Friendship journal – Journeying together through the year ahead

. Annual compendium of successful living and daily affirmations

December

December 31

NO-ONE really knows why Scots refer to the last day of the year as Hogmanay, although the whole world knows how well Scotland celebrate it. One of the theories, however, relates to the Auld Alliance with France and the time when New Year was a more prominent celebration than Christmas. But, even then, Christ was still there.

A French song sung at the time began with the words “Homme est né” (Hom-eh-nay) which translates as “The man is born.” The song has to do with Christmas and the visit of the three kings, but the name seems to have become attached to New Year’s Eve. Perhaps because that birth also represented a new beginning.

At the end of the old year, as at the beginning of the new, “Homme est né” or “Hogmanay” reminds us that Jesus is the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end.

December 30

WAR AND PEACE”. That was the epic novel by Tolstoy, wasn’t it? But I was thinking of a shorter work on the same themes by Benjamin Franklin which might have “epic” consequences.

He suggested, “Be at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbours, and let every New Year find you a better man.”

Regardless of the success or otherwise of our other resolutions, and regardless of how good we may have been, let us strive always to be simply better than we were.

December 29

AS President of the United States, Woodrow Wilson knew a thing or two about power, and he tried to share that knowledge with the graduating students at Swarthmore College.

“Do you covet honour?” he asked. “You never will get it by serving yourself. Do you covet distinction? You will only get it as the servant of mankind. Do not forget why you are here. You are here in order to enable the world to live more amply, with greater vision, with a finer spirit of hope and achievement. You are here to enrich the world – and you impoverish yourself if you forget the errand.”

An errand we should not forget.

December 28

SOMETIMES people reach a point in their lives where they stop learning; they decide (without really thinking about it) that they know all they need to know.

As an approach to life it has the benefit of simplicity, I suppose, but I can’t help thinking a lot gets missed out that way.

A life of learning and wonder and delight is possible. We don’t need to reach a certain point and stop. So, you might ask, how do we do that? Well, we could do worse than learn from a great philosopher who took his lesson, in turn, from the natural world.

The German writer and thinker Johann Wolfgang von Goethe once observed, “Nature is whole, and yet she is never finished.”

Nature is also much, much older than any of us, and yet she still has time for buttercups and rainbows. We should consider ourselves whole at whatever age we might be, but always have space in our hearts for a new season.

December 27

ALBERT EINSTEIN understood the structure of the universe. He also understood that nothing he could do would ever alter it.

But there was something he could play a part in changing.

“Maybe, by raising my voice,” he said, “I can help the greatest of all causes – goodwill among men and peace on earth.”

We don’t have to be Einstein to understand how worthwhile that would be. May we all play our part in the cause – even if only in our own homes – and may we all get to share in that peace and goodwill that comes about because of it.

December 26

THE 26th of December is known as Boxing Day, and is also celebrated as St Stephen’s Day.

Stephen, a man much loved by those to whom he preached, was seen as a dangerous enemy. He was brought to trial, and later condemned to be stoned to death. Saul of Tarsus watched without pity as Stephen met his fate.

Stephen’s death and faith, however, had one unexpected result; later Saul, a Roman citizen, was converted through a life-changing vision on the road to Damascus, and he later became St Paul the Apostle, the renowned missionary and theologian.

For centuries St Stephen has been celebrated as the first Christian martyr, a man who asked that those who stoned him should be forgiven.

December 25

ARTABAN, the Other Wise Man in the story by Henry van Dyke, set out for Bethlehem after the Magi.

Always running late, he missed the baby Jesus, but he spent the next thirty years using the treasures he brought for the baby to help others.

Eventually, feeling he had failed in his quest, he had a vision. Jesus himself assured Artaban that every time he helped someone he had actually been in the presence of his Lord.

That is something worth remembering as we give and receive our gifts this Christmas.

December 24

THE “Love” verses from Corinthians are amongst the most famous lines in the Bible. But allow me, please, to offer up this extract from Christmas Corinthians by someone whose name I do not know, but whose heart I feel I know well.

“If I decorate my house perfectly with plaid bows and strands of twinkling lights, but do not show love, I’m just another decorator.

If I work at the soup kitchen, carol in the nursing home and give all that I have to charity, but do not show love, it profits me nothing.

If I trim the spruce with shimmering angels and crocheted snowflakes, attend myriad holiday parties and sing in the choir’s cantata but do not focus on Christ, I have missed the point.

Love stops the cooking to hug the child. Love sets aside the decorating to kiss the husband. Love is kind, though tired.

Love doesn’t envy another’s home that has co-ordinated Christmas china and table linens. Love doesn’t yell at the kids to get out of the way, but is thankful they are there to be in the way.

Love doesn’t give only to those who are able to give in return but rejoices in giving to those who can’t.

Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails.

Video games will break, pearl necklaces will be lost, golf clubs will rust, but giving the gift of love will endure.”

As the poet Christina Rossetti pointed out, “Love came down at Christmas.”

December 23

THEY say the whole notion of a white Christmas came about because it snowed on the first eight Christmases of Charles Dickens’s life. So, when he wrote “A Christmas Carol”, naturally he set it in snow.

Such can be the humble beginnings of great traditions. And each of us has the opportunity to continue one or create one this Christmas. Let’s make it something beautiful; something, like a white Christmas, worth hoping for and getting excited about.

December 22

SOMEONE wondering how to get ahead in life will find countless books offering all kinds of advice. But a wise man opened his eyes one morning, looked around his bedroom, and found all the advice he needed. Here it is:

The fan said: “Be cool.”

The roof said: “Aim high.”

The window said: “See the world.”

The clock said: “Every minute is precious.”

The mirror said: “Reflect before you act.”

The calendar said: “Be up-to-date.”

The door said: “Push hard for your goals.”

And don’t forget the carpet, who said: “Kneel down and pray.”

December 21

I WONDER if you know the story of the village of Bethlehem in Carmarthenshire, in Wales. How did this Welsh Bethlehem, once named Dyffryn Ceidrich, come to have the same name as the birthplace of Jesus, a name which is derived from the Hebrew Bet Lehem, House of Bread?

In 1588 William Morgan, a Welsh Anglican bishop born in Caernarvon, translated the Bible into Welsh, and in doing so he translated the Aramaic name for Christ’s birthplace into Bethlehem. Dyffryn Ceidrich’s chapel took the name, then in time the village also became known as Bethlehem.

Today many visitors bring or send their Christmas cards to Bethlehem for the village’s sub-postmaster to send on their way. There must be something particularly appealing about receiving Christmas mail postmarked Bethlehem/Llandeilo.

December 20

IN a 1902 edition of “The Hospital” newspaper, it was announced that there would, once again, be a collection of clothing and “useful articles” for those who would be residing in hospital that Christmas.

On this particular year, however, they planned to do things a little differently.

They would first display the collection for a few days before parcelling it out to the patients.

The intention was to “give an object lesson on what can be done by kind hearts and capable hands.”

Nothing to do with showing off. It’s a definite encouragement for others to open their eyes to possibilities.

“Kind hearts” rarely want their work publicised. That’s not why they do what they do. But, of course, there’s no denying the publicity does help encourage other hearts to be kind as well.

December 19

WOULD you like to know what heaven is like before you get there? The Christian writer and author of the Narnia books, C.S. Lewis, gave the matter a lot of thought and decided that he wouldn’t.

He decided that if he knew what it was like, he would also know that it wasn’t any better than that. As creative as his mind obviously was, Lewis knew that his imagination was limited by his human experience. God, he understood, had no such limitations, and so would have created an eternal home wonderful beyond anything we could possibly dream of.

Whatever we imagine heaven to be like, rest assured that it will be much better than anyone can contemplate.

December 18

MOST people will have heard of the taxman. Fewer will know the term “tacksman”.

In days gone by, in the Scottish Highlands, a tacksman would rent land from the laird and then sub-let parts of it. So, he might seem like a tenant and a landlord, but he was oft-times much more than that.

Usually the most educated man in any district – an English tourist recalled conversing with one in Gaelic, Latin, and French, before settling on English as a common tongue – the tacksman was seen as a boon to the working folk. World affairs and the latest farming techniques would generally be heard first from him.

Samuel Johnson, the lexicographer, wrote, “If the tacksman be abolished, who will be left to impart knowledge or impress civility?”

Of course, there were good and bad, but the tacksmen were generally a force for improvement.

If only more people would be less taxing and more like the tacksman.

December 17

CHARLES Dickens’ readers loved “A Christmas Carol” in his lifetime as readers still do today, and his other seasonal stories were greatly enjoyed, too. It is from “The Christmas Tree” that I have selected these words for you.

Christmas is celebrated, his readers are told, “in commemoration of the law of love and kindness, mercy and compassion. This is in remembrance of Me!”

This, I believe, captures the essential spirit of our great festival which celebrates the birth of Christ.

December 16

O HOLY NIGHT is a much-loved Christmas carol and I wonder if you know the story behind its composition? It was Placide Cappeau, a wine merchant and poet born in 1808 in France, who wrote its words which he called “Minuit, Chrétiens”. Placide said he wrote the words on a stagecoach journey to Paris in 1847, which must have been extremely difficult as he had only one hand as the result of a childhood accident.

It was a fellow countryman, the composer of operas and ballets Adolphe Charles Adam, the creator of the ballet “Giselle”, who set the words to music and it was first sung at midnight mass on Christmas Eve, 1847, in Roquemaure near Avignon.

In the late 19th century “Minuit, Chrétiens” was translated into English by the American Unitarian clergyman and music critic John S. Dwight and it became known as “O Holy Night”. When this carol was broadcast on Christmas Eve in 1906, it was said that it was the first music ever broadcast on radio.

December 15

WHY is the word “Noel” associated with Christmas? Well, it comes from the French words “les Bonnes Nouvelles”, “the Good News”.

It’s worth remembering that, no matter how commercial it might sometimes seem to us today, The First Noel was the best news the world ever had and Christmas has been Good News ever since!

December 14

HERE is a reading as Christmas approaches: “It was no Summer progress. A cold coming they had of it at this time of the year; just, the worst time of the year, to take a journey, and specially a long journey in. The ways deep, the weather sharp, the days short, the sun farthest off in solstitio brumali, the very dead of Winter.”

This simple telling of the coming of Mary and Joseph to Bethlehem dates from 1622. The words are from Lancelot Andrewes, a famous preacher known amongst other names as the “Star of Preachers”.

He was familiar with a total of fifteen languages and presided over the forty-seven scholars who were nominated by James I to work on the 1611 Authorised Version of the Bible.

December 13

WE are always being told to count our blessings but surely we ought to do more than just count them. Jeremy Taylor, who was known as “the Shakespeare of the divines” and was chaplain to King Charles the First, had this advice for those wondering what else to do with the gifts we have been given.

“The private and personal blessings we enjoy,” he wrote, “deserve the thanksgiving of a whole life.”

So count those blessings – then live a life that shows how much you appreciate them!

December 12

THE great Polar explorer Fridtjof Nansen was also a professor of oceanography. Charting the depths of the oceans he used the basic technique of tying a lead weight to a length of rope. Eventually, he ran out of rope and at these points on the charts he wrote, Deeper than that.

There is a profound contentment that comes from knowing God and it is impossible to measure. When trying to describe it to others we may wish to borrow Nansen’s expression and simply say it is “deeper than that”.

“And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Jesus Christ.” – Philippians 4:7

December 11

SILSBURY HILL in Wiltshire is a colossal grass-covered, man-made mound. No-one knows why it was created but the effort involved must have been herculean.

Archaeologists reckon it was built to its original height of 20 feet with material brought in from elsewhere. The next 20 feet in height came from digging a massive ditch around it and adding the excavated material to the top of the mound.

Which goes to show there are always two ways of tackling any problem. You can build higher – or you can dig deeper!

December 10

THE writer C.S. Lewis challenged us to imagine life as a building everyone lived in. But half the people thought the building was a prison and the other half thought it a hotel. The first group obviously thought it was intolerable, while the second group thought it really rather nice.

I have yet to discover a better example of the power of attitude and the difference it makes. We each get to decide if we are here against our will, or if we are actually honoured guests. The world will be the same, but the difference will be life-changing.

December 9

BROTHER LAWRENCE was a “lay brother” in a monastery in the 17th century. His example and reputation were such that people wrote to him from all across France seeking advice on living a holier life.

He commented to a friend after one such request.

“She seems to me full of goodwill, but she wants to go faster than grace. One does not become holy all at once.”

Whatever we hope to do – hopefully something to improve us – we could do a lot worse than proceed at the speed of grace.

December 8

THE work of Rumi, the Persian poet and Sufi mystic, is vastly more popular in the internet age than it ever was in the 13th century when he was alive. His words of wisdom sometimes seem to be everywhere.

An educated and pious man, his spiritual insight and creative output surged when he met Shams Tabrizi. Legend has it that Rumi was sitting reading when Shams asked, “What is this?”

“Something that cannot be understood by the unlearned,” Rumi replied.

Shams threw his books into a pond. Rumi fished them out again and was amazed to find them dry.

“What is this?” he asked.

“Something that cannot be understood by the learned,” Shams replied.

The two men taught and learned together for years after that, before Shams disappeared.

What should we take from that? Firstly, that God will do his best work through friends. And secondly, we can read all we like about faith and religion, but we will learn so much more about them if we live them with an open heart and an inquiring mind.

December 7

TIME is inexorable. It passes and there is nothing we can do about it. Or so it seems.

Richard Jefferies, the 19th-century nature writer, suggested a means of temporary escape when he said: “The hours when the mind is absorbed by beauty are the only hours when we really live, so that the longer we can stay among these things so much the more is snatched from inevitable Time.”

It’s perhaps not strictly true, but having spent those hours with beauty, would we feel like complaining? Or might we just feel that time had stood still a while?

December 6

DESPITE being almost ninety years old, the book was in fine condition. It was full of stories of encouragement and wise words from times gone by. They seemed quite quaint by today’s standards.

There was nothing in the main text of the book to indicate anyone had taken particular note. No dog-eared pages or underlines.

However, a small paragraph in the introduction was bracketed by pencilled asterisks.

It read: “Friend, I cannot take the burden from your shoulders – would to God that I could. I cannot make the road less rough or the hill less steep.

“But, see, there is a long way to travel still. I will go with you if you will have me, and together we will talk of whatsoever things are lovely that perhaps a little good cheer may drop into our hearts.”

The stories and bon mots that comprise the book never seem to have achieved what the author did by reaching out, by understanding that life is difficult and best not walked alone.

Circumstances may make us solitary, but our hearts reach always outwards.

Offer a hand. Walk together.

December 5

IN 1778, Henry Walton painted a scene of an old sailor selling ballads on the street. In it, the ballads he wrote were pinned to a board and a young woman was looking through them.

In pre-television and radio days, entertainment occurred in the parlour and was largely self-made. Perhaps the young woman would sing the ballad to friends and family. Perhaps another family member would accompany her on the pianoforte.

And all because an old sea-dog wrote a song down.

We need not be beautiful to add beauty to the world. We need not be a singer to play music. We need not be able to write a song to sing it well.

If we each do what we can, and let others put their talents into the mix, the resulting beauty will be more than any one of us could manage on our own.

December 4

YOU can’t visit Glasgow’s Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum without spending some time in front of Salvador Dali’s Christ of Saint John of the Cross.

It shows the crucified Christ high above some fishermen on the shores of the Lake of Galilee. If you look closely you will notice that there are no nails in Jesus’ hands or feet. Dali himself said he thought they would spoil the image. But perhaps their omission was an unconscious reminder that this sacrifice was made willingly. For us. Jesus paid the price that we may be forgiven of all sins. That debt cannot be repaid. We must turn to the LORD.

Love is rarely about what is best for us, or what we can get from it. At its best it’s always about what is willingly given.

“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.” – Romans 12:1

December 3

IT can be so tempting. You happen to have heard a most fascinating snippet of gossip which you long to pass on. But that’s the time to stop and remember the old proverb: “The words of the tongue should have three gate-keepers: Is it true? Is it kind? Is it necessary?

Make sure your gate-keeper will only take “yes” for an answer.

December 2

YOU’VE decided you want to change. You want to behave differently; be the person you believe God wants you to be. But, well – it all sounds a bit daunting, so perhaps you’ll leave it just for now.

If that’s the way you’re thinking, try reflecting on these words from an unknown author: “Do not ask the LORD to guide your footsteps if you are not willing to move your feet.”

Just think about it – even if you only take one small step, you’re already heading in the right direction.

December 1

THE robin is one of the most popular British birds so it is no surprise that myths have grown up around it. It was said that it brought man the gift of fire, burning its breast in the process.

Another belief was that its breast was stained with Christ’s blood when it tried to pull the thorns from His head. Glasgow’s coat of arms contains a robin, a reminder that St Mungo brought one back to life through prayer.

Today there is no more welcome sight in the garden than the friendly robin redbreast.

November

November 30

TERESA OF AVILA wrote, “May your life become one of a glad and unending praise to the Lord as you journey through this world, and in the world that is to come.”

It’s a nice thought – so, let’s think about it. Most of us are so busy getting by day to day that we don’t stop to wonder what kind of picture, or story, our life would present as a whole. Would it be patchy, confusing, first this and then that?

Now compare that idea to how you would wish it to be seen.

Remember that under every masterpiece painting and great work of literature are early attempts, false starts, and lots of corrections. And with that in mind, get editing or by touching up that artwork you have yet to finalise.

You haven’t been the only influence in your life, but you can emphasise or paint over the influences of others then fill in the spaces with as much beauty as you can gather together.

Ask yourself, how would you like your life to be seen? Now . . . go to work on that!

November 29

NORMAN MACLEOD, who was one of Queen Victoria’s chaplains, described it as the decisive question of the Bible.

It was simply this: “Wilt thou be made whole?”

All too often we think of religion as a set of restrictions – the “thou shalt nots”! But Jesus made the lame man walk, the blind man see, the bleeding woman healthy, the dead live. He took away sins and promised a life beyond this one. None of that was for his good. All of it has the potential to make us better – make us more whole.

The question still remains: “Wilt thou?”

November 28

WILLIAM LAMB, known as Lord Melbourne, was Prime Minister in 1834. History doesn’t document or rate him as a great Prime Minister, noting instead that he presided over a calm period in British history. He fought no great battles and proclaimed no great philosophies.

Instead, he carried on after the death of his son, reconciled with his wife after her infidelity, mentored and was a great help to the young Queen Victoria, and is remembered as “kind, honest, and not self-seeking.”

We could, perhaps, wish for a different understanding of history, and a different interpretation of what makes a man great.

November 27

MANY American traditions began in the various European countries the early settlers came from. And some of the newer ones have, in turn, found their way back to our shores. Thanksgiving Day might never catch on here, though, because it specifically commemorates the time the early settlers were saved from starvation by the natives of the land they were so unfamiliar with. If it hadn’t been for the help offered at that time the United States as we know them now might never have come to be.

But a day dedicated to giving thanks is never a bad idea, wherever in the world we might live.

As our American friends celebrate with family, food, and football, the rest of us might give a little thought to thanksgiving.

An American, the minister and educator Henry van Dyke, long ago provided us with a perfect definition of it.

“Gratitude,” he wrote, “is the inward feeling of kindness received. Thankfulness is the natural impulse to express that feeling.”

November 26

IN 1928, novelist and schoolmaster Ernest Raymond compiled a book of his favourite passages from literature, offering his thoughts. At one point he comments on the tendency for cynicism among the literary greats of his time.

“But if despair is the truth for the majority,” he wrote, “it is no truth for me. Something instinctive and elemental rises up in me to resist such doctrines. I believe that indignant force to be life itself, rising to prove itself more good than bad!” It’s a decision we have always made for ourselves.

Personally, I agree with Mr Raymond – and life!

November 25

THE faded sheet on the noticeboard was a reworking of the Ten Commandments by Basil Martin. I wondered if the writer was Reverend Basil Martin, pacifist and fighter for social justice in the late 1800s and early 1900s.

The “commandment” that caught my attention was, “Remember the weekday, to keep it holy, and the Sabbath will take care of itself!” Either he thought six days of holiness would be habit-forming and the seventh would follow automatically, or that so much holiness would be such hard work that one day of rest would be in order.

November 24

IN his poem “A Winter Piece”, William Cullen Bryant professes his love for all the seasons, but when November’s winds blow he misses the herbs of the fields and the shade of the trees on sunnier days.

Missing them, he doesn’t dismiss them. He thinks of them as old companions in a time of adversity. They have gone away for a while. He is glad to have known them and is sure they will return. Then he turns his attention to the different beauties that have arrived.

Miss what has gone, but appreciate what has arrived.

November 23

ALICE Freeman Palmer was the first woman president of a major American college and also a champion of the disadvantaged. Her husband, George, often complained that she spent too much time helping the needy. Instead, he thought she should be writing “worthy” books so that future generations would remember her work.

Alice Palmer died in 1902 aged 47, and it’s for her charitable efforts rather than any scholarly tomes she is still remembered. Her reply to her husband’s concerns might explain why.

“If you put yourself into people,” she said, “they touch other people, these in turn touch others still, and so you go on working – forever.”

November 22

THERE can be few things more awe-inspiring – and more difficult to reproduce – than a sunset in all its glory. Painters and photographers have tried with varying degrees of success.

But the Scottish preacher and writer George MacDonald took another approach. He wanted to inspire a similar feeling in people by loving them and showing them how cherished they were by the One who created the sun and the sky, the night and the day.

“If I can put one touch of rosy sunset into the life of any man or woman,” he wrote, “I shall feel that I have worked with God.”

What more beautiful work could there be?

November 21

THE eastern concept of Karma translates as “action”. The belief is that the good or bad deeds you put into the universe will come back to you.

The Bible says, “As you sow, so must you reap,” and Isaac Newton enshrined the principle in his Third Law of Motion: “For every action there is an equal and opposite re-action.”

Then folk wisdom advises us that “What goes around comes around”, so let’s ensure that the actions we cause to “go around” are seen as welcome gifts when they “come around”.

November 20

THE emperor-philosopher Marcus Aurelius observed the difference between those who thought themselves a part of a society and those who thought of themselves as members of the same society.

The difference was not in the words, nor in the works, but in the attitudes and the rewards.

Some did their duty “barely, as a thing of propriety”. They did their duty. They could not be faulted. They earned their place.

Yet Marcus Aurelius thought they missed out. Those who did the same things but “delighting in love and kindness for its own sake” benefitted not only others, but also themselves. With no extra effort.

If we would, or must, be a part of something, may we put our whole heart into it. For everyone’s sake.

November 19

IN a park in Turin is a sculpture that looks like two old-fashioned lampposts having a seat on a bench.

If you ever see it, in person or through photographs, think about the people who shine lights of positivity, optimism, and love into our lives. Most of them aren’t like that “just because”. Usually they have experienced the darkness, and know the importance of the light – for everyone.

They shine a little brighter for those who can’t, and for those who need it. But it takes its toll.

The lights in our lives deserve every break, every encouraging word, every chance to sit down that we can give them, so they keep on shining!

November 18

IN 1864, the English philosopher and writer Isaac Taylor wrote his definition of a family. In his opinion it might be husband and wife, brother and sister, son and daughter, or any combination thereof, provided they were “bound together by affection, esteem, respect, and unaffected regard for each.” A family he allowed, might be as few as two people, “provided they are one in unselfish attachment.”

We might have expanded our notions of what constitutes a family these days. But the bonds that hold that marvellous unit together will still be the same.

November 17

DO you ever feel there’s no way through your difficulties? John F. Kennedy came from a privileged background but he had his share of troubles, from a war wound that left him with lifelong pain to his many political battles. He had his victories as well, of course, so he knew what he was talking about when he said: “Every area of trouble gives out a ray of hope; and the one unchangeable certainty is that nothing is certain or unchangeable.”

Find that ray of hope – and use it to change those dark days into brighter ones!

November 16

AN old proverb says: “Big doors turn on small hinges.” Simple enough, but these small hinges must be well made from sound materials and be regularly maintained.

Our lives turn on small things like honesty, integrity, faith, and trust. Let’s attach ourselves to good “hinges” and make sure they, too, are well made, sound, and regularly maintained.

November 15

IMAGINE you could fulfil one of mankind’s greatest needs! I’m sure the very thought of a task that huge would be enough to put a lot of people off.

Actually, all you need to do is smile, shake a stranger’s hand in welcome, or offer a listening ear. Philosopher and psychologist William James wrote: “The deepest craving of human nature is the need to be appreciated.”

Appreciation might be the greatest, and simplest, gift you ever give.

November 14

I SUSPECT that from time to time we’ve all been familiar with that sinking feeling of knowing that we’ve failed. We’ve fallen short of what we know we are capable of; we’ve let ourselves down, lost a chance that may never come again.

Well, if that happens to apply to you at present, take heart from these words by Oswald Sanders:

“Most Bible characters met with failure and survived . . . They came to know God of the second chance, and sometimes the third and fourth.”

In fact, I think God doesn’t ever stop giving us chances. Just resolve next time to make the most of them.

November 13

WHEN Samuel Johnson compiled his “A Dictionary Of The English Language” (published in 1755), many of the definitions were his own.

We might disagree with the meanings of some words, but I do like his assertion that a “novel” is “a small tale, generally of love”.

When we are writing our “story”, let’s make it one that, should it be read or remembered in the future, would seem like it was “generally of love”.

November 12

THERE’S a story of a monk who confessed to his abbot, “I have fallen from grace. What should I do?”

He expected words of wisdom or condemnation. But the abbot replied, “You should get back up again.”

That’s the thing about grace: if you want to return, it will always be waiting for you.

November 11

THE tune “Flowers Of The Forest” is often played at Remembrance Day services. It’s an ancient tune, usually played on the bagpipes. The earliest preserved lyrics were written by Jean Elliot in 1756.

One line reads, “The Floo’ers o’ the Forest are a’ wede (weeded) awa’”. The “flowers” that have gone are the men of the land.

Remembering them, she also remembers the women and children who will never enjoy those flowers.

Remember our heroes, and never forget those who love, or loved, our heroes.

November 10

IT’S rarely a comfortable feeling when our path through life suddenly twists and turns in a completely unexpected direction. Andrea Jaeger, as a world-famous young tennis player, seemed to be the perfect success story until an injury forced her out of the game at the age of only nineteen.

However, the behind-the-scenes story had not been so happy. Pressure from her tennis-coach father, plus the rivalry and loneliness of the tennis circuit had turned her into an isolated person, focused solely on the need to win.

But what Andrea did have was a deep faith, and when her career collapsed it was to God that she turned, never doubting that she would be guided. Using her newly-found free time, she decided to help sick children and set up a charity, Little Star Foundation, to assist those in need.

Then in 2006, she felt herself called to join the Dominican order of nuns and nowadays, fulfilled in her new life, is also happily reconciled with her family.

We may not always be able to choose the easiest route through life but I’m sure that if we can just trust, we will eventually find ourselves exactly where we are meant to be.

November 9

ALBERT Einstein’s research lit the way for many scientists and thinkers to follow. But his own favourite concepts had nothing to do with relativity, black holes, or the speed of light – they were things we could all appreciate.

“The ideas that lit my way,” Einstein wrote, “have been kindness, beauty, and truth.” These qualities are every bit as important to the universe!

November 8

BY what standards do you judge a life? Is a person seen to be a success because they are famous or because they are wealthy?

The real answer is surely much simpler. Madeleine L’Engle summed it up this way:

“In the evening of life, we shall be judged on love, and not one of us is going to come off very well, and were it not for my absolute faith in the loving forgiveness of my Lord, I would not call Him to come.”

November 7

WHILE organising a Himalayan expedition, the Scottish mountaineer William Murray wrote: “Until one is committed there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back . . . (But) the moment one commits oneself then Providence moves, too, raising in one’s favour all manner of unforeseen incidents, meetings and assistance which no man could have dreamt would come his way.”

Take those first few steps and you’ll be surprised what can be achieved.

November 6

THE Lebanese poet Kahlil Gibran once compared the heart to a tree.

He said, “The heart’s affections are divided, like the branches of a ceder tree. If the tree loses one strong branch it will suffer, but it does not die. It will pour all its vitality into the next branch so that it will grow and fill the empty space.”

Some spaces will never be filled, of course, but we can always look for new ways to care, and given time, the heart will love again as much as it ever did.

November 5

WHY are we here? Books like Richard Dawkins’s “The Selfish Gene” suggests the point of all of this is simply survival. J.B. Priestley had a more beautiful answer to the question.

“We are not here to multiply ourselves senselessly,” he wrote, “but to increase knowledge, create beauty, and to increase love. Whatever helps to do these things is right; whatever stands in their way is wrong.”

In this life, of course, we can never know for sure which answer is the right one. So, it comes down to personal choice. Survival? Or beauty and love? And what use is the former without the latter?

November 4

IN 2009 Captain Sullenberger landed his disabled jumbo jet aircraft on the Hudson River; an incredibly difficult thing to do safely. When asked about it, he said, “For forty-two years I’ve been making small, regular deposits in this bank of experience, education, and training. And on that day the balance was sufficient so that I could make a very large withdrawal.”

The tough times you face in life, what you learn from them, and the skills you acquire to overcome them . . . they all add up. May you never have to make such a withdrawal. But if you do, may your credit, thanks to those tough times, be good.

November 3

IN his 1860 book “The Conduct Of Life”, writer Ralph Waldo Emerson mentioned “the Spirit of the Times”.

Defining this spirit was a great topic of debate in Boston, New York, and London. So what did Emerson think of it?

He wrote: “To me, however, the question of the times resolved itself into a practical question . . . How shall I live?”

There are many causes worth getting involved in, but we shouldn’t let them distract us from this essential question.

How shall we live? What kind of people shall we be?

November 2

“WHEN a person does a good deed when he or she didn’t have to,” the Jewish Talmud says, “God looks down and smiles and says, ‘For this moment alone it is worth creating the world’.”

It is a beautiful image. But it does beg the question of what happens when someone chooses to do an unkind thing.

Imagine and liken it to a sort of comic set of scales, with negative acts tipping the pointer one way, and positive acts tipping it the other.

Now, given that there are definitely people out there with a penchant for the negative, what shall we do to keep the scales tipped in the right direction?

Let’s keep that smile on God’s face.

November 1

THE Hindu proverb read, “Help thy brother’s boat across the sea. And, Lo! Thine own boat hath reached the shore.”

At first, I thought it was a version of “You can’t help someone else without helping yourself”.

Then the realisation. If the sea referred to is life, then the shore must be heaven. Could we ever get there without helping our brother or sister?

Which is why Jesus’s greatest commandment may just have been, “Love one another!”

October

October 31

SOME people are quite prone to repeating what they hear. Often, as if to make their recitation more interesting, people will add “details” which are nothing more than suppositions and were never there in the original version. Generally, there added details will be scandalous.

Samuel Johnson, the English playwright and lexicographer, was reputed to have a prodigious memory. A Mr Hector once recited eighteen verses of his poetry to Johnson. After a moment to gather his thoughts, Johnson recited them back.

Hector noted that only one line was different from the original – and it was improved!

If we must repeat what we hear, we might err the same way Samuel Johnson did, on the side of making the situation a better one.

October 30

WHAT do you think of when you think of religion? Church? Prayers? Hymns? Sermons? Some other positive thing?

The word itself comes from the Latin word religare. It means to bind together, in the way broken bones heal. It might also be where we get the word “ligament” from, and ligaments play a major role in holding the various parts of our body together.

Whatever it has come to mean, the original intention was that it would bring good-hearted people together; that it would heal the brokenness in the world, and support the body that is mankind.

October 29

IT may be ancient philosophy, but it was at a lecture when it first related to me.

“Imagine being in a dark space,” the lecturer said, “and a thin shaft of light appears. Then a moth flies into the beam and out the other side.

“You might be forgiven for thinking the moth had simply blinked into existence and disappeared again. It was only lit for a moment, but it actually had a before and an after.”

The point of the original story escaped me, but I couldn’t help but think of the judgements we pass on others based on the events of a fleeting moment.

That moment might have been difficult, but they (and we) have a before and an after.

Never close the door to possibilities of an unfortunate cause, or a better tomorrow. They might regret the moment as well.

October 28

THE world owes a debt of gratitude to Jonas Salk, who was born on this day in 1914. He was the inventor of the polio vaccine. Salk could have become a millionaire overnight by patenting the vaccine – but he didn’t.

When asked about that decision he replied, “Could you patent the sun?” Like sunshine, he wanted his vaccine to be free (or as cheap as possible) for all humanity.

Salk’s legacy was a vaccine that saved millions of lives. He also reminds us that the abiding legacy of good times and dreams is that we can still draw strength from them decades after.

October 27

AFTER a lengthy walk in the country with his dog, Frank decided to reward his collie, Bracken, with some special canine treats. He placed each little biscuit on his knee while Bracken sat to attention.

When Frank said, “Take it!” Bracken snapped up his reward. Between commands, Bracken never looked at the treat. He was completely focused on his master.

Sometimes we pay too much attention to the treats of this life. We become wrapped up in the pursuit of material gain with the corresponding fears and insecurities. For certainty and peace of mind we could learn a lesson from Bracken and look beyond the immediate reward, focusing instead on the One from whom everything ultimately comes.

“O Sovereign LORD, you are God! Your words are trustworthy and you have promised these good things to your servant.” – Samuel II 7:28

October 26

WOULD you believe there is a museum in Zagreb devoted to broken relationships? The museum contains donated artifacts from love affairs gone wrong: break-up letters, notes written in desperation, even unworn wedding dresses.

The idea came about when two artists, ending a four-year affair, joked that they would need a museum to house everything that reminded them of each other.

Strangely, it turns out to be quite an inspirational place. Love, like so many good things, it seems, is often taken for granted. Seeing how easily it can go wrong reminds us of how precious it really is!

October 25

WILLIAM TEMPLE was a social reformer, who, when no-one was lending any credence to the plight of Jews in Germany during the war, berated Parliament about it.

When he was at school his father wrote to him, saying, “I would strongly urge you, my dear lad, always to stand on your own ground. You know right and wrong better than many boys, for few mothers have taken the pains your mother has done with you. Don’t be moved, shoved, pushed, laughed off your own ground by any number of boys.”

Can parents do more for their children than show them a good place to stand and provide them with the encouragement to keep it and to build on it?

October 24

THE secret of happiness? Many people claimed to have discovered it. But it depends on what type of happiness you mean. There is the momentary burst of delight or the slow-burning candle of contentment. Do you want happiness for a day or for a lifetime?

Helen Keller’s take on the latter is a useful reminder of its deeper meaning. Having become deaf and blind, happiness might have been in short supply in her life. But she went on to become a writer, an inspirational public speaker, and the champion of many social causes.

She believed that many people had the wrong idea of what constituted “true happiness”.

“It is not to be attained through self-gratification,” she wrote, “but through fidelity to a worthy purpose.”

In other words, find something worth doing and stick to it!

October 23

DO you know those people who always take a cynical view of life because, somehow, they know something the others don’t?

Do you know those people who always take a sunshine-and-roses view of life because, somehow, they know something the others don’t?

Each thinks they are right, and are prepared to base their life on that stance. There is no independent arbiter prepared to step in to say which is the correct view.

In the end, you make your own choice.

Given that, my question is fairly straightforward: why would anyone choose anything other than happiness and love?

October 22

ALICE CARY was a 19th-century American poet.

“It is not just as we take it, this mystical world of ours!” she wrote. “Life’s field will yield, as we make it, a harvest of thorns or flowers!”

This world will offer many restrictions and disappointments when it comes to getting the life we want, but how we deal with them, by leaving them as thorns or turning them into flowers, will play a large part in shaping the life we end up with.

Go for flowers!

October 21

IN times gone by, there was a tradition in warmer countries to insert cobbles with dips in them at intervals along roads and pathways.

The dips gathered the rains or morning dew and provided a cooling drink for birds or the street animals. People might step over the concave cobbles, not even noticing they were there.

It doesn’t take much to help, does it? A little thought by the stonemason, or whomever was paying for the road, and thirsty creatures had a drink. If you are concerned enough to help even the smallest and the neglected, you will always find a way.

October 20

AS well as being the author of the book “Brave New World” Aldous Huxley, in his later years, was generally considered to be one of the great intellects of his time.

A man like that, who had spent his life studying people and their behaviour, could surely be trusted to come up with some wonderful insight into human nature. It would probably be expressed best, you might think, in the form of a complex philosophy. Not at all – his words are ones we can easily understand.

“It is a little embarrassing,” Mr Huxley said, “that, after 45 years of study, the best advice I can give to people is to be a little kinder to each other.”

October 19

WHO first came up with the idea of clouds having silver linings? Well, in 1634 the poet John Milton referred to a cloud, which should have been dark, that “turned forth her silver lining on the night.”

Two hundred years later the novelist Charles Dickens wrote: “I will turn my silver lining outward, like Milton’s cloud.”

So, we can think of the cloud as a metaphor for difficult situations, but let’s not simply wait for them to turn themselves inside out. Because, as Dickens pointed out, the silver lining in those situations can very often be . . . us!

October 18

EXTRAORDINARY things can be done in ordinary situations with the most ordinary of materials. It’s all about how you use them.

Novelist Hamilton Wright Mabie wrote: “The question for each man (or woman) is not what he would do if he had the means, time, influence, and educational advantages, but what he will do with the things he has.”

October 17

GUILLEMOTS spend most of their lives at sea. The birds come to land just to lay their eggs and they can only do this on the steepest cliffs. As space is very much at a premium, rows and rows of identical eggs are laid side by side on narrow, rocky outcrops – identical to everyone that is, but the mothers.

Ornithologists found that if they moved an egg from one part of a ledge to another, the mother could tell the difference and would seek it out, returning her egg to its original place.

We might sometimes feel unnoticed, or lost in the crowd around us, but just as the guillemot knows her eggs from all the scores of others, so God the Father can always find His children.

“Nevertheless, God’s solid foundation stands firm, sealed with the inscription, ‘The LORD knows those who are his’.” – Timothy 2:19

October 16

THE seeds that fall from some desert plants have shells so tough they keep everything out. They can lie dormant in the baking sun for years. Then a flash flood comes, the seeds are swept along, buffeted by the water and scratched by rocks.

When they settle in moist soil, they start to grow – but only because they can now take in water through the scratches and cracks in their shell.

A protective shell might seem a good thing, for a while. However, we’re all subject to life’s “flash floods” and, surprisingly, that’s when many of us grow best. We choose not to be dormant any more and we take on board the water of eternal life through the cracks.

He said to me: “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To him who is thirsty I will give to drink without cost from the spring of the water of life.” – Revelation 21:6

October 15

The novelist Charles Dickens is said to have based the ever-optimistic Mr Micawber in “Great Expectations” on his own father. John Dickens was a wages clerk with the navy and, after being made redundant, he fell into debt and was eventually locked up in jail.

John’s ever cheerful response to hard times made sure his character lived on in the fictitious Mr Micawber and this attitude undoubtedly had a great effect on John’s son, Charles.

A positive attitude is a real help in times of need.

October 14

MARIE CURIE, the Polish scientist, had an all too short life. However, in that brief space of time she made important scientific discoveries, found love, and left these words of encouragement:

“Life is not easy for any of us, but what of it? We must have perseverance and confidence in ourselves. We must believe we are each gifted for something and that this thing must be attained.”

You might not realise it, but you are gifted for something. Find your gift and you’ll find fulfilment.

October 13

SHYNESS can often stop us putting ourselves forward when it comes to getting involved or helping out. After all, we tell ourselves, there’s probably someone better placed to help.

But it’s the so-called average, everyday abilities of ordinary people which make the world go round. Henry van Dyke described that truth when he wrote these words:

“Use what talent you possess. The woods would be very quiet if no birds sang except those that sang best.”

October 12

IT seems that not so many of us find time to write letters these days, and when we do the pace of modern life makes it likely that they will begin with something like: “Sorry for not having written for so long.”

Author Garrison Keillor suggests that the first step in letter-writing is to get over the guilt of not writing. “Letters are a gift,” he says, “a piece of handmade writing, not a bill, sitting in a friend’s path as they trudge home from a long day.”

Letters can convey both the good and not so good events in our lives – and they can even share things that don’t get said in casual conversation, such as heartfelt thanks for a kind gesture or for precious, ongoing friendship.

So let’s revive the art of writing letters, no matter how short – and brighten someone’s day.

October 11

VISITORS to Westminster Abbey in London are often lost in amazement when they see the splendour and grandeur of the building. But before they get to stand between the magnificent pillars and gaze up at the high, vaulted ceilings, visitors pass through two sets of doors, an area called the narthex. In olden days travellers would remove wet robes and muddy boots there before entering the cathedral.

The narthex is like this life, a passageway from one world to another. It serves an important purpose and we can shelter there for a while – but the real glory waits beyond.

“For Christ did not enter a man-made sanctuary that was only a copy of the true one; he entered heaven itself, now to appear for us in God’s presence.” (Hebrews 9:24)

October 10

OPINIONS as to what’s important and what’s not seem to change with each succeeding generation, but some essential values stay the same, come what may. It’s summed up nicely in these lines published in a popular magazine:

Methods are many

Principles are few

Methods change oftenPrinciples never do.

October 9

EMPEROR TITUS of Rome was both an effective war leader and a benevolent ruler. Contemporary historians tended to favour him, but not every emperor wanted a reputation for kindness so perhaps they were simply being honest.

We might each take on board these words attributed to him by the historian Suetonius.

“Recalling after dinner that he had done nothing to help anyone all that day, he gave voice to that memorable remark: ‘Friends, I have lost a day!’”

Instead of regretting a lost opportunity, surely it would be a better idea to look ahead to whom we could help next?

October 8

AS President of the United States when the world was at war, Woodrow Wilson must have been more aware than most of the forces that separate us. Those were very troubled times with nations battling nations and political factions arguing. But he also knew what would bring us together. It wasn’t trade, it wasn’t power, or politics, or even talking.

The “cement that would hold the world together” was, he believed, friendship.

October 7

HENRY VAN DYKE wrote, “Time is too slow for those who wait, too swift for those who fear, too long for those who grieve, too short for those who rejoice. But for those who love, time is not.”

How can that be?

Well, time hasn’t always been around. Scientists and theologians agree there was a time before time, when the faithful would have it there was only God. And what are we told He is? God is love.

Those of us who love or are loved or have anything to do with love are taking part in something that outlasts even time itself.

October 6

AMOS BRONSON ALCOTT was a 19th-century educator who pioneered new, less authoritarian teaching methods. Instead of dictating he preferred to interact with his students.

It’s a style that is much more common now, so it is difficult to imagine how revolutionary it must have seemed back then. I am sure his was a popular class and many of his students probably considered him a friend.

He said, “Stay is a charming word in a friend’s vocabulary.”

A small word, of no apparent consequence, but it conveys a spirit of welcome, acceptance, and the promise of good conversation.

Just not, perhaps, if you are being told to “stay” after class.

October 5

THE Church of Santa Johann Val di Funes looks like an artist’s depiction of a humble little mountain-country church. It likes like it might seat twenty people at the most and is raised slightly higher than the wild-flower meadow around it.

But visitors to the church, on a clear day, usually spend more time outside it than in it. You see, this little piece of man-made artistry and devotion sits amidst the breathtakingly beautiful Dolomite Mountains on a grassy plateau, fringed by forest and overlooked by steeply rising mountains which are a World Natural Heritage Site.

The places man makes to worship God can be wonderful, but none is anywhere near as inspiring as the Lord’s own work.

October 4

IN the early 20th century, Reverend John Henry Jowett wrote the following as part of a prayer – “We would thank Thee for all the bright things of life. Help us to see them and to count them and to remember them that our lives may flow in ceaseless praise.”

You’ll notice he didn’t ask for more of those “bright things” – he asked that we might see them, implying that the bright things were already plentiful but we didn’t always notice.

So, how do we see them? How do we get to that point of ceaseless praise? Paradoxically, we begin with praise. The more we appreciate what we have, the more we understand we have to appreciate.

No visit to the optician required.

October 3

MARIE CURIE was talking science when she said, “Nothing is to be feared. It is only to be understood.” Her work on radium and other radioactive substances greatly enhanced the understanding of the scientists who came after her.

I can’t help applying the same maxim to people. Someone once said, “If we could know the secret history of our enemy it would break our hearts.”

Understanding is the key to so much. And love, whether love of knowledge or other people, is the encouraging force behind it.

October 2

HAVE you ever wished that you could do a bit more good in the world – but unfortunately the opportunity never seems to arise? Then perhaps you have not been looking hard enough. It was the Roman philosopher who said, “Wherever there is a human being, there is an opportunity for kindness.”

Which means that if you just happen to be a human being who is reading this, then the chance could be right on your doorstep!

October 1

AS the trees gently lay their insulating blanket of leaves over the earth again I am reminded of how much the writer George Eliot loved this time of year.

“Delicious autumn,” she once wrote, “my very soul is wedded to it, and if I were a bird I would fly about the earth seeking the successive autumns.”

What a beautiful thought that is. But, personally, I enjoy all of the seasons. I think four is just enough variety for a year and I’m glad we don’t have to go in search of them. If we stay where we are they will come to us, lining up in an orderly fashion just to bring their unique challenges and delights of nature to us.

September

September 30

MANY of the Roman Emperors were known for their excesses and their decadent lifestyles. They were, after all, the most powerful people in the world. Who was going to tell them no?

Marcus Aurelius was a bit more philosophical than the others, and what he realised applies equally to us non-emperor types.

“Whatever anyone else does or says,” he wrote, “I must be good.”

It’s a decision no-one else makes for us. From time to time, we must tell ourselves no. And be better for it.

September 29

HOW do we improve humanity? Some would do it through laws that curb the worst excesses of people; some through improving the conditions people live in; some through charity and increasing availability of opportunities.

These are all very well and good. We might also consider the idea of historian and magazine editor James Anthony Froude. In his “Short Studies On Great Subjects”, published in 1878, he wrote, “Human improvement is from within – outward!”

Don’t worry about correcting others. Be the best you can be. If others follow your example, then all well and good. If not, then at least your part of humanity will be improved.

September 28

NOW, here’s a question for you – when you retire to bed each night, do you drift sweetly into peaceful sleep – or lie awake worrying about all that’s gone wrong with the day?

Well, I suspect we all give way to the latter from time to time, especially if there’s a particular situation we feel we could have handled better.

That’s when the advice of that wise man and esteemed writer Ralph Waldo Emerson should be considered. He counselled thus.

“Finish each day and be done with it. You have done what you could. Some blunders and absurdities no doubt crept in; forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day. You shall begin it serenely and with too high a spirit to be encumbered with your old nonsense.”

We should like his use of the word “nonsense”, for so often that is exactly what it all is.

September 27

IT’S difficult to comprehend now, but the Salvation Army was once a new and controversial organisation. People often react badly to new initiatives and Catherine Booth, the co-founder of the Salvation Army, had her detractors.

Her response is one we might take on board even today when it seems the world is against us.

“Don’t let controversy hurt your soul,” she said. “Live near to God by prayer. Just fall down at His feet, open your very soul before Him, and throw yourself right into His arms.”

September 26

PATRICIA ST JOHN was a writer, house mother, and WWII nurse. She knew a thing or two about deserts, having served as a Christian missionary in north Africa.

She once wrote of God, “When he plans to plant a garden, He starts in the desert.”

In other words, for God to create a new thing, he starts with the absence of that thing and builds anew. In the same vein, we might ask where the “deserts” of friendship and love are in our lives and our relationships. And then set about making those places flower.

September 25

AUTUMN brings the first frosts of Winter, still, misty mornings, shorter days and lengthening afternoon shadows. We turn our clocks back, and the highest hills are soon topped with their first white quilting of snow.

Thomas Tusser wrote in his “Five Hundreth Pointes of Good Husbandry” in the sixteenth century: “September blow soft till fruit be in loft”. Is there anything more evocative of Autumn than the sharp, aromatic scent of apples, and the sweet smell of pears stored away safely for Winter?

Throughout the ages seedtime and harvest have been immeasurably important to mankind, and we give thanks when the harvest is safely gathered in. There is something very reassuring in the turning of the seasons.

September 24

THE story of Antoni Gaudi, who became known as “God’s architect”, is one of courage, patience, and faith in adversity.

Antoni was born in Catalonia in 1852 and trained as an architect in Barcelona. Inspired by Catalan, Christian, and Moorish culture, he developed his own individual style using patterned brick, stone, bright ceramic tiles, and distinctive metal work.

From 1882 Gaudi began to devote almost all his time to the design and building of his monumental church in Barcelona dedicated to the Holy Family, La Sagrada Familia.

His last years were dogged by personal sorrows and lack of money to continue the building of La Sagrada Familia, which he saw as “the last great sanctuary of Christendom”, but “God’s architect” did not give up. He held fast, and struggled on with his great endeavour to create “a place of fraternity for all”. He died in June 1926, after being knocked down by a tram and was buried in his unfinished masterpiece.

Today many thousands visit La Sagrada Familia where work continues, funded from sources which share its creator’s vision. It is hoped that the great church will be completed to mark the one hundredth anniversary of Gaudi’s death.

September 23

WHO hasn’t stopped and watched in awe and amazement as flocks of birds fly overhead, heading south in their V-shaped formations at this time of year?

It’s always an impressive sight and, somehow, just a little sad. For with the departing birds go their songs.

But don’t despair – they will be back and return to the same location they left! As Mary Webb, a romantic novelist of the early twentieth century, pointed out, “Nature’s music is never over. Her silences are pauses, not conclusions.”

September 22

DOING NOTHING

DO nothing every now and then,

It helps you to relax,

And let your thoughts go wandering

Along some mountain tracks.

Do nothing – it’s quite wonderful,

Watch raindrops on the glass,

See the leaves float in the autumn,

Sunbeams on the grass.

****

See the way the clouds keep moving

High above the trees,

Find a little peace and quiet,

Moments sure to please.

If your batteries need recharging

And life has lost its smile,

Be still, and let the world go by,

Do nothing for a while.

September 21

IT’S Harvest Festival time again. The festival as we celebrate it today was only “invented” as recently as the mid-1840s. Although part of the church calendar since medieval times, it had gradually been forgotten until Robert Stephen Hawker, the vicar of Morwentstow in Cornwall, decided to change things.

To call Reverend Hawker an eccentric would almost be an understatement, for his behaviour was as colourful as his very non-clerical clothes. He talked to birds, excommunicated his cat for mousing on Sundays, and kept a large pig as a pet.

He was, however, also greatly loved by his parishioners so when in 1843 he invited them to a new kind of harvest festival, they were happy to approve his efforts, which had included decking the church from top to toe with vegetables, flowers, fruit, and bread. Indeed so popular was Mr Hawker’s version of the Harvest Festival that it soon became accepted everywhere.

Today it remains one of our favourite festivals – and this time when we join in the praise, let us give thanks not just for the harvest, but for the work of Robert Stephen Hawker, whose joy of living enriched so many lives.

September 20

ANDREW Carnegie was born in humble dwellings in Dunfermline in 1835. He deserves to be remembered, not for the vast fortune he made, but for giving so much of it to deserving causes.

He emigrated with his parents to the United States, and through hard work and business acumen, became one of that country’s biggest figures on the industrial scene. His fortune secure, he began donating sums, large and small, to charities of all kinds. There are still many public libraries in the UK that were founded by him. Ayr Carnegie Library, on the West coast of Scotland, is one example.

Andrew Carnegie set an example of giving that continues to be followed by leading entrepreneurs of today.

September 19

HOPE. What’s the point of it? If you’ve done all you can do then surely you should just give up.

Charles Dickens put it like this: “Always hope; never leave off hoping; don’t leave a stone unturned. It’s always something to know you’ve done the most you could. But don’t leave off hoping, or it’s no use doing anything. Hope, hope to the last!”

It’s almost a shame that these words come from “Nicholas Nickleby”, because hope surely is the Great Expectation.

September 18

The world is full of marvellous abilities. Think of all the talents other people have. Wouldn’t it be nice to be able to paint, build, juggle, write, design, dance like they do?

Voltaire suggested we take another approach.

“Appreciation is a wonderful thing,” he wrote. “It makes what is excellent in others belong to us, too.”

And, of course, we don’t need to stop at talents and abilities. Everything that is excellent should be fair game for our appreciation.

As the Apostle John said, “Brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable – if anything is excellent or praiseworthy – think about such things.”

September 17

DO you ever look at paintings in galleries and think, I wish I could make something so beautiful? Well, masterpieces take years of specialised training and practice – not to mention a spark of creative genius – to create. Things well beyond us ordinary folk.

But wait! In one of his essays Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote, “A friend may well be reckoned the masterpiece of nature.”

Have you ever been a friend? Well, there is a masterpiece right there! And you may well have created more masterpieces than any creative geniuses throughout history.

September 16

IT is a frustration for some people that gentleness is often seen as weakness. Those who advocate a more “realistic” response have no idea how much courage it sometimes takes to be gentle. Most often their “practical approach” to such matters is simply an unwillingness to try them, because they fear they might not be up to the task.

But those who choose the nobler virtues gain real comfort and strength to be had there. As Orlando says in Shakespeare’s As You Like It, “Let gentleness my strong enforcement be.”

September 15

WAS he talking about how our earthly lives lead to a more glorious one? Was he talking about how little acts of kindness do more good than we can possibly imagine? We don’t know, and we probably didn’t care to find out.

This line from Sir Edwin Arnold’s poem “Light Of Asia” had all the possibilities of those two, and enough radiant beauty for an entire poem: “The dewdrop slips into the shining sea.”

September 14

AS a biographer, Thomas Carlyle was used to seeing the whole person. He believed it a wise approach that before complaining about a person’s faults we should count up all the good things about them.

That way, the problem could be seen in a proper perspective.

How might that change outcomes the next time we are annoyed with something someone else does?

Take a minute to see the whole person. Compile a mini-biography of your own.

And then offer your response.

September 13

THOSE of us going through difficult times take comfort in the notion that it is often darkest before the dawn. But perhaps we don’t take enough. There is nothing surer than that the dawn will come.

In 1843, in his poem “Orion”, Richard Hengist wrote: “It is always morning, somewhere in the world.”

And the sun has risen, the dawn has arrived, every day since then!

A new day will happen, and our current afflictions will be left with the old.

September 12

ADELAIDE PROCTER was Queen Victoria’s favourite poet, second only in demand to Alfred, Lord Tennyson.

Her poems focused on the social issues of the downtrodden and the effects of war.

Modern readers may say this verse was about post-traumatic stress disorder, but it also speaks to how we see our fellow human beings.

“Judge not; the working of his brain and of his heart thou canst not see; What looks to thy dim eyes a stain, in God’s pure light may only be a scar brought from some well-won field, where thou wouldst only faint and yield.”

Until we know the battle fought, as God does, be kind.

September 11

I’VE often heard the advice that resentment is like holding a hot coal and expecting someone else to get their fingers burned.

There is another, similar piece of wisdom.

“Anger is the punishment we give ourselves for someone else’s mistake.”

Neither anger nor resentment are worth the space they occupy in our minds, or the damage they do while there. Both have more positive alternatives.

We should value ourselves as more than just carriers of someone else’s wrongs.

Forgive or forget (not easy, but possible). Then carry on living the precious gift of life we have been given.

September 10

I WOULD like to make a comparison between people and torches: all of our batteries run low from time to time!

Torches use AA batteries, or AAA, or C or D.

We can’t physically change people’s power packs, but when their light is low we can give them AA, or attention and affection; AAA, or attention and affection with acceptance; C for compassion; or D for direction.

If any of those don’t work, we can sit with them and be a light in their darkness until they feel a bit brighter.

September 9

THE photo in the exhibition was of a ballerina en pointe, or on her toes. But the photographer had focused on the shoes. No-one in the audience, watching the ballerina’s lighter-than-air dancing, would have noticed that the blocks in the toes were worn and the silk around those parts of the shoes was tattered and frayed.

What was the point, or “pointe,” the artist was making? Perhaps it was this: that we can all make our lives seem graceful and effortless – if, first of all, we put in the work!

September 8

HOW precious is life? Or should I ask, is it cheap enough that we might waste large swathes of it complaining and being unappreciative?

When John Richard Green could no longer carry out church duties, he became a librarian, and compiled a history of his native English people.

He wrote, “What seems to grow fairer to me as life goes by is the love and grace and tenderness of it; not its wit and cleverness, but just the laughter of little children, friendship, the cosy talk by the fireside, the sight of flowers, and the sound of music.”

Appreciation like that is something many of us hope we will achieve in old age. Until then, we continue to grumble. John Richard Green died in 1883, aged forty-five.

September 7

THERE’S no getting away from it. Life can be difficult. Sometimes, it breaks even the strongest of us. And we tend to think of broken things as being worthless, don’t we?

But go to any museum. There’s a good chance, especially in the larger museums, that amongst their most cherished and valuable items will be some Greek or Roman mosaics.

And what are mosaics made of? Broken things. Pieces of stone or glass, broken into small pieces, but arranged artistically.

Next time you are feeling a little broken, pick up the pieces of your life and think, “How might I put them together again, in a new, and more beautiful, design?”

September 6

THESE days you can find gurus teaching all sorts of things. They will teach you how to get ahead in business, how to stop smoking or lose weight, how to “cosmically” attract your heart’s desire, and so on. Of course, much of it is nonsense.

The poet and philosopher Lao Tzu lived in China around 600 BCE. He reckoned he could teach people how to find treasure!

“I have just three things to teach,” he wrote, “simplicity, patience, compassion. These three are your greatest treasures.”

September 5

BEFORE hiring a new worker, the farmer asked what he could do.

“I can sleep through a storm,” the labourer said. It didn’t make any sense to the farmer but he needed a worker and, for the next few months, the man was perfectly capable.

Then a storm struck in the middle of the night. The farmer jumped out of bed and ran into the rain. He banged on the door of the labourer’s cottage but got no answer, so he ran off to try to minimise the damage the storm would cause.

But he found the animals were in the barn, the machinery and tools were stowed away, all the doors were locked, and the thatched roof the labourer had repaired was riding out the storm nicely.

Then he understood. The labourer could sleep through a storm, whenever it arrived, because he knew he had done his work properly.

Storms come in all walks of life. Do your best during the day and you will always sleep well at night.

September 4

THERE are many churches dedicated to Saint Giles, including one on the Royal Mile, near Edinburgh Castle. There is a tradition that churches dedicated to the saint, who was supposedly left lame by a hunting accident, should be on the edge of town, or on a main thoroughfare (such as the Royal Mile) so that people in need, struggling with infirmities, could reach them more easily.

Some organisations, and people, prefer to be off the beaten path, more difficult to reach – and perhaps that serves their purposes well. We should be a little obscure, a little hidden away, if that’s what our mission calls for. But, on Saint Giles Day and the rest of the year, let us reserve a special appreciation for the ones who set out to help and put themselves right in the midst of those who need it.

September 3

Here are some words of reflection to think about today and perhaps you may like to keep them in mind during the week ahead:

May God bless you with discomfort at easy answers and half-truths so that you will live deep within your heart.

May God bless you with anger at injustice and oppression so that you will work for justice, equality, and peace.

May God bless you with compassion for those who suffer so that you will reach out to change their pain into joy. And may God bless you with the foolishness to think you can make a difference in the world so that you will do the things others say cannot be done.

September 2

IT’S a word that many of us have used on frequent occasions, but have we really given it much thought? It’s a word we are all familiar with and is used by most of us daily – it’s Thanks. We know how to use it and we know the good that comes from it, but what does it actually mean?

Well, it comes from the same root word as “think” so when we say, “I thank you,” what we are really saying is, “I will think of you.” So presumably, because the person has done a good thing, the thoughts will be warm ones.

It’s a nice feeling to be thanked and now we know why. After all, what’s better in this world than to be well thought of by others?

September 1

IN the days before the world was properly explored mapmakers would fill in the blank areas of their maps with phrases like, “Here there be dragons” or “Here be monsters”.

Sir John Franklin, the famous maritime explorer, was said to scribble these notes out when he found them and replace with: “Here is God”. A reminder, perhaps, that there is no place unknown to him and whatever situation we find ourselves in He is already there.

“You answer us with awesome deeds of righteousness, O God our Saviour, the hope of all the ends of the earth and of the farthest seas.” (Psalm 65:5)

August

August 31

THOMAS GUY started his working life selling poorly printed Bibles. Eventually he imported better copies from the Continent and obtained a charter from Oxford University to print even better copies. Then he made his fortune.

But along the way he supported alms-houses, built hospital wards, and founded Guy’s Hospital. His legacy helped many homeless people and included funds to release prisoners from debtors’ jails in three counties.

All of which should make us think that Thomas Guy didn’t just sell the Bible – he read it, too.

August 30

SIR EDMUND HILLARY, one of the first men to set foot on the summit of Everest, said, “You don’t have to be a fantastic hero to do certain things. You can be just an ordinary chap – sufficiently motivated.”

Thankfully, there a lot of people out there who are “sufficiently motivated” to do a good job, set a good example, and help raise their families. I can’t think of many things more heroic. And when their quiet, steady efforts come to fruition I am sure they feel every bit as on top of the world as Sir Edmund did!

August 29

NICHOLAS Black Elk was a Sioux Medicine Man who saw no difficulty in combining the faith of his people with the Christianity he adopted after living in Great Britain. Perhaps feeling cut off from his familiar world in the hustle and bustle of London, he offered some advice that works equally well for those of us dealing with difficult people or situations.

“Some little root of the sacred tree still lives,” he said. “Nourish it.”

In other words, there really is good in everyone and in every situation. It’s up to us to find it and help it grow!

August 28

OG MANDINO was the world’s best-selling self-help author in his lifetime. His wife once recalled how this former Second World War bomber pilot used to plan his writing by sitting at his desk and staring at the blank wall in front of him, as if he was trying to fit together the pieces of a giant, invisible jigsaw.

Mandino’s philosophy was Bible-based. He believed that success was no mystery and that God provided all the pieces of that jigsaw puzzle. We just have to look for them, he felt, and be prepared to fit them into our lives.

“Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in your law.” (Psalm 119:18)

August 27

I DO appreciate and like the Gaelic tradition of anam cara. “Anam” means “soul” and “cara” means “friend.” A “soul-friend” in times gone by was often a teacher or spiritual advisor.

But these days it means the kind of friend you were always destined to be with. The one who understands – and shares – your lows and your highs.

The question is, can you become an anam cara, or is it in fact a pre-destined thing? Who knows? It is a wonderful thing to aim for, surely, and we lose nothing by trying and may gain a soul-friend in the process.

August 26

A STORY is told of the Welsh poet George Herbert. He was on his way to band practice with friends one day when he stopped along the way to help a man whose cart had fallen on him. Arriving dishevelled, and telling the story, his friends suggested he had sullied his dignity.

In response he told them that helping the other man had provided music for his own soul that would play long after the act.

Then, in a fine touch of wry humour, he suggested they all retune their instruments.

August 25

AFTER the longest ever term in office, the US President Franklin Delano Roosevelt had these words inscribed on the fireplace in the State Dining-room.

“I prayer to heaven to bestow the best of blessings on this house and on all that shall hereafter inhabit it. May none but honest and wise men ever rule under this roof.”

A wonderful thought to leave behind and one we might take into our own homes, whether they are “ruled” by a man or a woman, and whether we have a stately fireplace or a three-bar heater.

May we be blessed, honest, and wise.

August 24

AFTER the Second World War, a famous French writer penned an inspiring story called “The Man Who Planted Trees”. In it, a shepherd living in a remote area, yet one devastated by conflict, gathers acorns to plant in the bare earth.

Many thousands have been inspired by this tale and have carried out tree planting, sure that the shepherd must have been a living person.

In fact, he sprang entirely from imagination – but the tree-planting became real just the same!

August 23

ONE of the great pilgrimage routes of medieval times was the nine hundred mile walk from Paris to Santiago de Compostela in Spain. Pilgrims completing the journey received blessings. After months of travelling they would come to the last stretch, rising up into the Cantabrian Mountains, but for many this was physically too much.

That’s why, at the beginning of the slope, there’s an ordinary-looking little building which houses the Door Of Pardon. Those who could go no further entered and were given the same blessings as if they had completed the journey.

We might fall short on our pilgrimage of life but Jesus makes sure we always have a Door Of Pardon whenever we stop. All we need to do is be on the right road.

“For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost.” – Luke 19:10

August 22

BRAILLE is the famous system of embossed type that enables the blind and the partially sighted to read and write. The story of its invention by someone who was blind himself is fascinating.

One day, a three-year-old boy named Louis Braille picked up an awl belonging to his shoemaker father, but the tool slipped and he was blinded in one eye; later an infection caused the loss of sight in his other eye.

Louis was born near Paris in 1809. A clever and bright child, he attended a school for the blind, where pupils were taught practical skills. They were also taught to read, but not to write. However, the method used to teach reading was difficult to master.

In 1821, Charles Barbier, a soldier who had invented for military purposes a system of night-writing using twelve embossed dots, visited the school. His system had never been widely used but Louis saw its potential. After a great deal of hard work Braille was born and, in 1827, the first Braille book was published.

Braille has opened new doors of opportunity, enabling the visually impaired not only to read but to write, read music, and even do mathematics.

August 21

HERE is a message that has come down to us from a man called Gregory of Nyssa who lived in the second century:

The power of God is capable of finding hope where hope no longer exists, and a way where the way is impossible.

August 20

IF you choose to study art, exhibit at the Royal Academy, and eventually return to your homeland as Professor of Painting and Sculpture at the University of New York, then I imagine you might well feel surprised to find that your name lives on not as an artist, but an inventor.

Yet such was the fate of Samuel Morse. It was during a sea voyage that he happened to hear a discussion of electromagnets, and that was to be the spark that led to the development of the electric telegraph, and the code that enabled a giant leap forward in the field of long-distance communication.

In later life he became well known for his donations to good causes, but his greatest gift to the world came in the form of dots and dashes.

August 19

THE great industrialist Henry Ford once described enthusiasm as “the sparkle in your eyes, the swing in your gait, the grip of your hand, the irresistible surge of will, and the energy to expand your ideas. Enthusiasts have fortitude. They have staying qualities. Enthusiasm is at the bottom of all progress.”

The word enthusiasm comes from the Greek words “en theos” which mean “in God”. Is it any wonder enthusiasts achieve so much?

August 18

IN Giovanni Guareschi’s books, his character, Don Camillo, has a very personal relationship with Christ. The Italian priest, having fallen into one argument too many with the local Communists, is banished to a mountain retreat where his patience is soon fraying at the edges. He complains that the peace will drive him mad and “nothing ever happens”.

“I don’t understand you, Don Camillo,” Christ answered. “Every day the sun rises and sets, every night you see billions of stars wheeling their way overhead, and all the while the grass grows and one season succeeds another. Aren’t these the most important of all happenings?”

The next time we feel bored, instead of complaining, let’s look around us and open our eyes to the wonders and beauty of the earth and world around us.

August 17

RATTLESNAKES, for me, are denizens of either the desert, tropical rainforests, or cowboy films. I have, thankfully, never met one in person.

But it is known that if one is cornered it will become so aggressive (or defensive) that it might actually bite itself in its need to attack.

Sadly, humans do something similar. We will all know of cases where people held grudges long after the other person had forgotten whatever the incident was, which is like poisoning yourself for no reason.

Don’t do things that hurt others. But, more importantly, don’t hurt yourself just to prove a point.

The point might slip away while the venom remains.

August 16

A WORLD of such infinite variety as ours can be an amazing experience. And yet, for all our love of variety, we are usually more comforted by the things we have in common.

Something was added to that commonality around about this time in 1675, when the foundation stone of the Greenwich Observatory was laid. From that came a common time. People around the world set their clocks by Greenwich Mean Time.

And, what about those who don’t use clocks, you may well ask.

They use the sun, which is what Greenwich uses, so we are still all in time with each other.

August 15

ONE of the reasons Vincent Van Gogh’s painting “The Starry Night” is so sought after is probably because, at the time, there was nothing else like it.

The artist, who had his own psychological issues, once described normality as being like a paved road: it was comfortable to walk, but no flowers grew. It’s an uncomfortable truth. Comfort is fine, except we generally want more of it. And more.

Enjoy it. Try to attain it – within reason. Don’t let it be so all-covering it excludes the chance of a beautiful weed, an exotic flower – or a starry night.

August 14

PERCY BYSSHE SHELLEY was born in August 1792. He would become one of England’s – and the world’s – greatest poets.

He is admired for his romantic verses and respected for the philosophies they contain.

But he found no literary fame in his own lifetime. Those philosophies, politically and socially challenging as they were, meant publishers shied away from his work.

History has proven them wrong and the poet right. Some, like Shelley, are so far ahead the world needs to run to catch up with them.

August 13

WHEN Britain was at war with Napoleon the First, an English soldier was found trying to launch a raft made of branches into the Channel.

Visiting him in jail, Napoleon declared the soldier must have been mad to take to sea on such a flimsy craft. Or the woman he was trying to get home to must have been very beautiful!

“She is my mother,” the soldier replied. “She is old. She is infirm. And she is very beautiful to me.”

Napoleon, so the story goes, sent the soldier home on a French ship under a flag of truce.

With a purse of gold for his mother.

August 12

SIR John Templeton was one of the richest men in the world. But he was also a philanthropist and deeply interested in matters of the soul. Time magazine listed him as a Power Giver who enabled many others to chase their dreams.

One of his favourite pieces of advice was, “an attitude of gratitude creates blessings”. The next time you find yourself challenged by problems, remember Sir John’s advice.

Take a moment to give thanks for all that’s good in your life, then watch how an “attitude of gratitude” makes everything better!

August 11

IN the days before London had proper pavements John Ruskin, the art critic, was out walking one evening accompanied by a friend.

“What disgusting stuff!” his friend said, referring to the mud beneath their boots.

Ruskin disagreed, pointing out that the mud consisted of sand: “And what is nicer than clean, white sand?” The water that made the mud soggy was the same element that made the sparkling dewdrop. And the soot that fell everywhere in London in those days was carbon which “in its crystallised perfection forms the diamond”.

You might think it takes an extraordinary person to see diamonds in the mud but we can do the same if we decide to see everything in the best possible light.

August 10

EVERY Olympic Games begins with the torchbearer carrying the Olympic Flame to the host city, but in Ancient Greece running with a torch was actually an event. It would take skill and planning, the weather would play a part, as would the route taken, and the first person to cross the finishing line with his torch still lit was the winner.

In life we will be subject to changes, distractions, and stormy weather. It’s up to us to run our race as smartly as those athletes of old did. The only difference is that when we cross that final finishing line, each and every one of us whose torch of faith still burns will be a winner.

“For this reason, I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands.” – Timothy II 1:6

August 9

WILLIAM CAREY dedicated his life to spreading the gospel in India, serving as a missionary there from 1793 until his death in 1834. He hoped to translate Scripture into as many Indian languages and dialects as possible and established a large print shop where translators worked, as well as typesetters, compositors, pressmen, and writers.

One day while he was teaching in Calcutta, a fire started in the printing room. Despite all efforts, the building burned to the ground, destroying the library, type sets, large quantities of paper, dictionaries, deeds, and account books. His entire life’s work was gone.

When he surveyed the scene, he wept and said, “In one short evening the labours of years are consumed. How unsearchable are the ways of God . . . The LORD has laid me low, that I may look more simply to him.”

Little did William Carey know that the fire would bring his work to the attention of people everywhere. Volunteers and donations helped rebuild and expand the printing operation, eventually publishing the Bible in many languages and dialects.

“But we have this treasure in earthen vessels that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us.” – Corinthians II 4:7

August 8

ISAAC Walton, a 17th-century writer and philosopher, was once out walking with a friend when a heavy shower descended. He invited the friend to shelter under a high honeysuckle hedge.

“There we’ll sit and sing,” he said, “while this shower falls so gently upon the teeming earth, and gives yet a sweeter smell to the lovely flowers that adorn these verdant meadows.”

Most of us caught in inclement weather these days won’t be smelling flowers and honeysuckle on verdant meadows, but should we be thinking a little kindlier of the rain knowing it will help flowers and plants to thrive in our gardens? Without the rain from the heavens they would soon perish.

August 7

STUDIES of some of the oldest cave paintings in the world suggest that they may have been made by “Neanderthal Man”, meaning that they pre-date homo sapiens.

That means the urge to create art is older than our species! So, if the Neanderthals “invented” art, and we simply inherited it, where did they get the idea from?

Perhaps the urge to create is simply left over from the original Creation. Or perhaps Creation itself is an ongoing experience, and art is simply the best way we mortals can express how it feels being part of that experience.

Whatever it is, we need neither excuses nor deep philosophies to add our unique brushstrokes to the cosmic canvas. Paint, write, sculpt, craft. Or simply live your life like it’s a work of art. Who are we to disagree with such a positive, beautiful, essential – and seemingly eternal – instinct?

Wouldn’t that be a fine way to thank the greatest artist of all?

August 6

WHEN economists or market analysts make predictions, they often allow for a “margin of error”. If their prediction lands somewhere in that zone, they reckon it a success.

You might expect people dealing with money to be specific and precise, but no, they usually give themselves some leeway too.

When we are dealing with people, on the other hand, we are often much more demanding. We should have our standards and expectations, but it might be wise – and kind – always to allow others a decent margin of error.

After all, it’s inevitable that we will find ourselves in that margin from time to time.

August 5

WRITERS often draw inspiration from the things they see around them and share it with the world through their work. But playwright Tennessee Williams thought it applied to everyone.

“We are all here to bear witness to something,” he wrote, “to be of some aid and direction to other people.”

Let’s hope the story we bear witness to – and reflect in our life – provides useful aid and good direction to all who see our “play”.

August 4

VIRTUE brings its own reward.” It’s a bit of an ambiguous turn of phrase; perhaps even a warning that we really shouldn’t expect any other kind of benefit.

But happily, as Scottish journalist C.B. Forbes pointed out, there is at least one good quality which brings its own very definite reward.

He said, “Cheerfulness is among the most laudable virtues. It gains you the good will and friendship of others. It blesses those who practise it and those upon whom it is bestowed.”

And I cannot think of a better payment than that.

August 3

ONE of the delights of sending good deeds out into the world is that no-one can even begin to anticipate where they will end up or the wonders they will achieve on their way.

It’s a thought summed up perfectly by an anonymous philosopher: “The blossom cannot tell what becomes of its fragrance as it drifts away, just as no person can tell what becomes of their influence as they continue through life.”

August 2

CLARA, the wife of composer Robert Schumann, often performed her husband’s works after his death. But to do his music full justice she would first re-read old love letters which he had sent her. In this way she felt his spirit fill her; she had even greater understanding of his works and was better able to perform them.

In the Bible we have the greatest love letter of all. Through reading it we come closer to understanding the will of God and, like Clara with her husband’s masterpieces, we are better able to carry out the work.

“But if anyone obeys his word, God’s love is truly made complete in him. This is how we know we are in him.” – John 1 2:5

August 1

Isaiah 40 is a cherished verse that says: “Those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles.” It provides great comfort when we are facing hardship, with a promise that although life will bring its share of challenges, with God’s help we will get through.

But did you know that an eagle can sense when a storm is coming, and rather than take shelter it will go to the highest point and wait? When the storm comes it will launch itself into the winds and soar above the raging tempest.

There’s something very reassuring about the striking image of an eagle flying high in the sky, meeting trouble head on and rising above it. As Isaiah says, with God’s help we will always be able to do the same.

July

July 31

BEING a scientist doesn’t mean you can’t also be poetic. Rachel Carson, a biologist in the mid-1900s, wasn’t intending to be poetic when she wrote the following, but I think she managed it anyway.

“Those who contemplate the beauty of the earth,” she wrote, “find reserves of strength that will endure as long as life lasts. There is symbolic and actual beauty in the migration of birds, the ebb and flow of the tides, the folded bud ready for spring. There is something infinitely healing in the repeated refrains of nature – the assurance that dawn comes after night, and spring after the winter.”

July 30

“COULD do better.” It’s a comment which has appeared on many a school report at one time or another, and which sometimes, sadly, could be equally applied to aspects of our later lives.

Most of us are full of good intentions but find it just too hard to do as well as we know we could and ironically, awareness of our own shortcomings often makes us feel we’re not confident enough to ask for help.

However, remember the words of Jesus as told in Mark 2:17: “They that are whole have no need of the physician, but they that are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”

So take heart. There is one great Teacher who never, ever gives up on us.

July 29

ONE of the traditions of the Native Americans that still survives is the Yurok Brush Dance. It is held to create “good medicine” for children who are ill and anyone who wants to may join in. The only requirement is that each dancer must enter the dance circle with a good heart, intending only the best, leaving behind all ill-will, selfishness, and bad feeling towards others.

These conditions are a truly worthwhile way of taking part in a bigger dance – the dance of life.

July 28

THERE’S one star – the sun – that fills our days with light. There are other stars that are easy to pick out on a clear night but there are millions of stars shining equally brightly, only they are too far away for us to see.

Each day countless people help others without it making the news, and, as a Finnish proverb reminds us: “Even the smallest star helps light up the darkness!”

July 27

THERE’S a sculpture on a Scottish seafront which depicts a fishing boat and a huge approaching wave. The inscription is an old Breton prayer: God, your sea is so great and my boat is so small.

We might be great or small, powerful or weak, but at one time or another we all need help. As the fishermen from Brittany recognised only too well, there is one defence we can all call on whatever the circumstances.

“He replied, ‘You of little faith, why are you so afraid?’ Then he got up and rebuked the wind and the waves and it was completely calm.” – Matthew 8: 26

July 26

A fellow citizen runs an internet site where local people can give away things they don’t need any more. The operator of the site knows that a lot of the things that take up space in garages or in the attic could be put to good use. And, besides, the council often charge to have these things uplifted.

“But the most wonderful thing is that people who get the most out of it are usually those giving things away.”

Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. – Luke 6:38

July 25

WHEN was the last time you changed some aspects of your life? Change is inevitable, though many people fear it. If you are struggling with a situation you are afraid of, ask yourself what exactly it is that you fear. Then face up to it and alter the situation. You’ll normally find that the change was not as daunting as you first thought – it might even be the best thing you ever did!

July 24

IT’S interesting to note that Erich Fried first found fame in Germany through his political poetry, but later in life he focused more on verses of love; almost as if his passion, or his priority, had moved a foot or so south, from his head to his heart.

It’s a notion he himself tackles in one of his works where he tries to teach his head that “a good heart is more use as a brain.”

What would the world be like, we must wonder, if we moved more of our thinking a foot or so south?

July 23

PEOPLE often extoll the benefits of a good walk or, in some way, getting out and about in the natural world. One of the greatest musicians who ever lived credited the activity as a major influence on his work.

“How happy I am,” Beethoven wrote, “to be able to walk among the shrubs, the trees, the woods, the grass, and the rocks! For the woods, the trees, and the rocks give man the resonance he needs.”

If you can get out and about I am sure you will understand what the great composer meant. If you can’t, then his beautiful music, inspired by those walks, will surely have a similarly uplifting effect.

July 22

IF you look closely enough in the middle of summer you can see the beginnings of autumn. Those brambles and horse chestnuts don’t just appear from nowhere. The preparatory work begins about halfway through the previous season.

Another way of looking at it is that each season is its own wonderful self but is also the servant of the season to come. It wouldn’t be a bad way to live our lives either: exploring how wonderful this world is, but spending just as much time being the servant of the world to come.

July 21

HAVE you ever felt that your life lacks opportunity? It’s true that not every door can open for us – but if anyone is tempted to feel sorry for themselves, it’s worth reflecting over this quotation from Brother David Steindl-Rast:

“We have thousands of opportunities every day to be grateful: for having good weather, to be able to sit in such a beautiful room on such comfortable furniture, to have slept well last night, to be able to get up, to be healthy, to have enough to eat. There’s opportunity upon opportunity to be grateful; that’s what life is.”

July 20

BEFORE he became a General, “Stonewall” Jackson was simply Thomas Jackson, college professor.

Professor Jackson had a thankful attitude to life. “I never raise a glass of water to my lips,” he wrote, “without asking God’s blessing, never seal a letter without putting a word of prayer under the seal, never change my classes in the lecture room without a minute’s petition for the students who go out and those who come in.”

Could you fit a few more blessings and thanks into your day?

July 19

HOW do you cope with setbacks? Do you tend to adopt a “Woe is me” attitude, or do you try to see adversity as part of a bigger plan?

Explorer Samuel Hearne was at the beginning of a major expedition in northern Canada when thieves stole most of his supplies. In his diary he wrote: “The weight of our baggage being lightened, our next day’s journey was more swift and pleasant.”

Then Jesus said to his disciples: “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Life is more than food and the body more than clothes.” (Luke 12:22–23)

July 18

A WATER fountain can just be an ornamental addition to a garden, or it may give vital nourishment and life to the plants growing around it. But what about a “fountain of gladness” – what’s that?

Well, author Washington Irving may not have been a gardener, but he certainly knew people. “A kind heart,” he informs us, “is a fountain of gladness, making everything in its vicinity freshen into smiles.”

July 17

THIS is one of the most fascinating facts from the space programme. Accelerating takes the Space Shuttle into a higher, slower, orbit around the Earth, while decelerating causes the shuttle to fall into a tighter, faster orbit. So, slowing down actually makes it go faster!

In a way it’s the same with family life. When our lives are “full speed ahead” our relationships slow down. But when we put our foot on the brake, slowing down, we actually get far more of the important stuff done.

July 16

IN Chinese tradition, harp strings have long been a symbol of friendship. It stems from a story of a skilled harp player and a skilled listener.

When the harpist played music from the mountains, the listener would proclaim he could practically see the hill before him. When the harpist played water music, the listener sighed and said he could feel the crystal stream flowing around his feet. However, when the listener died the harpist cut his strings and never played again.

We don’t all get to play beautiful music in this life, but the music is only half the story. As the harpist found out, it’s the skilled listener who makes it all worthwhile!

July 15

TELLING the tale of Nicholas Nickleby in 1839, Charles Dickens wrote, “They kept on, with unabated perseverance, and the hill has not yet lifted its face to heaven that perseverance will not gain the summit of at last.”

It took another 114 years before Tenzing Norgay and Edmund Hillary stood on the summit of Mount Everest but, writing like that, Dickens must always have believed that someone would!

No-one ever said perseverance was a fast option – but it’s what will get you there in the end. A continued steady belief or persistent effort.

July 14

THE writer Grenville Kleiser once said, “To live at this time is an inestimable privilege, and a sacred obligation devolves upon you to make right use of your opportunities.”

Would you agree? Well, Kleiser did the majority of his writing in the run-up to World War I. Life was hardly a bed of roses back then, for anyone. But I imagine it was life itself, rather than the circumstances surrounding it, that he thought so highly of.

Circumstances will always change, sometimes for the better, sometimes for the worse, but life will always remain a wonderful gift. And, having received that gift, why would we do anything other than “make right use” of it?

July 13

KRUMMHOLZ is the German word for “crooked wood” and it describes the trees that grow in exposed places. You often see them, stunted and misshapen, on coastal cliff-tops where they are bombarded by salt-water rain and Atlantic gusts. They grow on the high hills where the soil may only be inches thick and icy winds scour the peaks.

But they grow where little else does, they raise their heads above the parapets, they take a chance on life and, despite everything that gets thrown at them, they stand!

We all know people like that and should be full of admiration for them.

The next time you see a krummholz don’t judge it in comparison to trees that grow in better climates. Give it a metaphorical tip of the hat for, heroically, being there at all.

July 12

THE Ainu are an indigenous people living in Japan and Russia. Those modern cultures have all but destroyed the Ainu customs and ways. Their language – which has no written version – is believed to be spoken only by a very few, usually very old, people.

Why do I mention this?

Because the Ainu language has no words with which one person might abuse or denigrate another.

Something worth preserving?

And something worth emulating?

July 11

GREEK philosopher Aristotle was said to have given alms to a man deemed unworthy.

Perhaps called upon to explain himself, Aristotle defended the action rather than the man.

“I did give,” he said, “but it was to mankind.”

Like Aristotle’s friends, we probably spend far too much time deciding who is worthy and who is unworthy of our help. But, as the great man pointed out, we are all mankind. If we help one of God’s children, we help the whole family.

July 10

ADA LOUISE HUXTABLE, the American architect and critic, wrote about this time of year: “Summer is the time when one sheds one’s tensions with the world, and the right kind of day is jewelled balm for the battered spirit. A few of those days and you can become drunk with the belief that all’s right with the world.”

As a Pulitzer-Prize winning writer, Ms Huxtable might be considered to know what she was talking about. But if it is not too presumptuous, perhaps you will bear with me while I clarify two points.

Firstly, may this summer have enough days like that to convince you that all is, in fact, well with the world. Secondly, may I wish us the shedding of those tensions anyway. Leave them aside long enough to breathe, to relax, to see the beauty that surrounds us – and we might never pick them up again!

Summer. It’s good for what ails us.

July 9

HE is the kaleidoscope of the rainbow,

The chuckle of a stream,

The lark’s glad call, the lily’s perfume.

He is the bud on the branch,

The rich gleam of the fox’s fur,

The shy gaze of a fawn,

The small cloud caught in a crate of trees.

He is the gold that crowns the daffodils,

The whisper in the wind, the song in the rain,

The story of the seasons.

He is life and love, the beginning and the end,

An hour, a day, an eternity.

July 8

ST BASIL had more to do with gardening than just sharing his name with a herb! He was one of the early organisers of communal monastic living, teaching young friars how to make their community self-sufficient, often through growing their own produce.

One of his gardening tips, given around 1700 years ago, is still valid today. “He who sows courtesy reaps friendship,” St Basil said. “And he who plants kindness gathers love.”

“They sowed fields and planted vineyards that yielded a fruitful harvest.” (Psalm 107:37)

July 7

IN one of the old King Arthur legends, we hear of the brave knights Percival and Gawain. They have been on a long quest through the forest, and Gawain’s page has kept his armour spotless, polished shiny bright.

But Percival doesn’t have a page and his armour has rusted to the point where it could never again be like Gawain’s. Yet as the setting sun shone “full upon the knights twain, the one did seem all shining with light, and the other all to glow with ruddy fire.”

We may not all be perfect as the world defines perfection but all it takes is the right light to show the beauty in everyone.

July 6

ONE of our most enduring hymns, “Blest Be The Tie That Binds”, was written by John Fawcett in 1782. He was born to poor parents in Yorkshire in 1740 and, at the age of sixteen, became a Christian. Aged twenty-six, the young man was ordained as a Baptist minister and accepted a call to serve a small, impoverished congregation at Wainsgate.

After spending several years there on a meagre salary, Mr Fawcett was given the opportunity to take over a large church in London. However, on the day of their scheduled departure, he and his wife could not bear to leave their congregation; they unpacked and stayed.

Fawcett continued his ministry to the people of Wainsgate for more than fifty years and remained there until he died on 25 July, 1817. This man truly understood the meaning of brotherly love and the beautiful tie that binds us to one another.

July 5

WRITER John Grisham recalled a time at college when a good friend called him over to share the news that he was terminally ill. Grisham asked his friend how anyone coped with a situation like that.

“It’s real simple,” his friend replied, “you get things right with God and spend as much time with those you love as you can.”

Life might often seem as complicated as a John Grisham novel but the important things are always “real simple” and his friend’s advice is surely a sound philosophy to live by.

July 4

JOHN Gardner held high-flying positions in the Carnegie Corporation founded by the American-Scot and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie, but he knew the care and attention he brought to his work could be applied equally to those who swept the road or the gardener lovingly preparing a patch of earth in the spring.

“Whoever I am,” he wrote, “and whatever I am doing, some kind of excellence is within my reach.”

So, when you paint that fence, deal with those weeds, or make that cup of tea for a friend or someone close to you, do it excellently!

July 3

THE major ports may have been smoky places in the days of Sir Francis Drake. After all, Plymouth, Portsmouth and the rest would have depended on coal, wood, and oil for cooking, heating, and industry.

He could have been referring to leaving such pollution behind when he wrote, “Losing sight of land, we shall find the stars.” But actually, he meant that God never takes us beyond our known limits without providing new guidance when we get there.

A comforting thought for the fabled sailor – and for each of us on our personal voyage.

July 2

Unless you are in Hollywood, footprints in cement are usually accidental and quickly smoothed away. But I know of two instances where they were left. And they were made at either end of life.

Jean’s dad was a Pathfinder in the RAF during World War II. He and his fellow pilots flew into occupied Europe ahead of any ground attack.

In later life he all but lost his sight, and wandered on to some wet cement. Two shallow prints remain and Jean often stands in them, remembering the man who set her on her path through life.

The other, smaller, step is in front of a church. Some time ago a weary mother stood her toddler down on a step that was being repaired and hadn’t set yet.

It is said when the labourer went to wipe the marks away the gaffer told him, “Stay your hand, lad. The LORD surely won’t mind a child’s footprints leading the way into His house.”

July 1

FLOWERS, and all things green and growing, give a great deal of pleasure to so many of us. The American poet Celia Thaxter celebrated the tranquil peace of a garden at the dawn of a new day in these words:

“When in those fresh mornings I go into my garden before anyone is awake, I go for the time being into perfect happiness. In this hour, divinely fresh and still, the fair face of every flower salutes me with a silent joy that fills me with infinite content; each gives its colour, its grace, its perfume, and enriches me with the consummation of its beauty.”

June

June 30

READING about the challenges faced by the ruby-throated hummingbird was fascinating. Most of these tiny birds’ winter between southern Mexico and northern Panama. The trip there takes them across the Gulf of Mexico, a non-stop flight of up to five hundred miles, which can last eighteen to twenty-two hours, depending on the weather.

These tiny hummingbirds average about fifty-three wing beats per second in normal flight and have an average lifespan of three or four years.

When these brilliant, iridescent creatures return to the bird feeders of Canadian gardens each summer, homeowners rejoice and marvel. They are surely one of Nature’s most amazing wonders.

June 29

HERE is a memorable quotation from the pen of the French Impressionist painter Camille Pissarro. It is well worth keeping in mind:

Blessed are they who see beautiful things in humble places where other people see nothing.

June 28

A SEEKER after wisdom decided to test his teacher. Pointing to a large boulder in a field, he asked the teacher how heavy it was.

“Not heavy at all,” was the teacher’s reply.

“But, sir,” the frustrated student replied, “that boulder could crush both of us!”

“Yes,” the teacher replied. “If we tried to pick it up it would be very heavy, but walking on past it, as we are, I do not find it to be heavy at all.”

Choose the weights you want to carry. Feel free to walk around the rest.

June 27

IN “A Study In Scarlet”, Sherlock Holmes compares the brain to an attic, saying it can only store so many things.

If he wants to remember the important things, he insists, then he must forget some trivial things.

I’m not saying that’s how it works, but I’m not saying it’s wrong.

I am saying that before we decide we are smarter than someone else, we might wonder what they think is important to know, and if it makes their life, or other people’s lives, better.

June 26

IT doesn’t cost a penny, it doesn’t cost a dime,

Yet, on show, there is no doubt, it’s stood the test of time.

It doesn’t cost a rouble, a euro or a yen,

Yet it has been with us since I don’t know when,

The dividend’s enormous, yet the cost of it is nil,

And all it takes to use it is what is called goodwill.

So, when you next see a stranger, simply pause a while,

And with no hesitation, give them a great big smile . . .

June 25

WHAT is your definition of a miracle? Buddhist monk Thích Nhất Hanh says: “People usually consider walking on water or in thin air a miracle. But I think the real miracle is not to walk either on water or in thin air, but to walk on earth. Every day we are engaged in a miracle which we don’t even recognise: a blue sky, white clouds, green leaves, the black, curious eyes of a child – our own two eyes. All is a miracle.”

June 24

WE can never really get to know all the good unleashed in the world by a single kind act. But Dr David Hamilton tried to figure it out.

In a project called the 3-Degree Ripple Rule, he showed how someone on the receiving end of a kind act will generally pass that good feeling on to others. And they will pass it on to yet another group.

He estimated – conservatively – that for each act of kindness done to an individual, sixteen people will be positively affected.

How many people would you like to cheer up today?

June 23

ELIZABETH HARRISON taught teachers professional standards in the late 19th century. She started off teaching young children so she knew what she was talking about.

A Nobel Peace Prize winner once said of her that she “did more good than any woman I know. She brought light and power to all the educational world.”

How did she do all that? Well, through decades of hard work and perseverance. But the personal philosophy at the core of her work might serve any one of us who would make a difference for the better.

It was simply this – “Those who are lifting the world upward and onward are those who encourage more than they criticise.”

June 22

MOTHER TERESA of Calcutta had her own understanding of joy. She described it as prayer, love, a net of love by which you can catch souls. A joyful heart, she said, is the inevitable result of a heart aflame with love.

May you have joy within you, today and every day.

June 21

JOHN CHAPMAN – also known as Johnny Appleseed – achieved near legendary fame by planting apple orchards across the still-expanding United States. He believed apples, with their promise of countless edible harvests, were a symbol of hope.

He also carried books with him on his travels, usually of the uplifting and inspirational type. If he found anyone in need of cheer he would cut out pages, even chapters, and make a gift of them.

Fruit and books were Johnny Appleseed’s way of planting seeds of encouragement. With a little imagination we could surely do the same.

June 20

WHEN did your postman last deliver to you a handwritten letter from a friend? In today’s world of mobile phones, email, and the internet, we can communicate almost instantly with friends and relatives across the globe.

However, none of these will ever be the same as receiving a handwritten letter, which you can keep, perhaps treasure, and re-read as often as you wish. There is something about the feel of a sheet of writing paper and matching envelope, or an illustrated notelet, with a friend’s personal writing style, that electronic communication can never compete with.

So, instead of picking up the phone or logging onto your computer, take a few minutes to write a letter with that fountain pen hiding at the back of your bureau. The trouble you have taken and your thoughtfulness will be greatly appreciated. And you can enjoy a walk in the fresh air to the post-box!

June 19

IN Ancient Greece theatre tragedies were generally four-act plays and, of course, everything went wrong in the last act. Comedies, though, had five acts, and everything turned out well in the fifth act, leaving both audience and cast contented and happy.

You could say that a year is split into four acts – spring, summer, autumn, and winter. If our lives were to follow the same pattern, as they so often seem to, they might well be described as tragedies. But, thankfully, we have the promise of more up above, where everything will turn out for the best.

“And the LORD shall deliver me from every evil work, and will preserve me unto his heavenly kingdom: to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.” (Timothy II 4:18)

June 18

ST CHRISTOPHER is the patron saint of travellers. It is said he was tall and strong and he used his great strength to carry travellers across a river which had no bridge.

One dark night he heard the sound of a baby crying and found it lying helplessly on the bank. He lifted it up and set off in the fast-flowing water. As he waded across, he was surprised to feel the weight on his back grow heavier with every step.

On reaching the other side and putting down his heavy load he saw that he had, in fact, carried Christ himself. Aptly, the name Christopher means “Christ-bearer”.

June 17

HOW did a boy raised on the pampas of South America grow up to become one of Britain’s finest naturalists? William Henry Hudson loved the family ranch but books he read about the English countryside and all it had to offer inspired him and, aged 33, he made the decision to set sail for Southampton.

His sketchy education did not fit him for any kind of job so, notebook in hand, he roamed the woods and fields, watching birds and animals and writing about what he observed outdoors in articles and books such as “Nature In Downland”.

When he died in 1922 he was buried under a tree in Worthing Cemetery. The inscription on his stone reads: He loved the birds and green places and the wind on the heath, and saw the brightness of the skirts of God.

June 16

BECAUSE they are used to looking down in the direction of flowers, if a bumble bee lands in a tumbler it will bounce about the sides and the bottom, unaware it could escape by flying upwards.

And despite being incredibly nimble in the air, bats can’t take off from a flat surface. They need to drop before they can rise again.

We humans often feel bogged down by our daily responsibilities, often feeling challenged by our workload, and reluctant to believe we can “escape”. Well, like the bee and the bat, all we need to do is look upwards.

“Your eyes will see the king in his beauty and view a land that stretches afar.” (Isaiah 33:17)

June 15

DAME MARGOT FONTEYN was one of the world’s greatest prima donnas, in the original meaning of being the “first lady” of the ballet company.

But the term has another meaning these days. Prima donnas are sometimes women (and men) who want everything their way and make a big fuss if they don’t get what they want.

I have no idea how difficult Dame Margot was to work with; how much like that second sort of prima donna she was.

But a clue to that might be in these words of hers we might apply equally well to whatever it is we do.

“Take your work seriously, but never yourself.”

June 14

THE Wayland Smithy in Oxfordshire isn’t actually a smithy. It is a restored stone-age burial site, surrounded, in part now, by standing stones. The name Wayland has connections with blacksmithing and legend has it that if you leave your horse there overnight, along with a silver coin, your horse will be shod by the morning. That would be something to be thankful for.

Or we could simply admire the craftsmanship of the tomb and be thankful for having a horse and a silver coin. I know I would be. Would you?

June 13

THE Reverend Gilbert White was a “parson-naturalist.” In his walks about the parish in the late 18th century he observed and noted a wealth of detail concerning the wildlife who lived there. Such was his concern and interest in the birds and animals of his district that, after his death, his admirers created Britain’s first bird sanctuary in his memory.

His journals are full of observations and understanding which will leave the reader educated and amazed. In particular, there are entries concerning a certain hedgehog. After a parishioner died the Reverend was considerate enough to take her hibernating hedgehog to his own home and take care of it. Which tells you all you need to know about the man.

But the hedgehog entries among the detailed notes and accurate records will tell you something more. All the knowledge in the world is worth nothing if it is not, eventually, put towards the care of some person or some little creature.

June 12

Rivers meander. For the people who live alongside them it must seem like they always existed in their familiar course, but weather and geological conditions almost invariably mean that most rivers have flowed in a dazzling variety of paths.

Some so-called “primitive” societies learned literally to “go with the flow”. Much as we might like the security of the familiar in life, and as difficult as change might be, everything changes. It comes with life’s territory.

Don’t stay in the one place, physically or emotionally, for ever. Allow yourself a little meander from time to time.

June 11

IN 1924 the New York Symphony Orchestra played Beethoven’s Symphony Number 9 to an audience in the Carnegie Hall. I am sure the musicians and the music lovers all enjoyed the experience.

The performance was broadcast live via radio. The broadcaster (and the people who built the radios) all did their job well and an audience of many more thousands enjoyed the concert.

For some time afterwards the conductor had messages of appreciation from people who had enjoyed listening to the piece. But the letter from Helen Keller, who had been deaf and blind almost from birth, must have been a great surprise.

A friend had unscrewed the cover from her radio. She had placed her hand on the speaker and enjoyed “an ocean of heavenly vibrations.”

When we put good, or truth, or beauty into the world, we never know who might benefit from it and it often does good in ways we could never imagine.

Sometimes we simply have to do our bit – and stand by to be amazed by the results.

June 10

ARTUR SCHNABEL was one of the most respected classical pianists of the 20th century. While others praised his ability, he tended to downplay it a little.

“The notes I handle no better than my pianists,” he said. “But the pauses between the notes . . . that is where the art resides.”

If our lives were musical scores then many of the notes would be the same no matter who was playing: work, relationships, commuting, paying the bills. But the pauses – ah, those are the spaces where we make our lives unique by taking time for appreciation, love, wonder, listening, doing all the things we don’t have to do.

Let’s make the most of our pauses, and turn life into a classical composition.

June 9

MUCH has been written about the lives and attributes of great leaders. And, surely, they are different from the rest of us.

But this thought, from John Quincy Adams, the sixth President of the United States, suggests that each of us “ordinary people” might fulfil a similar role.

“If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more, and become more,” he wrote, “then you are a leader.”

June 8

Do you like to be right?

Then, let me ask you, what sort of right do you like to be?

Do you prefer the kind where the people you surround yourself with and the publications you read all agree with you, and you with them?

The sort of right that is so sure of itself that it never needs to change?

Or the kind where you have stepped away from your own certainty for long enough to consider the other view, and what it might mean to the people who hold it?

The sort that is prepared to grow and change with new information and new understanding?

One of these is easy and satisfying, the other is more difficult and often troubling.

Both can be seen as right. The question is, what sort of right do you want to be?

June 7

THERE’S a story the Scottish writer and author of “Peter Pan”, J.M. Barrie, is supposed to have told.

It concerned a young monk who lived in a monastery surrounded by fields.

One summer day, his duties completed, he went for a walk.

While walking, the monk (Anselm was his name) saw a lark take flight. He stopped and listened, enraptured, as the bird seemingly sang its way up to heaven.

Eventually, deciding the day wouldn’t get much better than that, he turned and walked back to the monastery.

When he arrived, he recognised no-one there. And no-one there recognised him.

After much confusion, the records were checked and it seemed that a Brother Anselm had, indeed, lived there, but he had disappeared a hundred years ago.

There are moments when beauty, wonder, or the joy of life just wraps us up and time seems to stand still. Perhaps not for as long as Anselm, but clocks definitely have no place in moments like those.

I do hope you know them!

June 6

AN old tale speaks of a competition between two lumberjacks. They set out to see who could cut down the most trees in a day.

Both men powered through the morning, then, come lunchtime, one stopped for a break.

Seeing a chance to pull ahead, the other lumberjack kept chopping. By mid-afternoon, his energy began to fade away.

The man who stopped seemed renewed and won the competition.

“I chopped for longer and still lost!” the one man wailed. “You stopped! Surely having your lunch didn’t make all that difference.”

“Luch helped,” the winner explained. “But after lunch I sharpened my axe.”

Working smarter will always beat working longer.

June 5

IN 1950, Irish writer Frank O’Connor produced a short story called “The Idealist”. The main character was Delaney, an Irish schoolboy who read stories set in English public schools.

He wished he attended such a fine “old pile” and mixed with such “grand chaps”.

The “chaps” of the stories were adventurous, exciting, and shared a high moral standard.

His own school, he decided, was not at all like that. Comparing the two, he decided the problem wasn’t the school buildings, and it wasn’t the money or the resources available to the students.

“What was really wrong,” Delaney decided, “was ourselves.”

He decided to hold himself to the higher standard depicted in the books – and it all goes wrong.

I’ll depart from the story here to say, whether the stories were realistic or not, it does all come back to us.

If we see a better world somewhere, fictional or not, and we feel that’s the way our lives ought to be, then it’s up to us to make them so.

We might not change the whole world (or the whole school), but we will change our corner of it!

June 4

ON occasions, many of us will likely be tempted to feel gloomy about the state of the world, but one sure way of raising spirits is to think of the many wonderful people who make us feel good about humanity. They come from every century, every rung of the social ladder, and every part of the globe.

The one thing that unites them all is their belief that goodness will always triumph. As Martin Luther King Jr once said: “Even if I knew that tomorrow the world would go to pieces, I would still plant my apple tree.”

And that’s the sort of attitude that will always be fruitful.

June 3

HOW do you change a life? With the gifts you have. A music teacher probably didn’t think the lessons he gave at a reform school would do much good. Most of the boys there had already been in trouble with the law and would, perhaps, get into even more. What difference could music lessons make?

Well, one of those boys was called Louis Armstrong. The music teacher certainly changed Satchmo’s life!

How do you change a life? You take the gifts you have; you share them – and let God do the rest.

June 2

THE late Robert Runcie, the Archbishop of Canterbury from 1980 to 1991, was a cricket enthusiast, and often visited Lord’s cricket ground when a Test Match was being played.

On one occasion, rain was making it impossible for play to take place. Dr Runcie apologised to the Pakistan High Commissioner, who was also there to watch the game, and jokingly suggested that he must have brought the rain with him.

“Your Grace,” came the reply, “there is no need to apologise. In our country a guest who brings rain is an honoured and welcome guest.”

June 1

EVERY hour, on the hour, a new guard arrives at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington in the United States. The guard who is being relieved speaks but three words to greet his replacement: “Orders remain unchanged,” and this proud tradition has been maintained each and every year since 1937.

That absolute certainty in respect for those who died for their country is very reassuring. But there are other words for those who live in this world and they have remained unchanged for more than 2000 years.

“The entire law is summed up in a single command: ‘Love your neighbour as yourself’.” – (Galatians 5:14)

MAY

May 31

IT’S generally thought that writing was developed as an aid to commerce. Like the letter sent to the merchant trader Ea-nasir in about 1750 BCE, complaining about his inferior copper.

The tablet hardened over the centuries and the complaint is now engraved in stone in the British Museum.

If the businessman who wrote the letter had known this would be how the world remembered him, might he have been tempted to write something else?

Most of our written communications tend to be electronic these days. Ephemeral. How about bucking that trend and writing something on paper or card a reader might think worth preserving?

I will leave it to you to decide which words you use, but I am guessing they won’t be complaining ones.

May 30

APELLES, a fourth-century Greek painter, had the motto, “Not a day without a painted line”.

If you would be an expert at something, or even good at something, you could take worse advice.

Find something you enjoy, then do the equivalent of painting a line every day.

May 29

SOME years ago, the artist Bruno Catalano unveiled a series of statues in Marseilles called Les Voyageurs. The life-sized bronzed figures depicted travellers of different genders and social backgrounds. All of them carried bags.

And through some skilful artistry large parts of each figure, usually from the chest or abdomen, are missing. The statues look like they shouldn’t be able to support themselves – but they do. And the Voyagers seem intent on always moving forward.

Could he be saying, I wonder, that the urge to travel is deep in the human psyche, but in travelling we always leave something behind? And can that missing part in every traveller only be filled with home?

For most of us, when we travel, home is the people or place we will always go back to. For some, home is a person or place they hope to find. But, be it behind us or ahead of us, home is always the point of the journey.

And, so, there’s nothing to be pessimistic about there!

May 28

BACK in the days when more of us lived off the land there was a saying: “Chop your own wood and you will be twice warmed.”

The meaning should be self-explanatory. The woodcutter works up a sweat turning the felled tree into firewood. Then, once the wood has been cut and brought into the house, he gets warmed again by the fire.

But, perhaps, this advice could be qualified by adding a third warmth – the glow that comes from sharing that fire, and the results of your hard work, with family and others who may be present with you.

Not many of us cut our own firewood these days. But whatever our labours are – be they in the forest, the office, or the home – if we put our best into them, enjoy the benefits, and share those benefits with others then we, too, will be thrice warmed.

May 27

IN the first half of the 20th century, the poet Sarah Teasdale wrote about a philosopher. He was a man in his nineties who seemed to have nothing of material value and yet, when she looked at him, it seemed that his eyes still danced with unquenchable youth.

She asked him his secret and he told her it consisted of only two things.

“I make the most of all that comes, and the least of all that goes.” A philosophy from which we all might benefit.

May 26

THE photograph was of earth long dried in the sun. The ground had cracked and curled. But overnight a slight dew had formed. The moisture was mostly burned away by the rising sun, but some remained, a few inches down, in the shadows.

Also in these shadows were seeds, blown there by the warm breeze. Little shoots rose up, protected from the sun and wind by the walls of the cracks, and soon the desert floor was covered in little purple and pink flowers.

The situation can look very bleak, but sometimes it is the brokenness, the cracks in our lives, that allows new life, and new beginnings to blossom.

May 25

IT was a threatening misty morning.” “The wind was furious.” “All was cheerless and gloomy so we faced the storm.” “The wind seized our breath.”

So penned Dorothy Wordsworth in her Grasmere Journals. Her account was actually more positive than these extracts suggest. They are simply indications of the day she and her party ploughed through to get to the point where her brother William was inspired to write the immortal line, “When all at once I saw a crowd; a host of golden daffodils.”

The greatest beauties in this world don’t often simply appear on our doorsteps. Sometimes, we must venture out and win them, and the venturing out itself is often a large part of the beauty we find.

May 24

THE Apostle Matthew tells us that the road to eternal life is narrow and we traditionally think of it as rocky, being full of obstacles and temptations that might encourage us to give up.

The path is, no doubt, longer than the one that runs up Mount Snowdon, but for long stretches, that path is actually made of rocks. Nearby stones have been gathered and pavements and steps built. The hill is still as steep but the way is smoother.

The minister Henry Ward Beecher said: “Every charitable act is a stepping stone toward heaven.”

There will undoubtedly be rocks in our path. Whether they are obstacles in our way or a safer surface to travel along may well depend upon how charitable our walk is.

May 23

THERE is a passage in Anthony Trollope’s “Barchester Chronicles” which I always find touching. The daughter of Rev Harding says to her father: “May I travel with you, father?”

His reply is: “You always travel with me, my dear.”

A few simple words, but such a wealth of feeling and love. Isn’t this the way we feel about those we love, but often find it difficult to explain? They are always close to us in heart and mind. Whatever the distance or circumstances, we always travel together.

May 22

CHRISTINA ROSSETTI, in her poem “A Dumb Friend”, likened human friendship to her binding attachment to an evergreen tree which she had planted when both were young. From her window she had watched it grow and weather the seasons over many years.

She had sat beneath its protective, shady boughs, watched its movements in the “tender winds” and “rattling gale”, and noticed its ageing when “silvered by the frost”. This “faithful pleasant friend” now towered above her, and grew, she wrote, with her growth and was strengthened by her strength and, without speaking: “It seems a very friend to me, in all my secrets wise.”

Strong and silent friends, like the tree, are reliably ever present to share both fortune and misfortune. Mark Rutherford’s words about his friends adds impetus when he wrote: “It is always the unspoken, the unconscious, which is their reality to me. Another writer, Roberta Israeloff, remarked on something similar: “Silences and distances are woven into the texture of every true friendship.”

May 21

THE Canadian physicist Sir William Osler once voiced this opinion: “Nothing will sustain you more potently than the power to recognise in your humdrum routine (as perhaps it may seem) the true poetry of life.”

So, the next time your daily routine starts to seem a bit humdrum, look for the poem within. You may be pleasantly surprised.

May 20

IN these days of digital photography and advanced technology you might be surprised to know that some people still prefer to develop their films the old-fashioned way – in a dark room made in a place such as a garden shed.

It was there that one individual passed on their favourite photography tip. It wasn’t anything about cameras or exposures or lenses, it was these thought-provoking words:

“A photographer knows the best photos are developed in darkness. So, if you look around and your life seems dark, you can be sure God is using it to develop a beautiful picture for you.”

May 19

THE description of happiness by Jane Porter, the 18th century Scottish novelist, will surely keep the subject well-placed in our hearts.

“Happiness,” she wrote, “is a sunbeam which may pass through a thousand bosoms without losing a particle of its original ray.”

May 18

I would like to share with you these words of Antoine de Saint-Exupery, the French aviator and writer, who was killed in 1944 while making a reconnaissance flight over North Africa:

“Love does not consist in gazing at each other, but in looking together in the same direction.”

May 17

STEPPING STONES

NO-ONE likes to make mistakes

Or feel they’ve been a fool,

But those who never make mistakes

May never learn at all.

So don’t get too discouraged or

Dwell harshly or too long

On bygone slips or blunders,

Or the times you got it wrong.

Just think of them as stepping stones,

You’ve passed and left behind,

They’ve paved your path to wisdom, so

Move on with peace in mind.

May 16

GOT a problem? Set the committee to work.

Who are the committee? They are a resource available to most of us. And they don’t charge for their good work.

John Steinbeck described them and their work like this: “It is a common experience that a difficult problem at night is resolved in the morning after the committee of sleep has worked on it.”

May 15

IN 1799 Royal Marine Major Thomas Oldfield wrote that there was nothing in this world worth doing a mean action for: much less an unjust one. Yet, sometimes, to one degree or another, we still do.

But, when we do, we could worse than think along the major’s lines and ask, what was the reason? Then ask, was it worth it? And, might I act, and live, for better, nobler reasons?

May 14

WHEN Ernest Shackleton made his heroic attempt to bring rescue to his stranded crew after their disastrous expedition to the Antarctic, he had the distinct impression that he and his two companions were not alone.

“When I look back on those days I have no doubt that Providence guided us,” he later wrote. “I know that during that long and wracking march over the unnamed mountains and glaciers of South Georgia, it seemed to me that we were four, not three.”

Likewise, we need not be alone in times of trouble.

May 13

IT’S an old Buddhist saying, but it’s new to me. And, like all the great philosophies, such as “Love one another” and “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you”, it is remarkably simple.

“As a bee gathering nectar does not harm or disturb the colour and the fragrance of the flower; so do the wise move through the world.”

The Hollywood star and eco-warrior Woody Harrelson described his personal lifestyle in a similar fashion when he said, “I want to leave a light footprint in this world.”

And, in truth, the wiser we are and the softer we are with this beautiful world the longer it will remain a beautiful world.

May 12

THERE have been times, I’m sure, when you have had your soul filled by a sunset, when a story of tenderness has brought happy tears to your eyes, when you have watched children at play and been sure this must be what heaven is like.

But what happens to that wonderful feeling afterwards? All to often it dissipates. But how would it be if we took the feelings these moments inspired and turned them into some good and worthy deed which left someone else feeling just as happy?

The Persian poet Rumi summed it up: “Let the beauty we love become the good that we do.” And that wonderful feeling will be passed on, and will have a new beginning.

May 11

THE graceful impala, a member of the African antelope family, can teach us a lot about treading carefully. They’ve been known to jump distances of eleven metres and can leap to a height of over three metres, yet when placed in a zoo enclosure, surrounded by a low wall, they will never jump over it.

There’s a very simple reason for this. These beautiful creatures simply will not make a move if they can’t see where their feet will land. This way they won’t find themselves on shaky ground.

This is something we should, perhaps, remember the next time we’re tempted to leap before we look!

May 10

THERE are two “equal and eternal” ways of looking at the world, the writer G.K. Chesterton insisted.

“We may see it as the twilight of the evening, or the twilight of morning. We may think of anything, down to a fallen acorn, as a descendant or an ancestor.”

Are we, he asks, a young and experimental species, or are we nothing more than the inheritors of a glorious past?

An old story coming to an end, or a new story beginning? The wonder of this world and our lives is that something is always finishing and something is always springing to life.

Both sides of the equation are equally true. Which side seems the dominant one might depend on our circumstances.

We might be a glass half full or a glass half empty type of person, but the fact is that the glass is constantly emptying, and constantly being refilled.

Should we be sad about the world, or happy? Personally, I think we should be amazed!

May 9

WHEN Joan of Arc was being tried by her captors, they asked questions she thought none of their business, like details of her visions and of her private life.

Often they would be traps for her to incriminate herself.

To those questions, she would respond, “Passez outre”, by which she meant “Move along”, or “Next question, please”.

In other words, she wasn’t going to answer. Even in captivity, she retained enough dignity to know that.

The approach reminds me of the modern saying, “You don’t have to attend every argument you are invited to.”

When you get such an invitation, feel free to reply, “Passez outre, s’il vous plait!”, or “Move along, please.”

May 8

HELEN KELLER, the American author and activist, is supposed to have said, “So much has been given to me. I have not time to ponder over that which has been denied.”

Two of the things denied her were hearing and sight.

Even so, she felt her life’s blessings outweighed its shortcomings.

The next time we feel the urge to complain, let’s take a minute to thank God for the good things in our lives.

Then, if we still offer up our complaint, it will hopefully be done in a more appreciative way.

May 7

THERE’S a little-known planning regulation in Washington D.C., that decrees no building is allowed to be raised to a height higher than the Washington Monument. Ask a planner why and they might say it’s just one of those things.

But on the stainless-steel peak of the monument, and visible from only above, are the words, Laus Deo, “Praise be to God.”

I think the original town planners who laid down those laws were right. After all, what should be higher than that?

“I will proclaim the name of the LORD. Oh, praise the greatness of our God!” (Deuteronomy 32:3)

May 6

CAPTAIN James Cook, the first European to make contact with the Australian continent and the Hawaiian Isles, may have come from humble origins but he didn’t let that hold him back.

“Just do once what others say you can’t,” he wrote, “and you will never pay attention to their limitations again.”

May 5

THE Roman poet Ovid said: “Take a rest, a field that has rested gives a beautiful crop.”

Often we underestimate the benefits of relaxation. Achievement and ambition seem much more admirable than stopping to smell the roses.

When you find yourself needing a break from the hustle and bustle of life, refresh your mind and body by taking a long walk. Meditate or read a book. Talk to a friend. Write a poem or a letter. Sleep in on a Saturday morning.

Take a little rest, however you choose to make time for yourself. Today, slow things down and tomorrow you might find that what you give the world is more meaningful.

May 4

IN the course of the nineteenth century, the magnificent osprey – or fish hawk – was hunted to extinction in Scotland. Then, during the 1960s, two birds returned, built a nest and raised fledglings.

This time people did all they could to encourage the osprey’s recovery. Today, there are many pairs of these birds all across Scotland and they are now breeding in northern England once more. Nature is strong indeed, with the power to recover over and over again.

May 3

IT was intriguing to discover someone had written “A Natural History of Enthusiasm”. Isaac Taylor’s 1829 volume wasn’t really anything a reader would expect. It was a fictional history of the church and its various leaps forward. Interesting, but imagine if someone was to write a modern treatise on enthusiasm. A life well lived surely offers many subjects to be enthusiastic about.

In which categories, classifications, or genres would your passions earn you a footnote? Or on which subjects would you be cited as an enthusiastic expert?

May 2

IMAGINE if someone invented a way to make artificial gold that was indistinguishable from the natural kind. The price of gold would drop like a stone. It would no longer be a precious metal.

In the early 19th century production of aluminium was prohibitively expensive. So rare and “precious” was the finished product that, in 1860, Emperor Napoleon III had a few pieces of cutlery made out of it. The less important guests at his banquets had to make do with gold and silver cutlery. His favoured few dined with aluminium knives and forks.

What would those illustrious guests make of the fact that, these days, people drink out of aluminium cans, or that we use aluminium foil for baking, and then we throw it away? It is so commonplace it is disposable.

The point I am making is that we should be careful what we believe is valuable in this life and think twice about what we regard as treasure.

Friendship, love, kindness, family . . . those are as precious now as they ever have been. And I can’t see them losing their value any time soon.

May 1

THE path was worn bare in the middle by a multitude of horses’ hooves over years of use.

To either side were ruts made by the wheels of the carts the horses pulled.

In the space between the wheel ruts and the horses’ path, the writer and philosopher Henry David Thoreau saw a flower grow, blossom and live out its natural span, unperturbed by all that went on to either side of it.

Now, we are not flowers and we cannot ignore the rest of the world, but neither should we let the fear of this and that prevent us from blossoming where we are.

APRIL

April 30

JEAN-BAPTISTE ALPHONSE KARR was a journalist who said every man had three characters – “That which he exhibits, that which he has, and that which he thinks he has.”

It’s worth considering, because happiness surely lies in having the one character: the one we wanted, the one we achieved, and the one we are happy to share with the world.

April 29

A PHILOSOPHY for life would surely be a good thing. But Eleanor Roosevelt didn’t necessarily agree.

“I have never given very deep thought to a philosophy of life,” she said, “though I do have a few ideas that I think are useful to me. One is that you do whatever comes your way as well as you can, and another is that you think as little as possible of yourself and as much as possible about other people. The third is that you get more joy out of giving joy to others and should put a good deal of thought into the happiness that you are able to give.”

Isn’t it remarkable how a few ideas in lieu of a philosophy can end up being so wonderfully philosophical?

April 28

BETWEEN three and five hundred years before Christ, the city-state of Athens was a major supporter and provider of the arts and philosophy as well as the dominant military power in the area. These days that city is referred to as the cradle of western civilisation.

The philosopher Plato said, “This city is what it is because its citizens are what they are.”

What applied to the city-state also applies to the state, and the city, and the town, the village, the home, and the family. If we would change society it must begin with us.

April 27

ANDRÉ GIDE won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1947. Much of his work was autobiographical and dealt with his struggle to find himself in a world that had certain expectations of him.

I wonder if he ever reached any satisfactory conclusion in his search. He may well have. Discussing his work, he said that “Art is a collaboration between God and the artists, and the less the artist does the better.”

Finding yourself has long been a preoccupation of mankind. It might even be the reason we are here. If that’s the truth then we should all be collaborating with God, letting Him do what He will with our lives until we find ourselves in the best place possible – in Him.

April 26

NOT much is known about the life and death of Eckhart von Hochheim, the German monk who lived in the 13th and 14th centuries. But even back in his own lifetime he was known by the respectful title of Meister, or Master.

“Be willing,” Meister Eckhart wrote, “to be a beginner every single morning.”

The day – each day – will bring its lessons and the way to be a master of them is to face them like a beginner – a beginner willing to learn!

April 25

HAVE you heard of “the greeting of St Francis”? It’s said that Francis of Assisi began it and Franciscan monks carried on the tradition. So you might think it would be quite deep and theological. But it’s simply this. “Good morning, good people.”

Expect the best of the day and the people in it and you will generally not be disappointed.

April 24

ARE there habits in your life you feel you might be better without? Things you do that you wish you didn’t do. People will tell you to resist your temptations, to fight them, do all you can to prevent them having a say in your life.

It would be difficult to disagree with any of that. Except, the more we focus on our problems, the bigger they seem to become. It’s almost like we empower them by paying attention to them.

Of course, we shouldn’t ignore them completely, but we might change focus. Imagine we gave the same attention to and invested the same energy in those positive things we would have replace our negative attributes. We might find the former gradually edges the latter out.

April 23

KATHERINE BUTLER HATHAWAY was born in 1890 and suffered from a spinal condition which saw her strapped to boards for extended periods to bring about a cure. The treatment failed. She required constant care through a childhood which she nevertheless described as happy.

Later in life, she decided to buy her own home and set it up as a creative space, but this meant moving away from her family and nursing care. It was a very scary decision.

She described it like this:

“There and then I invented this rule for myself, to be applied to every decision I might have to make in the future. I would sort out all the arguments and see which ones belonged to fear and which to creativeness, and other things being equal I would make the decision which had the largest number of creative reasons on its side.

“I think it must be a rule something like this that makes jonquils and crocuses come pushing through the cold mud.”

April 22

HAVE you heard of “Imposter Syndrome”?

It is the notion that, whatever you are doing, people will soon discover that you are only pretending to be good at it; and that you are actually a fake, while everyone else out there is the real deal.

Few people talk about it. But when they do, others often respond, “Really? I thought I was the only one!”

The dramatist W.S. Gilbert might have used the term to describe himself, if he’d known it.

As one half of Gilbert and Sullivan, he was undoubtedly a literary and theatrical genius, but he wrote, “You have no idea what a poor opinion I have of myself, and how little I deserve it.”

If, like Gilbert, you think yourself an imposter – someone who is making it up as they go along – and that causes you to have a poor opinion of yourself, then take it from me: you don’t deserve it, either.

We are all making our lives up as we go along. Really. Undeniably so.

April 21

THERE is a fascination and enjoyment in discovering words the English language has no direct translation for. Like the Portuguese word saudade.

Apparently, it describes the emptiness left inside you when you are missing someone. But there’s more! It’s that specific kind of emptiness that can only be filled by beautiful memories.

A sad word, perhaps, but isn’t it a wonderfully positive notion that most of our longings are created because of beautiful memories? So what else is better equipped to soothe our saudade?

Memories. While the rest of the world moves on they remain one of life’s most precious gifts.

April 20

ST FRANCIS of Assisi once said that when we leave this life, we take nothing with us that we have received – only that which we have given.

Likewise, in this life, possessions, while good in moderation, will eventually weigh us down. Our worries for them might eventually outstrip the pleasure in them.

But the things we give, the good we do? They weigh nothing at all, and they are out there helping others who might in turn lighten our load.

Give and you shall receive. Plus, you’ll have less to carry!

April 19

I’M sure we all know the verse from the letter to the Philippians that reads, “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable – if anything is excellent or praiseworthy, think about such things.”

It’s highly likely that the Benedictine monk and founder of Clairvaux Abbey, Bernard of Clairvaux, was familiar with them, and had them in mind when he wrote and offered the following practical advice.

“If you notice something in yourself, correct it; if something good, take care of it; if something beautiful, cherish it; if something sound, preserve it; if something unhealthy, heal it.”

It would be easy to read those words then go on about our day, but if we took them seriously and gave them the consideration they deserved we might find something there that applied to us.

If we acted on their advice, what a difference that might make.

April 18

THERE are three words for love used in the Bible. They are “agape”, which means loving everyone; “philea”, describing a deep affection; and “eros”, which refers to passion.

Other words describe other types of love, but I have to agree with the American theologian Reinhold Niebuhr, who suggested that one word described love’s final form. It is a word that Niebuhr thought would save us all – and Jesus spoke of it on the Cross.

It is forgiveness.

April 17

MAUNDY Thursday has become known to many as the day the monarch of the realm distributes alms, or Maundy money.

But let’s look more closely at what the word Maundy actually means.

It is a shortened version of the Latin phrase mandatum novum do vobis, which translates as, “A new commandment I give unto you.”

And that commandment was to love one another as God loves us.

It’s an idea worth remembering and putting into practice, on Maundy Thursday and every other day of the year.

April 16

WHEN something comes out of the blue to worry us, be it health, work, or family related, it can often be difficult to see beyond the present moment – to catch sight of a positive future.

The Indian poet Rabindranath Tagore wrote: “I thought that my voyage had come to an end at the last limit of my power, that provisions were exhausted, and the time had come to take shelter in silent obscurity.

“But I find Thy will knows no end in me and when old words die out on the tongue new melodies break forth from the heart; and where the old tracks are lost new country is revealed with its wonders. Suddenly I knew that while I might be powerless, God is not.”

We don’t know what the future holds, but we do know it is in good hands.

April 15

IF everything you do seems to be going nowhere, here are some insightful words by Jacob Riis to keep in mind:

“When nothing seems to help, I go and look at a stone cutter hammering away at a rock, perhaps a hundred times, without so much as a crack showing in it. But at the one hundred and first blow it will split in two and I know it was not that last blow that did it, but all that had gone before.”

April 14

THE poet Longfellow said, “Most people would succeed in small things, if they were not troubled with great ambitions.”

In other words, some people’s gaze is so fixed on the future that they don’t see what needs doing right now. Take care of the matters to hand in such a way that you will have achieved many, many other important things by the time you achieve that ambition.

So, yes, your ambition may well be to give the small things the attention they deserve!

April 13

THESE days when someone is described as submissive, it often implies they are weak or ineffectual. But the Latin “submission” means “under a mission” or “one who acts under orders”. Submissive Christians are neither weak nor ineffectual – they are people on a mission.

“He said to them, ‘Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation’.” – (Mark 16:15)

April 12

VISITORS to the Tower of London might stop in Sir Walter Raleigh’s cell, where the main feature is a beautifully carved writing desk.

Imprisoned there for 14 years on a charge of treason, Raleigh passed his time writing beautiful poetry and compiling a history of the world. Many of us will find ourselves in situations we would rather not be in from time to time. Do we stare at the walls or do we look beyond and put our unexpected situation to some wonderful use?

April 11

HAVE you heard of Robert Foulis? You may not know his name, but I’m sure you’ll have heard of his most famous invention.

Born in Scotland, Robert emigrated to Canada in 1818, where he worked as a portrait painter, an engineer, a teacher, and a chemistry lecturer. He opened an iron foundry and a school of art and also surveyed the upper reaches of the St John River.

In short, there was very little Robert Foulis couldn’t do, but his greatest achievement was to make a device that worked by piping high-pressure steam through a nozzle, making a noise loud enough to be heard for miles.

You’ll probably recall visiting the coast on a foggy night and hearing a foghorn, Robert Foulis’ simple yet brilliant idea to warn mariners away from danger. No-one can guess just how many lives it must have saved, but one thing is certain – it’s an invention everyone should hear about!

April 10

THERE’S an old story of six young men applying for one job at the telegraph office. They all knew Morse code so they filled out the applications the secretary gave them with confidence. Then they all sat and waited to be called into the office for an interview.

A few minutes later one young man got up and walked into the office. The others were amazed at his nerve. But the secretary explained, “While you have all been sitting there, the telegraph was repeatedly tapping out a message. It said, ‘If you can understand this, come in. You’ve got the job’.”

The message was there for all of them. Each of them could have deciphered it. But only one was listening. It’s intriguing to think that the world, and everything in it, might be a message sent to each of us, inviting us to play a part in God’s Grand Plan. Are you listening? Do you want the job?

April 9

HAVE you ever felt life is beyond your control? If so, be assured you aren’t alone, for not one of us can truly claim to be in complete charge of our own circumstances.

It was pastor Charles Swindoll who remarked that “Life is ten per cent what happens to me, and ninety per cent how I react to it” – and I’m convinced that applies to the rest of humanity as well!

So, let’s make sure we concentrate on improving that 90 per cent, for our reactions are certainly something which we can do our best to control. And if we can manage to make those positive, well – there will be very little room for the negative.

April 8

AN archaeologist was talking about early man, saying that many of the tribes were not as savage as generally thought.

Part of the discussion concerned the discovery of ancient human bones that had been damaged, or even broken, yet had healed completely. “This could not have happened if the sufferer had not received help from others during the healing process,” the speaker commented.

“Then there is the evidence of early medicines. Plants and roots were used to cure all sorts of diseases and injuries. They looked after the sick in their community.”

It is wonderful to think that caring for one another started in the very dawn of human history.

April 7

THERE are times in life when people may be unkind to you or do you a disservice and you may feel an urge to get even. Many will remember a childhood phrase where in such situations we would say: “I’ll get you back for that.”

But on growing older and wiser, we should have learned to try and rise above such things, and these words of John E. Southard are wise ones to keep in mind:

“The only people with whom you should try to get even are those who have helped you.”

April 6

THERE is a famously captivating photo, taken by Henri Cartier-Bresson in 1933. It shows a street in Seville, but the picture is taken through a hole in the wall, the street is strewn with rubble, and there appear to be bullet holes in the other walls.

A group of children are at play in the rubble. One is catching a friend, another is holding his sides because he is laughing so much, and a boy on crutches is grinning as he leaves the game behind.

Even in times of war and destruction, children still play. As adults, we might not be able to avoid turbulent times, but we can choose how we respond to them: how we live amidst them. With a smile and in the company of friends is generally the best way.

April 5

WRITING about education, the poet John Milton declared it should have two purposes: to enable people to perform their duties “justly, skilfully, and magnanimously” and to enable them to “know God aright and out of that knowledge to love Him and be as like Him as we may.”

He also believed there was much to be learned in the natural world – especially at this time of year.

“In those vernal seasons of the year,” he wrote, “when the air is calm and pleasant, it were an injury and sullenness against nature not to go out and see her riches and partake in her rejoicing.”

Of course, Milton had a point. When spring has gone to so much effort to bring beauty back into God’s world, it would be rude not to appreciate it.

April 4

It seems that, even the most cynical of us, are all involved in love. We are either happily in it, actively seeking it, remembering it, replacing it with inferior things, or trying (too hard) to show the world we don’t need it.

Either by its presence or absence, it is the power which makes the most difference to the everyday life of humankind. More than that, it even transcends this world.

And yet, much as we talk and sing about it, we understand so little about it.

Almost four hundred years ago, Thomas Traherne wrote: “Love is the true means by which the world is enjoyed. Our love to others, and others’ love to us. We ought therefore, above all things, to get acquainted with the nature of love.

“For love is the root and foundation of nature; love is the soul of life and crown of rewards.”

Can I suggest we get studying?

April 3

BEING asked to describe what a soul is may not sound too difficult a question. However, if you try to answer in simplistic terms, any attempt will likely prove to be problematic.

Albert Schweitzer, the revered philosopher, doctor, and winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, could have helped. “No-one can give a definition of the soul,” he wrote. “But we know what it feels like.”

“The soul is the sense of something higher than ourselves, something that stirs in us thoughts, hopes, and aspirations which go out to the world of goodness, truth, and beauty. The soul is a burning desire to breathe in this world of light and never to lose it – to remain children of light.”

That’s an explanation to inspire all of us.  

April 2

THERE’S a Philosopher’s Walk in Kyoto, Japan, named for the great Japanese philosopher Nishida Kitarō, who would walk that way to Kyoto University, where he was a professor.

There’s one in Königsberg in Germany, where Immanuel Kant used to stride out. Heidelberg has another.

Aristotle called his academy in Athens a Peripatetic school, because he found he did his best thinking while walking.

And the Ancient Romans had a saying, “Solvitur ambulando”, which means, “It is solved by walking”.

Now the weather is starting to pick up, why not get into the habit of a regular walk? I can’t promise it will make you a great philosopher, but it might help you think a few things through.

Even if it only makes you fitter, that’s no bad thing, either.

Be philosophical about it!

April 1

THE preacher Charles Spurgeon might easily have been compared to a lighthouse. His faith shone out and many saw it. But not everyone is called to that role, and he acknowledged that when he said, “If you cannot be a lighthouse, you can at least be a night-light.”

A little light in someone’s darkness might be more important than a mighty beam shining across the sea.

MARCH

March 31

Here are a few thought-provoking quotes about friendship to keep in mind today.

“Life is nothing without friendship.” – Cicero

“True friendship is seen through the heart, not through the eyes.” – Anon

“The language of friendship is not words but meanings.” – Henry David Thoreau

March 30

DON QUIXOTE said to his squire, Sancho Panza, “There is no such thing as an untrue proverb.” Here is a Spanish one with more than a grain of truth.

“He who sows courtesy reaps friendship, and he who plants kindness gathers love.”

March 29

NOW AND THEN

WE all need silence, now and then,

Sometimes a little peace,

To switch off from the noisy world

And find a sweet release.

We need a rainbow, now and then,

And all our hopes renew,

The promise of a brighter day

A smoother road in view.

***

We all need care and kindness

To comfort heart and soul,

And with the joy of morning

Reach out to every goal.

We all need laughter, love and light

To lift our spirits high,

A little silence, now and then, To let the world go by.

March 28

“I KNOW a little stream which flows softly and slowly but freshens everything round about.” So wrote Anne Sophie Swetchine, a nineteenth-century Russian exile in Paris.

If streams could think, then this one might have wished itself a river, or a rocky torrent; something bigger and more impressive. But look at what it accomplished simply by being itself! Some people think they might do more if they had more, if they were more influential, if they had more time.

Others just do what they can, softly and slowly, and in the process they freshen everything around them – just like Anne Sophie’s stream!

March 27

WHEN the 1st century philosopher Epictetus said, “Bear in mind that you should conduct yourself in life as at a feast”, he was talking about standards of behaviour, patience, and consideration. Conducting yourself in public life with the manners usually reserved for formal dinners would take you far, he thought.

And who are many of us to argue? Looked at in the best way, though, one might like to add that life itself is really a feast, a daily banquet of delights and blessings. So, as well as practising all the virtues Epictetus had in mind, let’s remember to thank our host.

“To the end that my glory may sing praise to thee, and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give thanks unto thee for ever.” – (Psalm 30:12)

March 26

MANY times in its history the city of Vienna has been besieged or attacked. It has also been bankrupted, occupied, and partitioned. But despite the armies that have passed through its gates, Vienna thrives today and was once voted the city in which the occupants enjoyed the best quality of life.

The residents have a saying which translates as: “The position, though desperate, is causing no anxiety.” Vienna has been around long enough for its inhabitants to know that bad times come – and then they go. Better days are always ahead.

March 25

Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, the French priest and philosopher, had interests which ranged from palaeontology to cosmology.

He was born in 1881 and led a full life of travel, action, and achievement, notably winning the Legion of Honour for valour. He also published many books on mankind’s place in the universe, some of which were regarded as a little too radical at the time.

Nonetheless, he is certainly a fascinating subject and some words of his are aptly transcendent:

“We are not human beings having a spiritual experience. We are spiritual beings having a human experience.”

That’s a way of looking at things that’s definitely worth thinking about.

March 24

THE fence was built to keep farm animals in, but once there had been a path running through there, so the farmer built a sturdy stile. The fence wasn’t high and the steps weren’t difficult for an able-bodied person, but people started going another way – an easier but longer way.

As I contemplated the bramble bush, flourishing where once a path had been, I thought of the good things in life: the good habits, good traditions, all of which require a little extra effort. If we don’t keep using them, we lose them.

Often, there will be an easier way, but just as the new path is longer, so the easier way always ends up taking more from us.

The path had been a beautiful walk, but it was easily lost. I hope we take the effort to preserve what is beautiful in our lives.

March 23

EVERY once in a while, perhaps by happy chance or during an excavation, a new treasure hoard will be unearthed.

It might have been buried by Saxons, Christian monks, Vikings, or Romans, and each time such a thing is unearthed it gives us a clearer insight into the lives of the people back then.

If you read up on those times, you will likely encounter the word “breost-hord”. It means chest-treasure and describes those items a person might hold on to the tightest and value the most.

But we might go a little deeper in search of real treasure. The things we hold in our breast, next to our hearts, are what are really important to us.

And they tell us a lot about how we live!

March 22

MOST of us are familiar with images of Egyptian pyramids. They are simply and elegantly constructed and meant to last for ever.

But, during the reign of the pharaoh Sneferu, two pyramids were built that seem to have been the Egyptians figuring out that classic, lasting shape.

The first prototype collapsed “in antiquity”.

The pyramids seem always to have been perfect. And some people give the same impression.

We see their achievements and successes, but rarely see the trying and failing process that led them there.

Don’t set out for perfection, and don’t give up when you don’t achieve it.

Set out to try, set out to learn, set out to improve.

The Egyptians got there. So will you if you follow it through with persistence and determination.

March 21

GIOVANNI GUARESCHI, the author of the Don Camillo books, wrote in Italian, then his books were translated for the appreciative English market.

But in “The House That Nino Built” (1953), he uses a Latin verse, and either he or his translator writes it as “Tomorrow is another day.”

I’m sure we’ll all be familiar with the phrase, implying that things will be better later, but the Latin he used was Incipit vita nova, which means “Here begins a new life”.  

Why wait for tomorrow to make a difference? The best time for a fresh start is always now.

March 20

A FOLK tale has an eagle and a wren arguing over who could reach the greatest heights. They decided on a competition and took to the air. After a while the eagle was feeling the frost on his feathers and a lack of oxygen.

“Ha!” he gasped. “Little wren, where are you now?”

“Higher than you are,” the wren, who had hitched a lift on the eagle’s back, said in his ear.

Brains will take you farther, and higher, than strength. But, of course, the proper use of strength is to lift others up.

March 19

THE English Civil War was not the easiest time to be a priest or a poet.

Thomas Traherne (1637–1674) was both of these and could have been forgiven for having a dim view of the world. Instead, he loved life and suggested that the problem lay not with the world but the way we looked at what he called “the mirror of infinite beauty”.

“Your enjoyment of the world,” he wrote, “is not complete until every morning you wake up as if in Heaven; see yourself in your Father’s palace, and look upon the skies, the earth, and the air as celestial joys with such an esteem as if you were amongst the angels.”

March 18

MOST of us are paying something for the place we live in. It might be a big house or a small flat but there will usually be a mortgage or rent to pay. What then, should we pay for our larger accommodation, this beautiful, awe-inspiring world we live in?

Sir Wilfred Grenfell, who was awarded a knighthood for his work as a medical missionary, had the perfect answer. “The service we render others,” he wrote, “is the rent we pay for our room on earth.”

March 17

EVERYTHING we do has consequences, so why should prayer be any different? The sixteenth-century preacher Robert Sibbes saw it this way:

“When we shoot an arrow, we look for the fall of it; when we send a ship out to sea, we look for the return of it; when we sow seed, we look for a harvest: and so, when we sow our prayers into God’s bosom, shall we not look for an answer?”

‘For everyone who asks, receives; he who seeks, finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.’ – (Matthew 7:8)

March 16

WORDSWORTH’S poem, “Daffodils”, is one of the most famous pieces of poetry ever. But he was not alone on the trip that inspired, “When all at once I saw a crowd, a host of golden daffodils.”

His sister, Dorothy, wrote in her diary: “I never saw daffodils so beautiful. They grew among the mossy stones about them. Some rested their heads on the stones, as on a pillow, for weariness; the rest tossed and danced, and seemed as if they verily laughed with the wind that blew over the lake.”

Isn’t it reassuring to know that you don’t have to be a great poet in order to appreciate great beauty?

March 15

LETTER TO A FRIEND

I HAVEN’T written for a while,

(The years all slip away),

And yet I still remember you

And think of you each day.

I think of all the times we’ve shared,

They live on in my heart,

The memories all bring you close,

We’re never far apart.

***

I hope that you are safe and well,

And life is good and kind.

I pray the troubles of the past

Are simply left behind.

And so accept this letter now

With all the love I send,

And though the years go swiftly by, I’ll always be your friend.

March 14

HAVE you ever not done something because you were afraid you might not do it right? Bert Louis Stevenson told of a Fr. Damien who tried to help lepers on a South Sea island. He was completely incompetent – he had no idea how to run a hospital and was hopeless with money. Complaints were aired. Other agencies took over, nurses arrived. The lepers improved dramatically.

All of which, RLS insisted, was to the credit of Fr. Damien. People would never have come along to do better if he hadn’t tried and failed first.

If you feel called to do something, but worry you can’t, try anyway. Even if you fail, you might provide the world with a very necessary beginning.

March 13

I KNOW of a hospital that places video screens above the patients’ beds. The screens take their viewers on virtual walks along coastlines and through dappled forests. Earphones playing birdsong, sounds of the sea, and the rustling of leaves complete the experience.

Apparently, the heightened sense of tranquillity eases pain and promotes recovery. I can very easily believe it.

In what must be a costly venture, let’s wish the health boards and their patients all the best. And as for everyone else? Well, try not to forget that the original version of the therapy – the woods, the coastline, the birds, the wildlife – are all out there for you to enjoy and benefit from. For free.

No video screens or headphones required.

March 12

LORD BYRON’S “The Bride of Abydos” is a tale of frustrated love set in Turkey. But there are a few lines we might take to heart even if we don’t live in a Turkish palace.

Deciding that their love will be for ever unrequited and the world will be a darker place because of that, the young man urges his beloved to rise above the sadness and be a blessing to the world:

Be thou the rainbow to the storms of life

The evening beam that smiles the clouds away

And tints tomorrow with prophetic ray.

We might be a rainbow or even a smiling beam, but a “prophetic ray” for tomorrow? Sometimes the best reassurance we can give is the “prophecy” that there will be another day tomorrow.

March 11

THE Roman emperor/philosopher Marcus Aurelius wrote, “An angry countenance is much against nature.”

Is it? What do we see when we see an angry face? Someone who has been hurt, perhaps, and who might relieve themselves of that pain by spreading it around?

But what do we see when we look on a happy face? Someone who has discovered something special, whose spirits are elevated, whose burdens have been lightened, and who would happily share.

We can’t all wear happy faces every day, but we can take turns and encourage each other. On the days when you can, smile! On the days when you can’t, allow yourself to be “infected” by the smiles of others.

Let our nature be encouraging and worth smiling about.

March 10

A polarised society is, sadly, nothing new.

Almost one hundred years ago, in his “Homilies and Recreations”, the Scottish novelist John Buchan wrote about a literary community divided between the old and the new.

While defending his own traditional stance, he also understood that the modernists were the future.

“Both sides,” he wrote, “defend a truth which is not all of the truth.”

An absolute victory of one side over the other would only serve to destroy part of the truth.

It is worth reminding yourself of this the next time you insist on being right.

March 9

PEOPLE have gone on quests, climbed mountains to consult gurus, all in search of wisdom. But wisdom might have suggested they simply stay at home.

The 13th-century monk Meister Eckhart wrote that, “Wisdom consists of doing the next thing you have to do, doing it with your whole heart, and finding delight in doing it.”

The “next thing” will always have to be done. We get to choose how we do it, and how we do it determines the impact it has on our day. The wise way is always the way that makes the day a more delightful experience.

March 8

THE poet Coleridge once wrote, “Friendship is a sheltering tree.” It occurred to me that friendships, just like trees, must have strong roots, they may change with the seasons, they may take a buffeting in rough weather, or be a delight in sunnier times.

But, if you are going to have a tree or a friendship, first of all, someone must plant a seed!

March 7

WRITER George Prochnik has always had a passion for silence. In his book, “In Pursuit of Silence: Listening for Meaning in a Noisy World”, Prochnik leaves New York City and embarks on a global quest to find those who value silence. He examines the sounds that bombard us each day – air conditioners, traffic, sirens, noisy neighbours – and researchers the scientific effects of noise on our bodies. Prochnik says that there is a long association with noise and hearing loss and that studies show that noise can raise our blood pressure.

When visiting a monastery, Prochnik learned that absolute silence doesn’t exist, but quiet spaces are essential, because they “can inject us with a fertile unknown: a space in which to focus and absorb experience.”

Take time out today to commit yourself to celebrating silence and becoming, in those moments, conscious of greater things.

“A day of silence can be a pilgrimage in itself.” – Hafiz

March 6

THE Native Americans lived lives that were very much in touch with the earth, and now we are becoming more aware of the impact humanity has on the world perhaps we understand their wisdom a little more.

While we might delight in the beauty of the world, the Navajo tribe believed that people who appreciated the world actually added to the beauty of it. They called it “hazh’q”.

Appreciating the wonder of the world around us is something for us all to aspire to. And if the Navajo are right, there would be a bonus for our efforts. For in appreciating wonder and beauty, it seems we make the world a more wonderful and more beautiful place!

March 5

LOVE. How lucky are those of us who have it or have had it in our lives for even just a short time. While your love might seem to be focused on one individual it is, by its very nature, a sharing emotion and just by being, it makes the world a better place.

Christina Rosetti, the 19th-century poet, described it well in the following lines:

Lead lives of love; that others who

Behold your love might kindle too

With love, and cast their lot with you.

March 4

RECENTLY a large city in Scotland held its annual literary festival. The internet site to publicise the events had this quote by Lyndon Baines Johnson as its headline:

“A book is the most effective weapon against intolerance and ignorance.” Book lovers around the world will surely agree with this perceptive thought which proclaims the potential of the written word.

March 3

IN a dedication to the Earl of Buchan, John Mackintosh wrote: “Happy would that nation be where every person of distinguished rank would endeavour to distinguish himself more essentially, by being beneficial to the public, and thereby confirm our old Gaelic saying: ‘bithidh meas is fearr’.” The best fruit is on the highest branch.

We might never achieve much of a “distinguished rank”, but that shouldn’t stop us trying to be a sweeter apple. And being beneficial to others is definitely the way to do that.

March 2

HOW do you measure the health of someone’s body? Well, doctors have countless ways of doing it, and I’m sure you know them all; they might measure the degree of agility, the capacity of the lungs, the percentage of weight given over to fat, or the level of sugars in the blood.

How do you measure the health of someone’s personality? According to Ralph Waldo Emerson, you don’t need any medical training at all to do that. Each person’s personality, he explained, was healthy “to the exact degree to which they have the propensity to look for the good in every situation.”

March 1

FIFTEEN-YEAR-OLD Thomas went on a mission-trip to volunteer among the many street people in the city of Philadelphia. He went with a team of teenagers and stayed for a week.

Thomas had begun the journey with some misgivings; it was a new and often intimidating experience for him, but later he came home rejuvenated and excited. Not only was he more thankful for what life had given him, he also said that he would never look at a homeless person or someone in need the same way again.

“It’s easy to judge people without knowing a thing about them and to think they’re all the same. I believe it’s a mistake many of us make, but I know the thoughts I had towards the homeless left me as soon as I met them on the first day,” Thomas explained.

A Haitian proverb says: “The rocks in the water don’t know the misery of the rocks in the sun.” In other words, we cannot understand another man or woman unless we walk in his or her shoes. Today, if you meet someone with a need, consider how you might help to fill it.

FEBRUARY

February 28

THE Roman poet Horace, who lived in the first century BCE, experienced his fair share of ups and downs in life, and learned much from them.

In his “Odes”, he advised an unhappy friend to “set limits” on his sadness, noting that the south wind, which so often brought showers, just as often cleared the clouds away. A difficult thing to do when we are feeling down, but always a wise thing to remember.

February 27

JOHN EVERETT MILLAIS’S painting “The Blind Girl” depicts two sisters sitting in a field. The elder one is blind and has a concertina on her lap. She busks for her living, but at least she has music.

The younger girl is half-hiding under her sister’s shawl, peeking out at a double rainbow. Meanwhile, the elder sister warms her face in the sun and rubs grass between her fingers.

Birds sit nearby, a stream runs behind them, and no doubt she hears them both. A butterfly rests on her shawl. The sign on her breast says, Pity the blind.

But who are the real blind? One girl seems only too aware of the beauty around her, while the other hides away. In a world where there is so much beauty, like the rainbow, the sound of the stream, the warmth of the sun, or that butterfly, we should pity those who can’t find any of it.

February 26

Norman Vincent Peale became famous for encouraging people to think positively through his best-selling inspirational books. I’d like to share one of his quotes with you that has often lifted my spirits during challenging times:

“Become a possibilitarian. No matter how dark things seem to be or actually are, raise your sights and see possibilities – always see them, for they’re always there.”

February 25

THERE’S an Asian legend which told of a man who wanted to give up. Nothing was going his way at all, it seemed, so he went into the forest to explain to God why he’d had enough.

God listened, then told the man about the time, before the forest, when he had planted the first fern and bamboo seeds. After a year, the fern sprouted, but there was no sign of the bamboo. He didn’t give up.

After another year the fern had spread, but the bamboo couldn’t be seen. He still didn’t give up. In the third and fourth years the ferns covered swathes of ground. The bamboo still hadn’t made an appearance. However, even then God didn’t give up.

In the fifth year the bamboo broke the surface – and grew a total of one hundred feet in six months! During the lean years the bamboo had worked hard, putting down strong roots, so when its time came to grow, nothing would stop it. I hope the man who wanted to give up had a change of heart.

February 24

HAVE you heard of Rev. John Brown of Haddington and his “Self-Interpreting Bible” which was first published in 1778? It was very popular in its day and many editions were sold.

This Bible had explanatory notes to help readers understand the text, and some Victorian editions had beautiful, coloured illustrations with space to record family details.

John Brown would today be described as a disadvantaged child. Born in 1722 to poor parents, he was orphaned while young, and became a shepherd boy.

A great reader, and with an astonishing talent for languages, he taught himself Greek, Latin, and Hebrew for his dearest wish was to be a clergyman – “My soul was remarkably affected and drawn to God,” he said.

To achieve his aim, John earned a living as a pedlar and self-educated schoolteacher, overcoming many obstacles along the way.

Rev. John Brown – clergyman, theologian, scholar, and linguist – died in 1787 in Haddington, where he had been much-loved for thirty-six years. I’m sure that he would agree with Calvin Coolidge’s words: “Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence.”

February 23

FOR more than a decade a small group of men and women dreamed of establishing the first Christian radio station in Kitchener-Waterloo, Ontario. It was an ambitious undertaking, and not without challenges. Several people said it couldn’t be done; one broadcaster voiced this opinion when he found out the station would be only 50 watts: “Go big, or go home.”

But the group carried on, and Faith FM 94.3 was given its broadcasting licence. This little radio station began to send out the LORD’S message of love and hope over the airwaves 24 hours a day.

Faith FM’s audience became both loyal and growing, ratings were excellent, and plans were soon under way to increase the station’s power. Listeners from around the world were able to pick up the signal on the internet. Faith FM 94.3 is a testament to vision and perseverance.

February 22

JOSEPH Wresinski, who worked on behalf of some of the world’s poorest people, came to understand their needs from first-hand experience.

Speaking of one community, he said: “They were as thirsty for dignity as they were for running water.” Yes, food and water are vital, but we must never forget the priceless gift of self-esteem. 

February 21

SHANIA Twain, the singer-songwriter, rose from a difficult childhood in a small town in Ontario to become the top-selling female country singer of all time. She spoke out about the break-up of her marriage, and how the trauma caused her to lose her ability to sing.

However, Shania refused to allow her challenges to overcome her. She teamed up with the Oprah Winfrey Network to produce a programme called “Why Not?” Her journey to heal herself and inspire others was chronicled in this inspirational weekly docu-series in which her honesty, forgiveness, and desire to move on have been shared in great detail.

American author Marianne Williamson once observed: “As we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we our liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”

February 20

I KNOW very little of C.L. Burnham except that he contributed the lyrics to a cantata called “The Coming Of The Flowers” in the late 1800s.

But these words, attributed to him, seem quite apt for our duller February days.

There is always sunshine, only we must do our part. We must move into it.

The sun still shines above the clouds. If we can’t see it, we might seek out those who shine for our benefit – or shine, ourselves, for the benefit of others.

February 19

WHEN the days are bleak and wintry, we might turn to the poet William Wordsworth for a little comfort.

“There is a blessing in the air,” he wrote, “which seems a sense of joy to yield to the bare trees, and mountains bare, and grass in the green field.” Are you feeling the blessing? The sense of joy? Keep looking. It may be something we discover, or it may be that in seeking it we create it. But Wordsworth would not deceive us. It is out there.

February 18

SOME countries are famous for their fertile soil, some have oil or coal in the ground, whilst others gold in their hills. A land’s natural resources will play a big part in shaping the kind of society that lives on it.

John Muir, a Scot, who spent his life exploring the American wilderness, wrote: “Storms are never counted among the resources of a country, yet how far they go towards making brave people.” Likewise with the storms we each face from time to time in our lives. We will find ourselves better and stronger for having endured until they passed.

February 17

WHAT do you do when the chance presents itself to get one over on your enemy? According to Dr Martin Luther King Jnr, that is exactly the time “You must not do it.”

Did a beaten enemy ever become anything more than resentful, sullen, rebellious, biding their time until they could become a proper enemy again? But someone who knows you had a chance to beat them – and you choose not to? They have all the makings of a future friend.

February 16

IF I said that one sentence in the Bible covered three whole verses, people might reasonably expect it to be quite lengthy. It’s not.

Whoever divided the Bible into verses took the line “Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus” and broke it into three parts.

Perhaps they wanted us to take the “bullet points” in 1 Thessalonians 5:16–18 more seriously. “Rejoice always”; “Pray continually”; “Give thanks, always”. What a difference that one sentence could make to any one of us.

February 15

RUSSIAN novelist Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, writing in “The Gulag Archipelago”, argued that the line between good and evil does not run between states, parties, or even individuals.

Instead, he suggested that it ran through the hearts of each of us – and that it was moveable.

We might be more to one side than the other at different points in our lives, but we don’t have to stay there.

Given that he might have been right, when better to work on moving that line in the right direction than today, a day dedicated around the world to random acts of kindness.

Be kind to someone for no reason today – and any other day. The other person will reap the benefit of your kindness, but so will you!

February 14

IT was Edith Piaf who famously sang about having no regrets, and I’ve always been inclined to agree with that attitude. Regrets, to my mind, are only useful as things to learn from.

When I came across an interview with chef Marco Pierre White, I was interested to find that he is also of that opinion:

“I have no regrets because my mistakes have given me the knowledge that has made me the man I am today. Regrets are anchors that drag you back.” And who wants to be anchored to the past when the future gives us the chance to get things right?

February 13

IT can be difficult to find good in our troubles. C.S. Lewis, the Irish writer, once explained the idea to a friend, using the analogy of a coal fire.

He imagined it in the kindling stage, thinking it was doing just fine, merrily burning up the paper and the sticks. All would have seemed well to that fire.

Then, from above, a weight of “rocks” falls on it. Things collapse, the flames almost go out. How like a catastrophe must that seem.

The newly kindled fire could never imagine the blaze it would become, fuelled by the coal that seemed such a burden at first. When hard times descend, it’s our excuse – and opportunity – to burn brighter!

February 12

THERE are many attractions to be found on Guernsey, but undoubtedly one of the most inspiring is the Little Chapel. Built and rebuilt by Brother Déodat during his lifetime, the exterior looks like a magnificent cathedral, but the interior measures a mere nine feet by six feet.

What really makes the Little Chapel stand out, though, is the décor. The whole building glitters in the sunlight, because it is studded with broken crockery and glass!

Now, if Brother Déodat could make something so wondrously beautiful from objects that were broken, what might God make of us with our flaws and imperfections? Give that some thought today.

“And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm, and steadfast.” (Peter 1 5:10)

February 11

NIL ADMIRARI is a Latin phrase describing a person who was surprised by nothing. Some took it too far. Indeed, in an effort to be surprised by nothing, they determined to be impressed by nothing and rarely had a word of praise for anyone.

This attitude is, thankfully, no longer fashionable. Other than maintaining the individual’s high impression of themselves, it benefitted no-one.

How much better to be admirari: those who are amazed, who are impressed, and who raise others up by being so.

February 10

THE author Jessica Markwell recalled childhood years spent in a farmhouse without mains power. Most evenings her father would crank up the generator and they would have thirty minutes or so of electricity. When the lights came on Jessica and her sister would already be sitting there with their books open, determined not to miss a minute of precious reading time.

Opportunities for enjoyment or advancement in this life might be few or frequent, but if we want to make the most of them we ought to follow the example of those two keen young readers – and be fully prepared!

February 9

DESPITE not having a written language by the time the European settlers arrived in North America, the native peoples there had languages that were as intricate as any from elsewhere. Often, in fact, their language was much more colourful and descriptive.

Some have been especially inspired by the definition of the word “friend” which, to many of the tribe was, “the one who carries my sorrows on his back”. Wouldn’t it be wonderful to have a friend like that, and wouldn’t it be even better if we ourselves could be a friend like that?

February 8

ARCHBISHOP Desmond Tutu played a major part in the peaceful ending of apartheid in South Africa. He saw that revenge and recrimination could only hold his country back, and his daughter, Naomi, shared her father’s forward-looking attitude.

“Most of the people who prepared the way for us,” she wrote, “will not ask us to pay them back. What they do ask is that we make this world a better place for those who come after us.” Perhaps we can make the world a better place by following this example and replacing old grievances with a smile and a hand held out in friendship.

February 7

I doubt many people have heard of Rachel Carson, despite the fact that her work has altered the quality of our world for the better. She is credited as being the mother of the green movement, one of the first people to bring to general notice just how carelessly we treat our environment.

Born in small-town America, she later studied English, then biology and zoology. Using her knowledge and her gift for writing, she penned a book called “Silent Spring” in 1962 in which she drew attention to the damage being done by pesticides. Though criticised at the time by the powerful voices of industry, the public took this book not just to its heart but to its mind.

Sadly, Rachel Carson died too early to see just how thriving the green movement has become, yet this book is still a lasting memorial to her achievements.

Friends of the Earth said, “She put the fire into the tinderbox of the environmental movement.” And that is reason enough for us all to be grateful.

February 6

ROBERT Bridges was created Poet Laureate in 1913 and held that prestigious position until his death in 1930. He had been writing poetry since his student days at Oxford and had spent time touring Europe and the Far East, but returned to study medicine at St Bartholomew’s Hospital in London.

He became casualty physician there and carried on in general practice until in his late thirties, when he retired from medicine and settled at Yattendon in Berkshire, taking charge of congregational singing in the parish church. He published “The Yattendon Hymnal” in which almost half of its one hundred hymns were of his own composition, including the ever-popular “All My Hope On God Is Founded.”

Here was a man who healed the sick, who is still bringing music and poetry into our lives, a man who brought out his long, philosophical work “Testament Of Youth” at the age of eighty-five. Quite a legacy, I’m sure you’ll agree.

February 5

MAYA Angelou wrote six autobiographical books on growing up poor and black in the American South. She has been nominated for Pulitzer prizes, the National Book Award, a Tony, and an Emmy.

That would be a hard act to follow even for the most accomplished among us. Her son Guy, however, had some troubled times but eventually overcame them. Now he is also a writer and poet. When asked what it had been like growing up in his mother’s shadow he was surprised.

“Her shadow?” Guy replied. “I thought I grew up in her light. She shone it on me all the time.” Like Maya Angelou we should strive to make our lives a beacon of light, so that those around us can always see the way ahead.

February 4

HERE’S something to think about today. Without olives being squeezed there would be no olive oil. Without grapes being pressed there would be no wine. Without the dough being kneaded bread wouldn’t rise.

So, if you are feeling a little under pressure, don’t worry – it’s just God bringing out the best in you!

February 3

ROBERT LOUIS STEVENSON “built” some great works of literature. His father, Thomas Stevenson, was an engineer who built some great lighthouses.

RLS dedicated one of his books to his father: “by whose devices the great sea lights in every quarter of the world now shine more brightly.” The rest of us might never be literary giants or physically illuminate dangerous seas, but if, in faith and love, we can light up a corner of the world for our brother or sister, then we, too, will have helped build a better world.

February 2

An old folk tradition describes February as a rosy-cheeked country maid, pulling her shawl tight around her, wiping her hair from her face and walking carefully over the frozen snow – but all the while looking out for the buds on the hedgerows, delighting in the songs of the birds, and appreciating the blossom on the blackthorn. In other words, finding beauty even in the bleakest of days.

She would have got on well with the romantic poet William Cullen Bryant who wrote, “The February sunshine steeps your boughs and tints the buds and swells the leaves within.”

Aware of the difficulties of the day but not cowed by them, looking forward to better and certain she won’t be disappointed, Miss February sounds like a fine example for the rest of us to follow!

February 1

IT might not feel like spring has sprung, but today, in Celtic traditions, is Imbolc, the beginning of spring.

It’s a time of confident expectancy, a time when things are in bud and will surely flower. There’s a feeling of having survived the worst of winter and anything from here on in must surely be better.

With weather patterns the way they are these days, that might not always be the case. Perhaps the seasons were more firmly fixed in their routine back when the tradition began.

Of course, apart from the occasional storm, things do as a whole start to get better. From this day on, we move further away from the winter solstice and ever closer to the spring equinox.

So, hold fast. We are getting there. Things will be better!

JANUARY

January 31

IT’S a message of comfort, attributed to the 16th-century friar St John of the Cross.

“I was sad one day and went for a walk; I sat in a field. A rabbit noticed my condition and came near. It often does not take more than that to help at times – to just be close to creatures who are so full of knowing, so full of love, that they don’t chat, they just gaze with their marvellous understanding.” We might not know why someone is sad. But we do know how it feels to be sad, and in simply sharing the moment with them we show them they aren’t alone.

January 30

JAMES MONTGOMERY was a Scottish-born, Sheffield-based hymn-writer.

He is most known for the hymn “Angels From The Realms of Glory”, but as a journalist and poet he often took on humanitarian causes. He campaigned vigorously to prevent children being employed as chimney sweeps.

His writing frequently offended powerful people and, in 1797, he was imprisoned for a poem criticising the use of force to break up a political gathering.

He used his time of incarceration to compile a book of poems called “Prison Amusements”. It made him quite a bit of money!

He is remembered for the beauty of his hymns, but perhaps James Montgomery should also be remembered as a fine example of how to turn a problem into a blessing!

January 29

WORKING life has changed a great deal since the nineteenth century, but this comment by art critic John Ruskin on what makes happiness can still raise a smile, whether we work with a tractor, a keyboard, or in the home.

“To watch the corn grow or the blossom set; to draw hard breath over a ploughshare or spade; to read, to think, to love, to pray … these are the things that make men happy.”

January 28

THERE are three things you can do today to help you take stock of your life and face up to whatever challenges are presented to you.

[1] Think back with thankfulness for the life you have enjoyed.

[2] Think forward with hope in your heart.

[3] Look heavenward and feel the self-confidence within you.

January 27

THE Roman Emperor Hadrian is well known for the wall he had built across the north of England, but there’s a tale that tells us a little more of the man. As he rode through a city, a woman ran after him begging for help.

“I’m too busy,” he told her. “Cease, then, being Emperor!” she shouted after him. Hadrian stopped, turned back, and helped the woman. Being emperor of all his subjects was not more important than helping one of his subjects.

God has a universe to run, and that kind of puts the Roman Empire in the shade, but if you or I need help then He still wants to hear about it. And He will make time to answer!

“The LORD hath heard my supplication; the LORD will receive my prayer.” – (Psalm 6:9)

January 26

THE great composer Beethoven once said, “I feel as if I have written no more than a few notes.”

In one sense he was right. After all, there are only eight notes, plus variations, in the musical scale. But what made Beethoven so majestically wonderful was the way he used those notes.

In the same way, we all – from celebrities to street sweepers – have only a limited selection of responses to life’s problems. Some will choose to “B Flat” but some will make beautiful music for others to enjoy. Your life is all about how you use those notes!

January 25

ONE great Scottish writer, Robert Louis Stevenson, wrote of another, Robert Burns, “To write with authority about another man we must have fellow-feeling and some common ground of experience with our subject.” That very trait was, perhaps, what raised Robert Burns to the standing he gained – his ability to find fellow feeling with people from all parts of society. Surely that understanding – one we might all work on – is the philosophy behind some of Burns’s most famous words. “A man’s a man for a’ that.”

January 24

JANUARY gets its name from the Roman god Janus. He had two faces, one looking into the past, the other looking forward and into the future. At least he wouldn’t get a sore neck from turning round all the time!

The past is a lovely place to visit, but all too often, people get stuck there or prefer to stay there because they don’t think there is much to look forward to. I would like to suggest that we do visit the past, the good and the bad, in order to learn from it, and be better equipped to make a future worth looking forward to?

For the remaining part of January, spend a while contemplating the last twelve months. And then set about recreating them, or improving on them, in the year ahead. Our past shapes who we are now.

January 23

SHERLOCK HOLMES, in the books at least, was always right, no matter how outlandish his predictions. But the 2015 movie “Mr Holmes” focused on a mistake. Holmes, touchingly portrayed by Sir Ian McKellen, is haunted by a time when being right was the most important thing for him.

A powerful lesson is learned, one that has been explained many ways. It comes down to this – if we need to choose between being right and being kind, always be kind. We will be right!

January 22

I HAVE never understood the rules of American football, but I do appreciate this secret of success shared by one of its coaches. It was, “Three yards and a cloud of dust.”

In other words, if every time his players got the ball they covered three yards in the right direction before the other team jumped on them, then they would get there. It wouldn’t be showy or spectacular, but, three yards at a time, they would reach the touchdown line.

It might seem like life is always stopping you from getting where you want to go, but if you pick yourself up each time and gain another three yards before the next cloud of dust descends – you will get there in the end!

January 21

DO you have a method for your life?

Most people know John Wesley found the Methodist movement, but fewer will know where the name Methodism came from.

While at university, Wesley and friends decided to try to live holier lives. To help, they kept notes of their feelings, their behaviour, their works, often on an hourly basis. By doing this they could identify strengths and shortcomings, then work on them. They improved their lives, and their service to God, methodically.

Want to improve your spirituality, your patience, your . . . whatever? Buy a notepad – and get yourself a method!

January 20

SCIENCE, my lad, is made up of mistakes, but they are mistakes which it is useful to make, because they lead little by little to the truth.”

I’m not quite sure who Jules Verne was addressing when he spoke those words, but what isn’t in doubt is that they shouldn’t just be restricted to the discipline of science.

No-one likes getting things wrong, but one thing is certain. There is no more effective teacher than a mistake, and no more certain route to success than learning from it.

January 19

IT’S usually a pleasant thing, especially on a cold, dark night, to arrive at a house and see a light shining from behind the curtains. It means someone is in, and you can probably expect a welcome.

An anonymous sage drew a similar conclusion about something quite different.

“A smile,” he said, “is the lighting system of the face and the heating system of the heart.”

So, when you see one, you know someone is at home, and you’ll find a warm welcome there, too!

January 18

WHAT’S the most important title someone can have? And how do you get it?

Well, you have to be born into royalty to be a king or a queen. Someone who is awarded a knighthood or made a dame has probably worked for a worthwhile cause. No-one would doubt the title of President of the United States is a prestigious one, but when he was elected George Washington had something else in mind.

“I hope,” he said, “that I shall possess firmness and virtue enough to maintain what I consider the most enviable of all titles, the character of an honest man.”

It’s another title that doesn’t come easily, but it is one that is well worth working for.

January 17

ADAM MAKOS, in his book “A Higher Call”, records a conversation between two World War II German pilots.

One had just disabled a Soviet plane. The Russian, believing he would be shot if he did so, refused to bail out. The German airman drew up alongside his opponent’s plane and signalled that it was safe to “take to the silk”.

His friend and fellow ace asked him why he took such a dangerous risk.

He replied, “You must remember that, one day, that Russian pilot was the baby son of a beautiful Russian girl. He has his right to life and love the same as we do.”

Reflecting on that, I wondered how we might treat even the most troublesome individual if we took the time to think of them as they once were – as we all once were – a babe in arms?

January 16

The soul. We all have one. But who can say for sure what it is, how it is shaped, and whether it may be affected by earthly things? The Roman philosopher Marcus Aurelius strongly believed that “The soul becomes dyed with the colour of its thoughts.”

Spend a moment in idle speculation with me, if you will, and consider the idea. Do you tend towards more serious thoughts, or more joyful? Flighty? Complex? If your thoughts really did colour your soul, would it be blue, magenta, orange, some shade of green, or slate-grey?

Personally, I rather hope mine is tie-dyed in bright colours and the infinite possibilities that stem from it.

January 15

ROBERT HENRI once said, “There is a joy in the pursuit of anything.” I think back to the times I physically chased anything – a fellow racer or runner, a kite, a dog. When the limbs are working, when the heart is pumping, that is indeed joyful.

But if we are pursuing, something must be chased. It isn’t always fun for them.

Perhaps, then, I can recommend the deeper joy of waiting, trusting your needs will be met, and knowing also that whatever comes willingly to you was meant to be with you.

January 14

HAVE you ever entwined you fingers with someone else’s? An anonymous wit said, “There are spaces between our fingers so anothperson’s fingers can fill them in.”

It is true that our best relationships are usually complementary ones, where the patience of one makes up for the haste of the other, for example.

Two together become more wonderful than they could ever hope to be apart. When relationships are right we make each other better.

Perhaps that’s what the poet Kahlil Gibran meant when he eloquently wrote, “Let there be spaces in your togetherness, and let the winds of the heavens dance between you.”

The spaces are important. If we fill them with love it will seem like heaven.

January 13

I KNOW someone who logs into his laptop by smiling at the screen. The camera recognises his face – how technologically innovative is that? Despite all advancements in computer science, some things remain uniquely ours.

I was reminded of it recently during a discussion when it was pointed out that God gave us each an individual fingerprint so we can each make an individual impression on life. Let’s make sure it’s a good one!

January 12

HAVE you ever said something you later regretted? I’m guessing we all have in the heat of the moment, responding wrongly to something misunderstood. The psychologist and concentration camp survivor Viktor Frankl put it into words.

“Between stimulus and response,” he wrote, “there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom.”

Take that moment – that space – to choose kindly, and be free from having to say “I didn’t really mean it” ever again.

January 11

The poet and author Fritz Reuter was heading towards a legal career when membership of a student political group saw him arrested and sentenced to death.

He was eventually pardoned, but his career prospects were wiped out. Making his living as a writer, he penned these thoughts. They might have been influenced by his own experiences and tell us a lot about the man himself.

“Nobody’s life flows on such an even course that it does not sometimes come up against a dam and swirl round and round. Something happens to everyone. He or she must take care the water of their life stays clear, and that heaven and earth are reflected in it.”

January 10

ALL of us know people who need to have things just right. Their drive for perfection can sometimes take a heavy emotional toll.

In Muslim countries and Amish communities in the United States, rug-weavers and quilt-makers deliberately put imperfections into their finished products.

They do this, because, despite being of different faiths, both believe only God is perfect, and it is foolish for humans to aspire to be like that aspect of him.

Relax a little. We all make mistakes. I have never seen perfection, but I doubt that much grows from it. How can it? By its very definition, perfection is a dead-end.

Many of us have, however, seen God make many beautiful and wonderful things happen as the result of some very human mistakes.

January 9

ONE of the most striking moments in the life of the Scottish mountaineer, William Hutchinson Murray, occurred not on the mountains but in the desert near El Alamein.

Murray was captured in the middle of the night by a German tank commander who light-heartedly asked if he wasn’t feeling the cold. “It’s as cold as a mountain top,” Murray replied. The German officer asked, “You climb mountains?”

“He was a mountaineer,” Murray recalled. “We both relaxed. He stuffed his gun away. After a few quick words – the Alps, Scotland, rock and ice – he could not do enough for me.”

It’s a fine reminder that on a global scale, war, politics, and nationality might come between us, but on a one-to-one level our loves, passions, and interests are often the same the whole world over.

It’s the things we have in common that bring us together.

January 8

THE lessons from the story of Noah and the Ark are surely to plan ahead, remember that it wasn’t raining when the journey began, build a future on solid ground, and have a good friend so you can travel in pairs. Not least, don’t worry if you are not in the fast lane – the snails climbed aboard safely, too.

Remember, also, that whenever you are feeling preoccupied, it is good to relax and float awhile. A flood of good advice, don’t you agree?

“But with thee I will establish my covenant; and thou shalt come into the Ark, then, and thy sons, and thy wife, and thy sons’ wives with thee.” (Genesis 6–18)

January 7

IN the early days of a new year some decades ago, educator and missionary Frank C. Laubach wrote these words: “To be able to look backwards and say, ‘This, this has been the finest year of my life’, that is glorious! But to be able to look ahead and say: ‘The present year can and shall be better’, that is more glorious!”

And what did he think made the previous year great and the coming year greater? God’s kindness.

A year of God’s kindness? If we give it and receive it, the year ahead will undoubtedly be the best one so far.

January 6

TURNING over the page of a calendar, I found myself gazing at a superb photograph of a river in full flow. Why is it, we might wonder, that so many of us are drawn to the sight and sound of moving water?

It’s difficult to explain fully, but many will know from experience that a river can be both a source of inspiration and comfort, opening our consciousness to the great wonder and awe of the world all around us. There are some beautiful lines from the poet Ritaihaku in this context:

The flowing waters carry the image of the peach blossom far, far away: There is an earth, there is a heaven, unknown to men.

Long may the rivers flow, and our hearts be healed by them. 

January 5

A FEW YEARS ago, a buyer paid four hundred and fifty million pounds (£450m) for a painting by Leonardo da Vinci, making it the most expensive painting ever.

This wonderfully expensive piece of art depicted Jesus Christ, the greatest gift the world has ever known. The greatest free gift to mankind!

Da Vinci was a genius. His paintings are exquisite, and rare. In a world that values such things, perhaps the price tag is merited.

That we live in a world where His gifts – love, understanding, sacrifice, patience, forgiveness, and life – are beyond priceless. Value them highly.

January 4

I CAME across some words recently that really struck a chord with me. It was something said to that wonderful writer, Catherine Cookson, while she was still a young girl.

They must have made an impression on her, as she remembered them many years later.

“Have one aim in life – happiness! If you are happy you’ll make at least half the people you know happy.”

At first glance, aiming for happiness might sound like rather a selfish thing to do. However, I’m sure we all have discovered that sharing laughter and joy with others creates ripples of happiness which spread far and wide.

Sometimes we find that even a small act of kindness can set off a surprisingly wide circle of ripples, spreading all sorts of goodwill in all sorts of unexpected quarters!

In this tired, troubled world of ours, we should all “aim for happiness”, but most of all, we should try to make others happy, too. I hope you will agree.

January 3

MANY of us probably look to a new year with a mixture of emotions. Sadness at things gone by, perhaps, concern for what may lie ahead, but many of us still look ahead to a new year with an almost childish sense of excitement for all the, as yet, undiscovered possibilities the future holds during the next 12 months.

Joni Eareckson Tada describes that same feeling when she says: “God specialises in things fresh and firsthand. His plans for you this year may outshine those of the past.”

So, here’s to the new year ahead of us all and all things fresh! 

January 2

IT began with an overheard snatch of conversation in the street one day. One woman was speaking to another: “It’s all very well saying I should count my blessings but…” And then they were gone, out of earshot.

On returning home, that partial sentence stayed with the listener who then spent an hour searching their memory and later, their own bookshelves. What was established were these words from Lord Allton:

“If you have never been in war, imprisoned, or suffered from starvation, then you are better off than five hundred million other people. If you can read, then you are better off than the two billion who are unable to do so. If you can attend a church without fear of harassment, or worse, then you are better off than three billion people in the world.

“If you have food in the fridge, clothes on your back, a roof over your head and a place to sleep, then you are richer than three-quarters of your fellow human beings. If you have money in the bank or your wallet or purse, then you are among the top eight per cent of the world’s wealthy.”

When it comes to counting your blessings – there is no “but”.

January 1

EVERY first of January, so it says in the 1862 Book of Days, is at once a resting place for thought and meditations, and a starting point for fresh exertion in the performance of our journey.

The Book of Days then goes on, rather audaciously, to suggest that, “The man who does not at least propose to himself to be better this year than he was last, must either be very good or very bad indeed.”

I would think that most of us probably fall somewhere in the middle of that assessment; not too bad – but not as good as we might be.

Resolutions are all very well – and often all very temporary – but if we try to be better this year than we were last year, and then do the same next year, then step by step, year by year, we shall edge ever closer to being “very good indeed”.

As we commit to such improvements, we become very aware of the limitations of our will-power. But there is always help on hand.

Drawing on the LORD’s strength and support, may we all be new and better creations in His service, in this year (of 2025) and beyond.