“Because the almond tree flowers before it bears fruit, some cultures have regarded it as a symbol of hope, but others see its blossom pattern as a warning against haste. As new projects develop this spring, some will hail them automatically for the hope they promise. Others will reflexively regard any new idea as too much, too soon. Perhaps we need universities to offer courses in Spring Studies, in the nurturing of new life. It takes vision and discretion to tell the difference between the numinous and the mere novelty.”

From Earth Bound: Daily Meditations for All Seasons by Brian Nelson

“God has blessed you when he lets you believe in somebody.”

Billie Holiday (1915 – 1959), born on this day

“Freedom.
How her spirit
Haunts,
Hooks,
Entices us all!
Freedom,
Will the time come
For my ideas to roam
Across this vast land’s deserts,
Through the caverns of the Empty Quarter?
For my voice to be sent forth,
Crying out in the stillness of a quiet people,
A voice among the voiceless?
For my thoughts, that hurl around
In a never-ending spiral,
To settle
Mature, grow and flourish
In a barren wasteland of shackled minds?
Will my spirit be set free—
To soar above the undulating palm fronds?
Will my essence and heart be unfettered,
Forever
Freed,
Of man-made Thou Shall Nots?”

The Longing by Nimah Ismail Nawwab

International Day of Conscience

“Somewhere in every heart there is a discerning voice. This voice distrusts the status quo. It sounds out the falsity in things and encourages dissent from the images things tend to assume. It underlines the secret crevices where the surface has become strained. It advises distance and opens up a new perspective through which the concealed meaning of a situation might emerge. The inner voice makes any complicity uneasy. Its intention is to keep the heart clean and clear. This voice is an inner whisper not obvious or known to others outside. It receives little attention and is not usually highlighted among a person’s qualities. Yet so much depends on that small voice. The truth of its whisper marks the line between honour and egoism, kindness and chaos. In extreme situations, which have been emptied of all shelter and tenderness, that small voice whispers from somewhere beyond and encourages the heart to hold out for dignity, respect, beauty and love.”

John O’Donohue

“We’ve got some difficult days ahead, but it really doesn’t matter to me now, because I’ve been to the mountain top, and I don’t mind. Like anybody, I would like to live a long life – longevity has its place. But I’m not concerned about that now. I just want to do God’s will. And he’s allowed me to go up to the mountain. And I’ve looked over and I’ve seen the Promised Land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people, will get to the Promised Land. And so I’m happy tonight; I’m not worried about anything; I’m not fearing any man. Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord.”

From a speech given by Martin Luther King Jr. on 3rd April 1968. He was assassinated on 4th April 1968.

“I try to be as uncomplicated as possible. The important thing in life is just living and loving.. I love to laugh. It’s the only way to live. Enjoy each day – it’s not coming back again!”

Doris Day (1922 – 2019), born on this day

“If you cannot find peace within yourself, you will never find it anywhere else.”

Marvin Gaye (1939 – 1984), born on this day

“Peace begins at home. Many of us have peaceful intentions regarding the world at large, but what is the use of feelings of cosmic peace if our own heart is troubled? ..Peace will sprout only when we ourselves spill tears of release upon the hard ground of our hearts.”

Caitlin Matthews

“That the first breath will come without fear.
That the second breath will come without pain.
The third breath: that it will come without despair.
And the fourth, without anxiety.
That the fifth breath will come with no bitterness.
That the sixth breath will come for joy.
Breath seven: that it will come for love.
May the eighth breath come for freedom.
And the ninth, for delight.
When the tenth breath comes,
may it be for us to breathe together,
and the next, and the next,
until our breathing is as one,
until our breathing is no more.”

Blessing of Breathing by Jan Richardson

Easter Sunday

“Weeping may last for a night.
Weeping may last for a thousand nights.
But joy comes in the morning.
That morning we went to our beloved teacher’s tomb.
We went to anoint his body.
We carried oil and cloths.
We came to the tomb in sorrow, heads bowed low.
But hope does not die so easily.
It flickers inside, buried somewhere deep.
Hope grows, blossoms like a rose
even through stone,
even in hearts frozen by grief.
When we arrived at the place where he lay
We dropped all that we carried, in wonder, in fear,
to see the tomb laid open, and our beloved gone.
Do not weep, said the man.
This morning we rejoice.
Love lives. Hope lives.
Jesus is not here, he said.
Come and see.
He is risen.
Our beloved is risen. Our hope is risen.
Can it be?
Can it be?”

At the Tomb by Molly Housh Gordon

“I believe the most important thing for humankind is its own creativity. I further believe that, in order to be able to exercise this creativity, people need to be free.”

From Freedom in Exile by the Dalai Lama, who fled to India and was granted political asylum there on this day in 1959