unlocking the Secret Garden (Day 28, 85) On the death of Queen Elizabeth IIContinue reading “Sunday 3: for presence”
Tag Archives: chronic illness
day 14: for acceptance
I still believe mainly in the opportunities afforded by acceptance. Robert Adams If you have ever been frustrated, trying to photograph the beauty of the moon or a sunrise, then you will know that a snapshot is a mere recreation of what the human eye sees. It can’t do justice to the beauty we behold.Continue reading “day 14: for acceptance”
day 13: for play
I asked God if it was okay to be melodramatic and she said yes I asked if it was okay to be short and she says it sure is I asked her if I could wear nail polish or not wear nail polish and she said honey she calls me that sometimes she said youContinue reading “day 13: for play”
day 7: for discomfort
She loves the wind. There on the edge of the known world, at ninety, In her tall house, any wildness in the elements Is as welcome as an old friend. When the surgically patched elms and sycamores Crack off their heavy limbs in the freak snow storm Of October, she rejoices; the massy hail ThatContinue reading “day 7: for discomfort”
day 4: for preparation
‘What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us.’ A.W. Tozer I reach for the empty suitcase, and wonder if today is the day when I will have enough energy to discern what needs to be put in it. And then I run out of days.Continue reading “day 4: for preparation”
day 3: for change
The ancient Christian monastic traditions, especially desert, Celtic, and Benedictine, offer great wisdom for the journey of unfolding. They understood that the soul’s ripening is never to be rushed and takes a lifetime of work. The gift of the contemplative path is a profound honoring of the grace of slowness. We can grow impatient whenContinue reading “day 3: for change”
day 2: for emptiness
It might seem that we have to generate the sense of openness, freshness, joy, revelry, or stillness we touch in such moments. From the Buddhist perspective, however, such a state of being is already there within us and has been so since the beginning. It’s tantalizing to think that perhaps expansiveness lies waiting to beContinue reading “day 2: for emptiness”
Sunday 1: make room for travelling
Oh, Great Spirit, whose voice I hear in the winds and whose breath gives life to all the world, hear me. I am small and weak. I need your strength and wisdom. Let me walk in beauty and make my eyes ever behold the red and purple sunset. Make my hands respect the things youContinue reading “Sunday 1: make room for travelling”
#adventapertures is back in 2024
After a break of a couple of years, I decided I wanted to write another series of daily photo reflections for Advent 2024. These #adventapertures (as I call them) bring a huge variety of source material together – from poetry, news journalism, cultural comment, scientific insight and music to biblical writings and liturgy. Each dayContinue reading “#adventapertures is back in 2024”
heart of stone
Once again it is my honour to contribute a reflection to the ‘monk in the world’ blog of the Abbey of the Arts. This piece was first published on May 15, 2024 (although it was written in May 2023). all words and images by Kate Kennington Steer I arrived at February 2023 in a post-viralContinue reading “heart of stone”
image into ikon 