Category: Nurturing

Nurturing Thursday 110

A Buddhist Prayer for the End of Suffering

May the sound of this bell penetrate deep into the cosmos

Even in the darkest spots

Living beings are able to hear it clearly

So that all suffering in them cease

Understanding comes to their heart

And they transcend the path of sorrow and death.

The universal dharma door is already open

The sound of the rising tide is heard clearly

The miracle happens

A beautiful child appears in the heart of a lotus flower

One single drop of this compassionate water

Is enough to bring back the refreshing spring to our mountains and rivers.

Listening to the bell

I feel the afflictions in me begin to dissolve

My mind calm

My body relax

A smile is born on my lips

Following the sound of the bell

My breath brings me back to the safe island of mindfulness

In the garden of my heart

The flowers of peace bloom beautifully.

upliftconnect.com

Whatever your spiritual beliefs, may you be transported to a place of serenity and hope with this amazing video and exquisite prayer ~ written by Zen Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh and chanted by brother Phap Niem. 

Namaste.

🙂

‘Nurturing Thursday’ is hosted by Becca Givens, author of the inspiring blog On Dragonfly Wings with Buttercup Tea. If you would like to learn more about it please visit her site.  

 

Nurturing Thursday 108

fullsizerender-5

Our house is in the ideal location for Martin and I ~ on the outskirts of the County Town, with all it’s amenities but with two seperate village communities to tap into, (our road actually forms the border between them.) And, although the area has become more built~up over the years, we can still stroll along country footpaths within minutes of stepping through our front gate. Which is excellent for our daily dog~walk and observing nature close at hand:

Yesterday we decided to gather blackberries while exercising our right of way across nearby fields.

According to English folklore you shouldn’t pick these wild fruit after Michaelmass, (which used to be September 29th) the day on which the Fallen Angel Lucifer was cast out of heaven and landed on a thorny bramble bush. He was so furious that he either spat or urinated on them, stamped on the with his cloven hooves or threw his cloak over them, depending on the area in which the tale is being told. In any case they are said to taste awful after that date and eating them is supposed to bring bad luck or make you ill.

Whether or not you believe in this legend, it is true to say that the ones we found yesterday were just on the right side of luscious ripeness, so it was the perfect day to harvest them:

Now they’re washed, drained and frozen, ready for making pies and crumbles ~ comfort food full of nurturing Vitamin C to cheer us over the winter. I kept back a small amount, which I placed in a bottle with sugar and half a litre of spirit, so when Christmas comes we can literally drink the fruits of our labours ~ home~made Blackberry Vodka!

Cheers!

😉

‘Nurturing Thursday’ is hosted by Becca Givens, author of the inspiring blog On Dragonfly Wings with Buttercup Tea. If you would like to learn more about it please visit her site.  

Nurturing Thursday 106

IMG_2072

After a long dry spell some welcome rain fell during last Wednesday night, saving me from having to water my pots of flowers and vegetables. The following morning I was practising my Qi Gong routine in the Kitchen Courtyard when I spotted these droplets glinting on my Valentine rose bush and snapped them to illustrate this week’s ‘Nurturng’ post. I’m delighted with the result ~ you can even see the silhouette of our house reflected in them!

Nature does provide everything, no thanks required!

🙂

‘Nurturing Thursday’ is hosted by Becca Givens, author of the inspiring blog On Dragonfly Wings with Buttercup Tea. If you would like to learn more about it please visit her site.  

 

Nurturing Thursday 104

IMG_1313.jpg

With all that’s going on in the planet at the moment, it’s easy to get caught up in drama, confusion and worry.

This quote, shared on Facbook by Cuenca Holistic Health, reminds us that ~ rather than fretting about situations beyond our control ~ we can choose to focus on how awesome it is just to wake up to each new day.

That’s exactly what I did at 4.45 this morning, when my lovely husband suggested that this would be the ideal time to go and do our food shopping, while the roads were traffic~free. He was right ~ apart from a few staff we had the 24 hour supermarket entirely to ourselves and were home before the workers and holiday~makers had opened their eyes.

Now the groceries are all packed away and the rest of the day stretches ahead of us, to do as we please. Which will most likely include having a nap at some point!

Wishing you all a Happy Nurturing Thursday!

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz…………………….

😉

‘Nurturing Thursday’ is hosted by Becca Givens, author of the inspiring blog On Dragonfly Wings with Buttercup Tea. If you would like to learn more about it please visit her site.  

Nurturing Thursday 103

As it was my birthday at the end of July and because we dont bother going away on holiday, Martin and I decided to have a ‘staycation’ last week. We’re both retired, live on a beautiful island and have the most comfortable bed ever ~ why would we go to the trouble of traveling anywhere else? Maybe next year. 😉

We had a great time ~ eating ice~cream for breakfast, catching up with friends, reading in the courtyard and taking leisurely walks with Indie. I hardly looked at Facebook, ignored my emails and didn’t open any letters that looked ‘official’ ~ just those that were clearly birthday cards.

We’re ‘back’ now but I’m still in holiday mode ~ plus our power was out for most of yesterday, meaning that I couldn’t prepare a Nurturing Thursday post. I’ve been trying since early morning to compose something meaningful and uplifting but it just isn’t flowing as well as I’d like.

So I’m going to stop struggling, grab my ‘chick~lit’ novel and head out to my favourite deck chair in the sunshine. But before I go I’ll leave you with the link to Becca’s site, where you will find more organised contributors giving ‘this planet a much needed shot of fun, support and positive energy.’

Enjoy!

🙂

‘Nurturing Thursday’ is hosted by Becca Givens, author of the inspiring blog On Dragonfly Wings with Buttercup Tea. If you would like to learn more about it please visit her site. 

 

Nurturing Thursday 102

IMG_1981

‘Today I am creating a better version of myself’

Oprah and Deepak 21 Day Meditation Experience ~ Getting Unstuck: Creating a Limitless Life 

I’m currently mid~way through another on~line meditation course, guided by Oprah Winfrey and Deepak Chopra ~ they run two or three every year and I’ve been joining in since 2012.

We’ve had unusually wonderful weather in the UK this week ~ although it is a little cooler and more windy today, so that may not continue over the weekend. Never mind, we’re British ~ we never expect sunny spells to last and when they do we complain it’s too hot!

Tuesday was brilliant though, so I meditated outside in the secluded Kitchen Courtyard. As Deepak closed the session with a softly spoken blessing, I opened my eyes and noticed how vibrant the flowers on the table in front of me were. With the Buddha head in the middle and my collection of interesting rocks, it looks like an altar ~ although that’s completely unintentional. I took a quick snap on my phone and carried on with my day.

This morning, searching for a suitable ‘Nurturing’ post, I flicked through my photostream and was amazed when I saw this picture for the first time. I appreciate that it’s not great ~ the pots are shabby, the plants overblown and technically it’s a disaster. But I ❤ it.

The Buddha must have been smiling down on me 🙂 ~ I couldn’t have caught those rays of light beaming down on my accidental altar, or the vertical rainbow behind it if I’d tried. They were invisible to the naked eye and completely absent from the one taken a few seconds later.

So I’ve decided to use it as this week’s subject, along with the centering thought from Day 7: ‘Today I am creating a better version of myself’ ~ rather than competing with or comparing myself to other people. (Which fits in well with Becca’s original reasons for starting ‘Nurturing Thursday’)

Like the photo I’m not perfect, so there’s plenty of room for improvement ~ but in the meantime I’m just fine as I am!

🙂

‘Nurturing Thursday’ is hosted by Becca Givens, author of the inspiring blog On Dragonfly Wings with Buttercup Tea. If you would like to learn more about it please visit her site.

‘

Nurturing Thursday 101

No, I’m not losing the plot and forgetting what day it is (not this time anyway.) I do know that it’s Friday and that this week’s Nurturing Thursday post is one day overdue.

Yesterday I was enoying myself out in the open air, and when I came home the sun was bathing our Kitchen Courtyard so I sat out there instead of sorting out the photos that I’d taken on my phone and writing about them.

I belong to the Carisbrooke branch of The Women’s Institute ~ a voluntary women’s organisation which was set up 101 years ago, to revitalise rural communities and encourage women to become more involved in food production during the first World War. Today it’s not all about home~made jam or making do and mending ~ although we are still active in our communities and belong to the National Federation.

On Thursday afternoon I joined a few other members on a cirular walk around the nearby countryside ~ just for the fun of it. We weren’t collecting funds or raising awareness, this was one of the social activities organised in addition to monthly meetings.

We strolled through Gatcombe village, past quirky cottages and farm buildings, then climbed a steep and winding hill. Resting on the ridge to take in the panoramic vista, we marvelled at how much of The Island we could see and pointed out local landmarks, to help us work out where we were. Single file, we made our way up narrow lanes, before dropping down through woods and emerging where we’d parked our cars over an hour earlier. Feeling virtuous we rounded off the afternoon with tea and cake in a group member’s lovely garden.

So, I took time off from spending hours indoors typing and nurtured myself instead, as you can see. You might also notice that I was invariably bringing up the rear but ambling at my own comfortable pace, I managed to keep up.

Sunshine, gentle excercise, delightful company and cake. What more could anybody ask for?

“Nurturing Thursday’ is hosted by Becca Givens, author of the inspiring blog On Dragonfly Wings with Buttercup Tea. If you would like to learn more about it please visit her site.

🙂