Author Archives: Laura Dobson

“An agnostic friend of mine eventually converted to the Catholic faith. She received religious instruction from a devout and simple-minded nun. They were discussing the story of the Annunciation, which presented some difficulties to my friend. At last she said to the nun, “Well, anyhow, I suppose that one is not obliged to believe thatContinue reading “Thought for the day, Friday 19th September”

“Give me a quiet life, give me trees, the wind through them, give me a sea and the song it sings. Give me heartbeats shared with those I love, give me peace and a long deep sleep.” Tyler Knott Gregson

Feast Day of Saint Hildegard of Bingen “O Fire of the Spirit, life of all life of all creatures,Holy are you, because you make all creatures come to life.Holy are you, because you save the dangerously broken.Holy are you, because you heal the wounds.O tremendous flow which has permeated everythingin the heights and on earthContinue reading “Thought for the day, Wednesday 17th September”

“Our individual relationship with Spirit has to be personal and immediate for it to have authenticity. It cannot be gained by reading books. In every place, in every time, with every person, Spirit communicates in its own ways. Those who advance their spiritual lives by spending time in nature, in meditation, and in practice, learnContinue reading “Thought for the day, Tuesday 16th September”

International Day of Democracy “If people have confidence in the democratic process, it engenders hope, and nothing is more essential to the human spirit than hope.” Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, novelist, born on this day in 1977

“Divine spirit, give us the strengthto act honourably and respectfullytowards the earth and all her creatures,including our own species.Give us the power to act now, andlet co-operation, not competition,be our default mode of being.Amen.” Maria Curtis, Unitarian minister, quoted in Fragments of Holiness for Daily Reflection

“You’ll never get anywhere if you go about what-iffing like that.” From Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator by Roald Dahl (1916 – 1990), born on this day

“I am dust particles in sunlight.I am the round sun. To the bits of dust I say, Stay.To the sun, Keep moving. I am morning mist,and the breathing of evening. I am wind in the top of a grove,and surf on the cliff. Mast, rudder, helmsman, and keel,I am also the coral reef they founderContinue reading “Thought for the day, Friday 12th September”

“Spirituality emerged as a fundamental guidepost in Wholeheartedness. Not religiosity but the deeply held belief that we are inextricably connected to one another by a force greater than ourselves–a force grounded in love and compassion. For some of us that’s God, for others it’s nature, art, or even human soulfulness. I believe that owning ourContinue reading “Thought for the day, Thursday 11th September”

“Animism is the way humanity has been deeply connected to the land and its seasonal cycles for millennia, in rapport and conversation with the animals, plants, elements, ancestors and earth spirits. The opposite of animism is the “cult of the individual” so celebrated in modern society, and the loss of the animist worldview is atContinue reading “Thought for the day, Wednesday 10th September”