“Laugh and the world laughs with you” ‘Smiling is contagious,’ my aunt always said,’ more contagious than a virus.’ She used to advise us, to our amusement, to smile slightly as we walked along, even when we did not feel like it.  A smile, she maintained, tricks the brain into releasing hormones that boost the immune system. Whatever about that, ...

  The God of Promise As we say goodbye to another year of unsettlement, disappointment and uncertainty, can we even begin to hope as the clock chimes in 2022? If we can use the words of Jochen Klepper “Neujahrslied” in his work Kyrie (Berlin: Merseburger, 1938):   New Year’s Song – in translation O you who hold all times in your ...

As the year drifts into winter, we notice subtle differences in nature especially in the quality of light, the length of days, and the bareness of the trees; nature begins to slowly fall asleep. In his poem, “The Sleeping Babe” Henry Baron describes the differences in nature very aptly in the following lines, “The moon turned white to silver On ...

With the end of summer time upon us, we enter the “royal” season of Autumn – royal because of the  magnificence of colours and a time when nature “disrobes the glory of summer” when it takes on the colours that basically soften the end of its reign of lively, lush greens to the soft yellows, reds and gold. This is ...

Some time ago, I was given a book that had a short story of ‘The Dream in the Acorn’. I was drawn to the story because I grew up near oak trees and marvelled that a tiny acorn could produce such big trees.  What did the author mean by the ‘dream’? I soon realised that the unique ‘something’ in the ...

Technology has come to figure largely in our lives in recent years.  In truth, it can be a blessing, but it can also be a “monster”!  Yes, it is quick to pass on messages by using email, text, Twitter, Instagram, and in our busy lives many of us feel this can be extremely helpful. However, it can also be very ...

Despite our summers in this part of the world being a bit unsettled, and travel not so possible this year after so many restrictions, we can take this time mentally and spiritually to make changes to our routine during this summertime. We have learnt from experience that no one will thank us if we continue to treat this month as ...

Some weeks ago, listening to BBC Songs of Praise, the hymn “Beauty for Brokenness” by Graham Kendrick triggered in me a myriad of thoughts at first centred on the word “Brokenness.” At the time we were still in the middle of the second more threatening lockdown, with the deeply emotional events of Passiontide still etched clearly in hearts and minds. ...

Now the green blade riseth from the buried grain. Wheat that in the dark earth many days has lain, love lives again, that with the dead has been; love is come again like wheat that springeth green. J.M. C. Crum (1872-1958) ©Oxford Book of Carols. For most of us, the first signs of spring this year will make a difference. ...

We continue to pray for Peace in Myanmar and in other parts of our World. Wishing us all a prayerful journey together as RNDMs during the HOLY WEEK.     Music Blessings on the King Each Morning You Wake Us To Hear Memory of the Passion