If we are unsuccessful in the denial of our pain, we can have the illusion that it is under control. But that is not healing: that is merely temporary containment
If we cannot live at peace amidst the problems of our daily surroundings, we’re not likely to make peace with the more significant wounds and traumas of our life.
Our forgiveness may not always be accepted, but once we have reached out our hand we rid ourselves of resentment
One drop of surprise can lead to rivers of gratefulness
Even if our life lacks the surprise of the extraordinary, the ordinary can always be surprising
In giving gifts, we often give what we can spare, but in giving thanks, we give ourselves
When we are grateful, our lives will begin to change instantly and we will see clearly
The way to heal a greedy, envious or demanding heart is to replace it with a grateful heart
There is plenty for all of us – for you and for me – if only we have the eyes to see and the ears to hear and the heart to feel the gifts within us and around us
When compassion becomes the foundation of our attitude to others, we see them with a fresh gaze and an open heart.
The surprise of the unexpected will wear off, but the surprise of freshness never wears off.
The less we assume, the more we are surprised and delighted with what we discover in the world.
The greater our awareness of each moment, the more we can let go of the stories that control our life
It is precisely at the point of acceptance of our fragility and our brokenness that true development and growth can take place
This is the struggle of a lifetime, accepting the me within whom lies great beauty and great possibilities
The journey of self knowledge and self acceptance is to finding and accepting the great mystery that we are
No matter how close we get to one another, we are always separate: you can never know what it is like to be me and I can never know what it is like to be you.
The loss of a loved one is a gap in the heart forever. Nothing replaces it, because a door in our life closes that can never be opened by anyone else
The heart stands for the centre of our being, where we are at one with ourselves, one with others, and one with that pure spirit of love that some of us call God.
Evening, a time to reflect on what we need, can let go, gather together before moving on.
The greatest gift we can bring to another is to open up to them their hidden reservoir of love
Today we can give away something we treasure which would enrich the life of somebody else and liberate ours
To unclutter our lives is to open our hearts to create an emptiness where fullness becomes possible.
We live a simple life when we do not pretend to be something we are not.
While it is essential that we become more loving persons, it is equally important that we accept ourselves as we really are
Negativity is a great clutterer. It keeps us from receiving the joys of the moment, the joys of the day
Simplicity clears our vision and allows us to see what we really need and what really is enough
Hope doesn’t need words or proofs or conditions. Hope accepts mystery and offers the gift of solid trust in the unknown
Moving from a place of stillness , we are more capable of having a right understanding, making right judgements and taking right actions
All we need is to be, to be present, to believe, to love, to trust, because God is breathing on us and through us
When we let go of our time, all time is ours because we are in the present moment, in the now that transcends time.
Anytime is a time to reflect, accept what has been, live the moment
The virtue of attentiveness allows us to enjoy the journey and the destination
It is a strange paradox that the more we forget ourselves, the more we find ourselves
It is only if we choose to be attentive, we open our hearts to the wonder of things
The more deeply we listen, the more we tune ourselves into the cry of our heart
Solitude is not running away. Rather, solitude helps us to create communion, by taking others into our hearts, into our solitude
The earths whispers are everywhere, but only those who have slept and dreamt with it can respond to its call
Some visions unfold in our sleep, some in visionary waking moments. Seizing these moments we dream new dreams
Now is the time for us to reach out and see beauty in life’s becoming
The reaper in us lives and works out of love with no assurance of success
Deep within each of us there is a knowing place. When we spend time there, we tend to the gifts that we have been given, we discover how fruitful our life has been and how much we can share with the world
Being honest about our struggles, our fears and our hopes is the best gift we can pass on to others
Old age, the harvest time of life, a time to gather experiences, to celebrate them, and to share them
It is by facing our wounds that we discover what it is that gives our lives meaning
Prophets are people with their feet on the ground, but with their minds and hearts filled with fiery dreams
Life unfolds everywhere at its own pace
The acknowledgement of impermanence is the key to life itself
Self-esteem, once truly acquired can never be lost
When we become more individualistic, we become more isolated
Everything has its time, and that is always now
Hope encourages us to follow our dreams, to believe in that part of us that envisions a new way
Without happiness we cannot be a refuge for others
All the elements for your happiness are already here, just be
Night prayer drawing us into the mystery of night. We gather our day offering it back to God in gratitude.
Knowing a person’s story softens our judgement, makes us more tolerant, and leads to peace.
Living in the now challenges our tendency to wait or delay until success is assured before beginning
Resentment is a barrier to our growth. Forgiveness is the beginning of our freedom
Accepting people we meet as they are is a practice that keeps our heart open
Life is created when you trust in the promise of unseen things, just as buds hold life in the depth of winter
Kindness and compassion are a source of lasting happiness and joy, the foundation of a loving heart
Attention is the medium through which kindness flows
If your view is tired and stale, if everything you see appears empty, maybe it’s because you yourself are empty
Happiness comes from loving yourself as you are
It is impossible to know who you are unless you know where you belong
When you really live in hope, you do not deny darkness or negativity or pain, but neither do you give in or resign yourself to it.
What we see or presume to see, day after day, constitutes who we are and colours our whole life
Peace comes from the heart that knows that all life is sacred and all human beings are equal
No matter how painful life may be, we have internal resources to heal and grow into happiness
Patience is the skill of understanding and respecting our own rhythms and those of others
Through listening, you can learn how to rise above adversity. and learn to truly value other people who are very different from you
Forgive yourself, forgive others, and you will live your life as a free human being
An easy ride can’t teach you how to handle a dangerous bumpy road
A rainbow, a pure gift comes quite unexpectedly, apparently from nowhere – an invitation to stop and stare
Life is a gift that comes wrapped in what you experience
Busyness can keep you from receiving the joy of the moment, the joy of the day.
If we surrender to difficult situations, we develop new ways of living. We learn to hold what happens. We learn to deal with it. We learn to learn from it.
Each moment is the place you arrive at from your most recent past and from which you step into the future.
Carrying bags of anger and resentment takes alot of energy. Forgive, and you will immediately feel lighter
Hope is promise. Hope is possibility. Hope is about what is not yet. Hope is about what you do not see, but your trust is there.
Rid yourself of anxiety and anger. Learn to walk with joy. Enjoy yourself and your own company
Seeing with the mind we see possibilities and potential, seeing with the heart we have insights into life's deepest meanings
If we try not to look ahead to tomorrow, but instead live today well, tomorrow will be happier
Moments when we bless and feel blessed are moments when we are most alone, yet most alive to everyone and everything
Always wanting to be right closes the mind and heart. With an open mind and an open heart, we may not always be right, but we won’t be wrong.
The present moment is all you are sure of. Living in the moment is living fully.
If you recognise and do well what is needed today, the future will find you doing what is needed at that time
Do not be concerned about things you cannot change. Concern yourself, rather, with what you can
Nourish your body with healthy food and exercise. Nourish your mind with good literature, art and company. Nourish your spirit with silence, stillness and prayer.
Take the time to stop, look, observe. Beauty surrounds you.
Our inner beauty flows through our eyes, our smiles, our expressions, our gestures, our perceptions, our joy, our care and compassion
Through our compassion, we too can change the world
Instead of wanting more, give thanks for the blessings you already have
The difficulties, tensions, pressures of the commuter’s morning dissipate at a glimpse of the morning sky
Accepting our limitations, we experience a new freedom and a new serenity
Remember until you love your self in small ways, you cannot change yourself in bigger ways.
Moments of stillness and peace are always available. They are offered to everyone. It is only a matter of being aware
We live in a changing world – if we don’t change we die
When we see with the heart, we discover that there is no part of life that doesn’t contain a surprise
God is always at work in us even this very moment, what fluctuates is our openness and receptivity
True living means alive to God, alive to ourselves and alive to others
In night prayer we connect the end of the day with the end of life
Evening, when we have forgotten how to pray, it is enough to give ourselves over, in trust, to the night
Through you I rise and you through me into this new day we are making together
The soul of the world is the pulse of the unfathomable, the heartbeat of all creation, mysterious, sacred beyond words
God is in the mountain. The mountain is in God. I am in the mountain, and mountain is in me
Knowing light shines in the dark, we come to know darkness itself as light
By faith we die forward into fullness of life and that is resurrection
Taking water out of a river, it’s just a bucket of water, not the flowing river
When we rise wholeheartedly to the challenges of the day, we will be let go when it is time to leave it all behind
The word that we are is always in the process of being spoken, completed only in death
The moment we die to ourselves is the moment we are fully alive
Detachment leads us out, beyond ourselves, connecting us into the universe
As we move towards death, we grow into it, day by day
Detachment: accepting life, accepting ourselves as we are, our giftedness and our limitations
Letting go, we open ourselves to what is given
Each moment, I am one with the force of life
Reflecting on the brokenness and fragility of our day, we greet the silence of the night
We need to learn to let go of ourselves and in letting go we find God in our hearts core
Spirituality integrates and transforms the material world
Connecting with the spirit we open ourselves to the force that drives the universe
Divine grace is like a lantern on a dark path shining only to illuminate the next step.
A flame burning, snowflake falling, bud opening, wheel spinning – the dynamic of stillness
Journeying in faith we are who we are in God – no more, no less
The divine is the depth dimension in human experience
Soul is the unifying force at the centre of our being, never changing in a constantly changing world
Creation, beginning of time, before time, in time, all time.
A soul touched by the Spirit is like a tree touched by the sun
Just as we see the sun in its rays, the fountain in its waters, so we can see the streams of divine power in the daily graces flowing into our lives
Surprise cannot be planned or controlled but it is always there when we are open to it
Gratitude is an attitude making us more alive to what we have
We are blessed when we are open to the gifts of the day
Teach me to wait silently, untroubled and without fear but full of gratitude
In giving we are replenished
It is not enough to feel grateful – we must think gratefully, imagine gratefully, act gratefully
Just for ten seconds in silence remember those who loved the good that grows within us, those who wanted what was best for us, those who encouraged us to become who we are
Praise is our response to glory. The more open we are, the more glory shines out
Thank you for the ordinary gifts of every day, evoking in me wonder and surprise
We think we have no time, that we are running out of time, that time is out of our control. But time is eternal, and we have all the time we need, always, because all time is ours, now
When we turn the point between time and now into creative tension, we live life to the fullest
Living in the now is an invitation to awaken our souls, to stop, to listen, to choose a different way
Dying daily, we move naturally into eternal life
Bells – a timeless call to enter the now, to stop, to listen, to hear the message of this moment and give thanks
Only here in this moment, is the mystery of now
Time does not run out. It rises as water in a well, to fullness
With every gift comes opportunities: Enjoying them to the full, we rejoice in the gift of being alive
The harvest of our lives is already within
When we face challenges we find meaning
Unlike other creatures, we struggle to become who we are, as we experience ourselves unfinished
The world is ever being created, each of us in the making as each moment we are transformed in love
Work dignifies our every day, enabling what is unlived in us to flower
Divine joy is in us, given to us out of love, being born in us anew each day
It is in responding with a full heart – we experience joy
Life fuelling the universe, always flowing into us, blessing us, flowing through us, blessing others
In accepting the inevitability of death we discover a new way of living
The earth speaks in magic – rainbows and waterfalls - speak to the heart
The treasures of the earth are free and full of surprises
Darkness before dawn pregnant with light
The last darkness of night dissipates, the sun bursts over the horizon – every day a new miracle – rarely experienced, yet always there
Growth happens in the fertile darkness where the rain falls and the seed opens no matter how many trample overhead
Growth happens in the fertile darkness where the rain falls and the seed opens no matter how many trample overhead
Morning, birth of colour, leaf and flower newly risen, out of the night, out of the earth, leaving the darkness without regret
Morning, birth of colour, leaf and flower newly risen, out of the night, out of the earth, leaving the darkness without regret
Moving out of darkness into light, a moment neither dark nor light, a time to delight
In stillness a flower blooms, in stillness it fades away
Living in the moment ensures we experience life
Listening to the small voice within we discover the person we are called to be, in our being, in our delightful uniqueness
Many of us become what others tell us we are
When we accept our own foolishness we find true happiness
We enjoy others when we enjoy ourselves, when we enjoy ourselves we are wise
We are strong when we embrace our weaknesses, we are teachers when we can be taught
Truth comes in pairs of opposites
Creation, always becoming, always being shaped, never complete
As long as other people are on their own side of the wall we are safe and secure in our blindness
Accepting the mystery of our being, not proving it, being it, we become the self we were born to be
A life taken for granted never knows joy
At the core of our being we are all one, as we touch and are touched by each other
Joy is ours when we do what we really want to do in freedom and integrity of heart
Aware or unaware we create our own solutions, our own reality by choice or by chance
Joy cannot be organised, cannot be planned, we need only desire it, seek it and it finds us
When we are challenged to stay on the road, not to turn back, to trust our inner wisdom, we touch that sacred space within
Time in the evening connecting with ourselves and the splendour of the universe, we are transformed
With gratitude we make peace with our world and everything in our life
The way of truth tests our heart, examines our motivation, challenges our commitment, and always bears fruit
As a musician, athlete, dancer benefit through the discipline of routine so we too with a daily spiritual routine will unfold and blossom with vitality, joy and sensitivity
Giving thanks, we become less concerned with what is missing, more focused on sharing what we have
Being mindful, giving thanks for what is given we bring to mind what otherwise might go unnoticed
Accepting without understanding, honouring differences, finding unity in diversity, we move into truth
Learning to accept and live with polarities, tensions, paradoxes and contradictions is the secret to wholeness
Night-time – examining the day, being grateful, forgiving, confronting our fears, looking back, we lean forward
Patient waiting in silence teaches us to believe in ourselves and transform problems into possibilities
In living with questions, we learn to wait for answers
In letting go we learn to live with ambiguity
In practicing awareness we learn to take possession of ourselves
In detachment from things we are free from small-mindedness
The silence of the night invites us to detach ourselves from the possession of the day entrusting it entrusting and ourselves to the freedom of our God
Our spiritual journey – the greatest human adventure
The purpose of this day is to discover and accept who we are and what we are called to be
Learning to trust ourselves, following our deepest desires, exploring the recesses of our heart we become whole
Our purpose this day is not finding security and certainty, it is discovering the very best that is within us
A day lived in unity with nature is a day flowing in the eternal interconnectedness of creation
Being alive is sufficient proof that we are essential to all creation, to all time
No one lives by chance, everyone, everything has a purpose, a part to play in the grand design that is creation
The wise composer allows music to crescendo, reach a climax and then – pause, rest, silence, nothing. In the silence, we hear the music.
Silence embraced, truth and beauty become visible
Pondering in our hearts creation’s story, surrendering to the rhythms of the day and the night we savour the now
Realising our potential our gifts shine out as blessings
There is never a moment that isn’t an opportunity to make space for the new by letting go of the old
Aspiring to good, we inspire others to goodness
Each dawn a gift, moving out of darkness into light
Mortality reminding us to do what we do well, happily, joyfully, freely, living in the now
Before turning on the computer, opening the door, getting into the car, answering the phone, let us stop, pause and breathe, mindfully
Opening to our inner self frees us to trust each new moment in time
Setting aside our day we enter serenity
Receptivity – a condition of the night, a reminder of the often unrecognised virtue of lives lived in dependency, of lives lived in the service of others
Before we sleep, gathering up all the days contradictions, knitting together what is broken – a healing experience
When the challenges of the day overwhelm us, it reminds us to stop, calls us to reflect, to catch our breath, to make space, to find joy, to take rest, find strength in the moment
Each morning blesses us with time and space to be attentive to all that is new this day
Prayer is an opening of the heart that takes us beyond our limited rational mind, beyond the ego, the separate self, into the transcendent mystery
Preserving the silence within amid all the noise and clatter of life, we grow into our true selves
Forgiveness is a taste of divine grace – pure gift
When we are too busy to be still, our ears and eyes are open only to projects and plans, missing the wonder of the moment
Silently listening to our breathing, we are intimately at one with the life breath of the universe
We are one, you and I, bound together in a covenant of peace, ringed around in a circle of love
You are always in and around me, always sheltering me, but it is only in awareness that I experience you
Stillness accepts noise, moves beneath it, to an inner silence
Prayer is never a private matter. It is always inclusive, it is opening our hearts to the universe
Peace is found not only in the desert or in some remote and silent monastery but in tumult of the market place and the pulse of the human heart
This is how we learn to be still: by sitting quietly, facing fear with trust, listening to our own depth, allowing the dawn to rise out of the night
Prayer is not working or straining the mind; it is a simple matter of opening the heart
When I stop I find you, when I look I see you, when I listen I hear you
Prayer changes us and in changing us it changes the world
Sitting still, trying not to try, wanting not to want, not setting our heart on anything, we discover inner peace
Prayer is attuning ourselves to the flow of life
Joy is an experience of losing ourselves, of being emptied of self
Little deaths accepted bring new life and inner peace
In meditation we let go of everything - the outer world of the senses, the inner world of thought - and listen to the still voice within
Living is letting go: The mother lets go of her child so that the child can enter fully into life
Learning to be present to the present - serenity
Death is the way into the divine presence, the resolution of a lifetime of wonder and waiting
Life is a river if we learn to let go , not clinging to the banks, going with the flow, it carries us, it bears us up in trust
To let go, to be able to stand and leave everything behind without looking back, is to say yes to inner freedom
Night completes the circle of the hours as death completes the circle of life
When we accept our weakness everything changes. The mirage of control disappears and our weakness becomes our strength
When we live a detached life, pretending to be something we are not, we can live at ease with ourselves
Indecision, holding back, standing on the edge of fear, breeds insecurity
If we learn to let go during life we will be able to die easily
The less we have, the easier it is to appreciate
Entering into the night we return into the silence that is the dark soil in which we are rooted
Absorbed in ourselves, unaware of what life is offering, we are enable to receive the joys of the moment, the gifts of the day
We can overcome our fear only by letting go of it
Ours in the choice: to live in trust or to live in fear
In letting go of life, we discover new life
We can only take with us when we die what we let go when we are alive
Letting go of the compulsion to be successful, to be right, to be in control, to be powerful, is the only way to freedom
To be full, we must be empty
In stillness I notice people around me, who they are, who I am, where we are going, how we journey together
When we hear the stillness in the heart of the world, all creation becomes our companion
When we journey with awareness, each event is unique, each step is the first step
Without love justice is realism, hope is self-centredness, forgiveness is self-abasement, generosity is extravagance
Tomorrow is the enemy of today, for we cannot be tomorrow what we can be today
As we connect, reconnect and interconnect our lives are woven into unity
This is one of the basic law of life: live only what we give, who we are
Music arises out of silence into which it inevitably flows
Whenever anyone responds with love or kindness, wherever anyone seeks truth, peace or justice, there God is
It takes courage to follow the deepest desires of our heart, to say no to other peoples plans for us, to leave other voices behind and to say yes to the quiet still voice calling from within
Living by measurement, achievement, attainment, ambition, goals, expectations, we forget when enough is enough
The spiritual life is a life of love, a life of giving and receiving. It is never a solo act
We are infinitely more than we imagine, infinitely greater than out mind
Awake, aware, beyond thought, pure presence - stillness
The soul is that place in us where love and light, joy and peace, truth and beauty abide
Only in stillness do we hear truth. Only through stillness do we understand truth. Only out of stillness do we speak truth
Beauty is found in solitude, in nature and in the unfolding of the human heart
Absorbed in lighting a candle, watching the flame flickering, we enter into the stillness of the small circle of light
Dignity is never diminished by indifference or ill will
At birth, we are given an angel, a gift of courage. All we need to know is that it is there
Every moment is given, every moment a gift
Gratefulness is being surprised by the ordinary
The child in us never dies
A grateful heart is a heart filled with joy
When we allow surprise to flow in our lives, we take nothing for granted.
At the core of our being is emptiness and fullness , nothingness and everything, there dwells the divine
Gratitude always gives more
Giving and receiving are one in gratitude: we cannot give thanks for what we have not taken to heart
Believing what is not seen, seeing what is not visible, knowing the limits of our life we give thanks
When we open our eyes with gratitude the world is filled with light
Time, through which life passes is a divine freedom empowering us now
Eternity is in our heart, calling us home
When we let time go, time is ours
When we listen to the silence of the moment we hear the deep desires and longings of our heart
We are reborn each day, into a new time with a new opportunity to respond to yesterdays difficulties
When we live in the moment we live in and out of time
Eternity is the overcoming of time by the now that does not pass away
We enter into the now in our most alive moments when time stands still
We do not own time, gain or save it. All we can do is live it.
We cannot reach the now if we think of it in a chronological way
Mindfulness is an inner structure, sensitized to the now
Setting aside our day we enter serenity
To live from the heart is to love fully
Truth comes in pairs of opposites
When we let time go, time is ours
Our destiny is here, it is now
In giving we are replenished
To be full we must be empty
Gratitude always gives more
The child in us never dies
There is another way to live in this noisy, distracted world and it is not as out of reach as it may seem
Neighbourliness: a sacred gift in a torn world
We all long to feel real, yet we fear it. We run away even as we are irresistibly drawn to it
A life of love is a choice we make
Life is about giving and receiving, moment by moment
Our humanity calls us in our poverty to make the world a better place
Courage, a gift of the heart: It opens us to experience, stirs us to compassion, and frees our creativity
Living with integrity, we bring body, mind and spirit into everything
Living life is not automatic: we must choose to live it
The beginning and end of our journey is finding our true self
Life is simple and serene when it is lived from the heart with integrity
Our unlived lives, our undreamt dreams, our greatest loss is the life we allow die while we live
When I know that enough is enough I will have enough always
In learning not to fear uncertainty, we discover inner strength
Every step on our journey is a return to the beginning
Our search is ongoing, our journey unfinished
The more we discover the more we have to learn
Memories are our greatest treasure, always present in any space, in every place
Joy comes in little whispers in sudden unexpected glimpses
Maturity combines the fresh enthusiasm of youth with the wisdom of age
When we acknowledge another with full and unconditional attention we meet ourselves
Life is a series of experiences through which we can come to know our true selves
Surrendering completely to sound we discover sacred stillness
The material world is our way to contact divine life, every tiny little bit of it, a glimpse into the soul of eternity
A flower opening to morning light, closing as the light fades: a daily miracle
Nature: we are part of it, living it, breathing it. It is part of us, encompassing us, holding us in its heart
The bounty of the universe begins with the gift of life.
The journey of the river is like the journey of the soul feeding itself from its own source
Standing on the shore part of the rhythm of the tide. Each wave a giving and a taking, impermanence dissolving into permanence
Creation speaks to our hearts when we listen
Snow - a painted landscape calling me to stillness
Each dawn a genesis, a new beginning, a resurrection, a promise
Moments of stillness, moments of silence, connect us with the whole of life