“It’s on the strength of observation and reflection that one finds a way. So we must dig and delve unceasingly.”

Claude Monet, born on this day in 1840

“From radiant dawns
You hope for shining clear days.
Love appeared, but then shattered me
Like many others I do not name
For they know who they are.
I know myself as someone
Who constantly mourns Love.

The peasant says, “Wait for evening
Before you praise the day’s beauty.”
Understanding so late
Makes me cry out: “Alas my life!
Where is the rapture
And peace of Love
She gave so lavishly at first?”

Hadewijch of Antwerp

Psalm 8 reimagined by Christine Robinson

“Many-Named One
   beyond imagining–
When I contemplate the night sky,
  the cosmos which all unfolded from a speck,
galaxies, stars, this beautiful earth—
Who are we humans, that you attend to us?
   mere mortals in our tiny corner, and you love us?
  We are life come to knowing and feeling.
The whole world is in our hands.
  plants and animals, oceans and ice caps, rain forests
  atmosphere and ecosystem.
Touch our hearts, O God,
make us worthy of this trust
Help us care for life on this beautiful earth.”

“Send Thy peace O Lord,
which is perfect and everlasting, that our souls may radiate peace.
Send Thy peace O Lord,
that we may think, act and speak harmoniously.
Send Thy peace O Lord,
that we may be contented and thankful for Thy bountiful gifts.
Send Thy peace O Lord,
that amidst our worldly strife, we may enjoy Thy bliss.
Send Thy peace O Lord,
that we may endure all, tolerate all, in the thought of Thy grace and mercy.
Send Thy peace O Lord,
that our lives may become a Divine vision and in Thy light, all darkness may vanish.
Send Thy peace O Lord,
our Father and Mother, that we Thy children on Earth may all unite in one family. Amen.”

Hazrat Inayat Khan

“God writes the gospel not in the Bible alone, but on trees and flowers and clouds and stars.”

Martin Luther, born on this day in 1483

“The world isn’t getting any easier. With all these new inventions I believe that people are hurried more and pushed more… The hurried way is not the right way; you need time for everything – time to work, time to play, time to rest.”

Hedy Lamarr, actress and inventor, born on this day in 1914

“A Unitarian holds the view that no-one has yet found the final and complete truth. We can, however, try to grasp a good measure of it and hold it till we become capable of something more. The search for truth has its own reward – it brings new meaning and dignity into life.”

Gábor Kerecki (1914 – 1995), Unitarian minister

“The older one gets, the more one feels that the present must be enjoyed; it is a precious gift, comparable to a state of grace.”

Marie Curie, born on this day in 1867

“O Great Spirit, whose voice I hear in the winds,
and whose breath gives life to all the world – hear me.
I am small and weak. I need your strength and wisdom.
Let me walk in beauty, and make my eyes ever behold the red and purple sunset.
Let me learn the lesson hidden in every leaf and rock.”

‘Red Cloud’ (Mahpiua Luta), 1822 – 1909, chief of the Oglala Lakota nation

“When the mind is festering with trouble or the heart torn, we can find healing among the silence of mountains or fields, or listen to the simple, steadying rhythm of waves. The slowness and stillness gradually takes us over. Our breathing deepens and our hearts calm and our hungers relent. When serenity is restored, new perspectives open to us and difficulty can begin to seem like an invitation to new growth.

This invitation to friendship with nature does of course entail a willingness to be alone out there. Yet this aloneness is anything but lonely. Solitude gradually clarifies the heart until a true tranquillity is reached. The irony is that at the heart of that aloneness you feel intimately connected with the world. Indeed, the beauty of nature is often the wisest balm for it gently relieves and releases the caged mind.”

John O’Donohue