The excitement of welcoming the first woman to the post of poet laureate is similar to the emotion with which a supporter of an under-rated football team greets a goal. Then, of course, for both genders, there's the moral satisfaction, and political buzz, in seeing the
Rogation Sunday
Posted on by James Woodward
Today is Rogation Sunday.
Here is a bit of background!
Rogation days are, in the calendar of the Western Church, four days traditionally set apart for solemn processions to invoke God's mercy. They are April 25, the Major Rogation, coinciding with St. Mark's Day; and the
Caroline Chisholm
Posted on by James Woodward
Today in the Calendar of Saints in the Church of England we commemorate -
Caroline Chisholm (30 May 1808 - 25 March 1877) was a progressive 19th-century English humanitarian known mostly for her involvement with female immigrant welfare in Australia.
Born on the outs
Matthais
Posted on by James Woodward
Today we commenorate Saint Matthias
Saint Matthias (1st centuryAD- 80), according to the New Testament Acts of the Apostles, was the Apostle chosen by the remaining eleven apostles to replace Judas Iscariot following Judas's betrayal of Jesus and his suicide (Acts 1:18-26)
Meditate?
Posted on by James Woodward
mindful
To meditate does not mean to fight with a problem.
To meditate means to observe.
Your smile proves it.
It proves that you are being gentle with yourself,
that the sun of awareness is shining in you,
that you have control of your situation.
You are yourself,
Saint Georges Chapel Windsor
Posted on by James Woodward
In 1348, King Edward III founded two new religious colleges: St Stephen's at Westminster and St George's at Windsor. The new college at Windsor was attached to the Chapel of St Edward the Confessor which had been constructed by Henry III in the early thirteenth century. The
Attachment?
Posted on by James Woodward
brilliant light
happy are those who are free from attachment,
feeders on rapture shall they be,
like the gods of brilliant light.
the Buddha
Julian of Norwich
Posted on by James Woodward
Little is known about Julian of Norwich, a close contemporary of Chaucer’s –not even her name (“Julian” was the name of the church at which she was an
anchoress). Unlike Kempe, Julian wrote her text, Revelations of Divine Love,
exclusively about her vision and reli
Its all in the Mind?
Posted on by James Woodward
the mind
the mind is restless, unsteady
hard to guard, hard to control.
The wise one makes it straight
as a fletcher straightens an arrow.
How good it is to rein the mind
which is unruly, capricious, rushing wherever it pleases.
The mind, so harnessed, will bring one
In Praise of…
Posted on by James Woodward
An extraordinarily rich and wonderful poet
UA Fanthorpe
Photo: UPPA
She did not see herself as a serious contender. In fact, she made her preference clear in a poem, Petition of the Cats Concerning Mr Peter Porter. Still, she was happy that the post went to Andrew Moti
Hope
Posted on by James Woodward
Hope is a belief in a positive outcome related to events and circumstances in one's life.
Hope is the feeling that what is wanted can be had or that events will turn out for the best.
To hope is to wish for something with the expectation of the wish being fulfilled, a key
The gift of Laughter
Posted on by James Woodward
It may be that we have not in our spirituality, learned to exercise that great solvent of rigidities, God's gift of laughter!
Alan Ecclestone
What is laughter? What is laughter?
It is God waking up! O it is God waking up!
It is the sun poking its sweet head out
From b
Always Changing
Posted on by James Woodward
tree
not even for a moment
do things stand still: look at
colour, in the trees
Seiju, his death poem (d. 1776, age 75)
Transitions
Posted on by James Woodward
What we call the beginning is often the end
And to make an end is to make a beginning
The end is where we start from
T S Eliot Little Gidding
Now there is a story behind each of these words and the process that I have been deeply engaged with in recent weeks.....what
Ashdown and his Diaries
Posted on by James Woodward
The Ashdown Diaries
Volume One 1988-1997
(Allen Lane 2000 £20 642pages)
I have been meaning to read this for some time and finally discovered a copy at the bargain price of £4 in a second hand bookshop in Oswestry covered market. Waiting can yield great results for the
Invisible Work
Posted on by James Woodward
tunnel ceaselessly
I think all the time about invisible work.
About the young mother on Welfare
I interviewed years ago,
who said, "It's hard.
You bring him to the park,
run rings around yourself keeping him safe,
and there's no one
to say what a good job you're doing,
how
Silence
Posted on by James Woodward
POWER OF SILENCE
In silence the flower buds gently bloom,
In silence they waft their sweet perfume.
In silence grows the blades of grass,
In silence I pen down my verse.
Speech is silver, silence gold,
Good deeds silently performed,
Is more eloquent than words!
In silence
St Mark
Posted on by James Woodward
Saint Mark the Evangelist, is the traditional name of the author of the Gospel of Mark. The tradition identifies him with the John Mark mentioned as a companion of Paul in Acts, who later is said to have become a disciple of Simon Peter. John Mark accompanied Paul of Tarsus
A New Beginning
Posted on by James Woodward
Yes is a world,
and in this world of yes lie
skilfully curl
In Praise of…
Posted on by James Woodward
Welshpool
Consider the delights of this mid Wales market town. Friendly, interesting, well stocked, steady, slow and satisfying are some of the adjectives that come to mind.
Here is a typical trip. Drive down the high street and park near the library where the car can be safe