At the moment, I seem to be experiencing Writer’s Block. These are my thoughts: I could write another Small Things post, but to be honest, I’m a little bored of them. Do people really care what type of tea I’m into at the moment? I could create another Inspiration Board – but I feel like…
Category: Reflections
Fairy Tales
On Wednesday I spent a magical evening watching the Royal Ballet’s Sleeping Beauty, which was being relayed to cinemas around the country live from the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden. Everything about the performance was captivating – the music, the set, the costumes, the dancing, and the story. Watching it on screen gave a…
Small Gatherings
I just bought the Kinfolk book, Recipes for Small Gatherings, and have already spent a chunk of my Saturday morning reading it like a storybook whilst drinking copious amounts of coffee. It really does read like a story, as each contributor is introduced in the context of their own home and way of life, and…
The Unseen Things
Those of you who read the Simple Things magazine will know that on the first page, it offers a little summary describing what ‘the simple things’ might be that month… this month included champagne and choux buns and love letters 🙂 I hope they won’t mind me showing this little snap of it, and I…
On Retreat: Small Things
For the last day and a bit, I have been on a retreat with other children’s and youth workers at Douai Abbey. It has been such a helpful, peaceful and affirming time, so I thought for this week’s ‘Small Things’ I would write you a list of the little things I love about being on…
The Week in Words
Most weeks I post a list of ‘small things’ that have made me happy. This week was the week of my 27th birthday, and for a change I thought I’d sum up my goings on in three words… 1. HOPEFULNESS On Saturday evening, we held an event that was basically dreamed up and organised by…
A Little Magic
On Sunday a magician friend visited our youth group and amazed us all by making my ring disappear, fly around the room and reappear in his pocket attached to a keyring. He also managed to demonstrate invisible ‘trapdoors’ in the floor by making corks ‘travel’ through them, and turned the patterns on playing cards from…
Inspiration Boards #1
I mentioned in my This Week… post that I wanted to try doing some Inspiration Boards, as seen here at Penchanting. I think collecting inspiring pictures and quotes is great for helping us to express ourselves, relaxation time, developing creativity, motivation, keeping us both grateful and hopeful, and generally making us happy – so I’ve…
Unsung Heroes
Do you know any ‘unsung heroes’? People who quietly and diligently persevere, make wise choices, have a positive influence, are joyful in the face of difficulty? I know a few. Some would call them ‘the salt of the earth’. I just looked up the meaning of that phrase and found the definition: ‘those of great worth and…
Giving it All
I’ve been thinking this week about using what we have to make a difference. There’s a story Jesus told about a Boss who gave his workers different amounts of money to do what they could with. They didn’t all have the same amount – some had a lot, others a little – but all managed…
Encouragement, Dreams and Colour…
…Three strong, promising words. All these have been on my mind as I have gone about this week. I’ve been thinking about ‘encouragement’ for a while, though not necessarily under that name. I’ve been wanting to become a more positive person to be around, someone with the power to help others to feel lifted and…
Happy New Year
What is on your mind as you enter 2014? What are you reflecting on and looking forward to? This week has felt like a whirlpool as we process the year behind us and look ahead to 2014, which looks set to be a time of change for us. It is going to be full of…
Life Lived 