Pruning

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Christina Rossetti

Although today he prunes my twigs with pain,
yet doth his blood nourish and warm my root;
tomorrow I shall put forth buds again
and clothe myself with fruit.

Christina Rossetti

When Failing Is Good

I came across this quote who isn’t attributed to anyone but which I dedicate to all mother’s out there.

A mother’s role is to protect her children, some of the time she fails, but it is in the trying that her young feel loved.

Motherhood isn’t always easy and it doesn’t stop when the young fly the nest.  Sometimes we aren’t sure if we have done the right thing or not, all we know is that we love and do what we think is best out of love.  To my two, sorry for when I’ve got it wrong, I love you both!

Get It The Right Way Round

Vision without action is a daydream.
Action without vision is a nightmare.
Japanese Proverb

General Synod

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General Synod

A good life is a series of joyful meetings and joyful moments.
Francis Bacon

Here’s hoping!

Here

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Beaulieu Abbey

Another brief snippet from our holidays, this time from a plaque in Beaulieu Abbey, words which I feel would make a pretty good dictionary explanation for the word contentment.  The words are attributed to Saint Bernard – and no not a dog with a barrel of rum around it’s neck – but the French Abbot who was, in part, responsible for reforming the Cistercian order of which Beaulieu Abbey was a part.

It is good for us to be in this place for here a man lives more worthily falls from grace more rarely, rises more swiftly, walks more carefully, rests more peacefully, dies more happily, is absolved more speedily, is rewarded more bountifully.

Silver And Gold

If talking is Silver, then listening is Gold.

Turkish Proverb

Friends and Angels

“Friends are angels who lift us to our feet when our wings have trouble remembering how to fly.”

from that prolific author – Anonymous

Not Yet

I have been on the verge of being an angel all my life; but it’s never happened yet.

Mark Twain

The Three Sieves

I have a book which I occasionally dip into – One Hundred Wisdom Stories From Around The World – in it there are a collection very short stories, this is one comes from an unknown source.

Janice came rushing in to her grandma’s house. ‘Gran, Gran, there’s something I’m dying to tell you …’

‘Wait a moment’, her grandma broke in, with a wise smile.  ‘Whatever it is you want to tell me, have you shaken it through the three sieves?’

‘Three sieves?’  Janice asked, amazed.

‘Yes, my love.  three sieves!  Let’s see whether your story will go through the three sieves.  the first sieve is the truth.  Have you thought about whether what you are going to tell me is true?’

‘Well’, hesitated Janice.  ‘I heard it from someone else, so I’m not absolutely sure …’

‘Right’, said Gran.  ‘That was an honest answer.  So let’s try it through the second sieve.  This is the sieve of goodness.  Since what you are going to tell me is not necessarily true, then is it at least something good?’

Janice lowered her eyes, ‘Well no’, she admitted.  ‘Not really.  In fact, quite the opposite.’

‘Well’, the wise grandma continued.  ‘Let’s use the third sieve, and see whether what you are going to tell me, even if neither true nor good, is at least necessary.’

‘Well, not exactly necessary …’ Janice sank into a thoughtful silence.

‘So’, Gran said, giving Janice an understanding hug, ‘since what you were going to tell me is neither true, nor good, nor necessary, I suggest that we bury it deep in the ground of forgetfulness, where it won’t cause any hurt to anyone.

Swimming

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Alison Weir, Books, Religion

On a Thursday I do the swim run.  That means getting up at 6am to drive to Hamilton then waiting and bringing ‘E’ back again after she has done her mornings training.  The getting up isn’t much fun but it is a wonderful hour of guilt free reading when I get there.  Currently the book is Eleanor of Aquitaine by Alison Weir, subtitled ‘By the wrath of God, Queen of England’.  Fascinating book which I haven’t finished yet, but this morning the subtitle distracted me and I am now flinging it out into the blogsphere to see if it also distracts you.

Is that a good or a bad thing, to be something or somebody by God’s wrath?

Be Careful

Be careful of your thoughts for they can become your words.

Be careful of your words, for they can become your actions.

Be careful of your actions, for they can become your habits.

Be careful of your habits, for they can become your character.

Be careful of your character, for it can decide your destiny.

Unknown source

Beneath The Surface

‘The rock beneath the soil determins what grows on the surface.’

Alan Tichmarsh

Have we cleared away the rocks so our roots can go deep and a healthy productive vine can grow?