Zen Moments

“Why hadn’t he asked me to marry him?” The time and the place were perfect. We’d been together for just over a year. We were deeply in love. We were sitting in a fabulous restaurant after a magical evening listening to the Prague String Quartet. (Bach – my favourite.)  We’d had a box (!) in [...]

“I hugged him every time he asked the question – 21 times – my innocent little boy…” A Father and Son sit together in the garden – a touching reminder of the need for patience as our parents get older… A short (5 minute) Greek film made in 2007. Directed by Constantin Pilavios. Some versions on [...]

“It is through this creative process that we love and are loved…” I want to write about the great and powerful thing that listening is. And how we forget it. And how we don’t listen to our children, or those we love. And least of all – which is so important, too – to those [...]

“If you’ve practised with the small things, you’ll be able to deal with the big things.” This one stopped me in my tracks. The Abbot said he was going to get his sleeping bag dry-cleaned, and I thought “Mine could really do with cleaning too”. So I asked him “Could we get my sleeping bag [...]

“There is an ancient peace you carry in your heart and have not lost “ WORDS ON SOLITUDE AND SILENCE “Our language has wisely sensed the two sides of being alone. It has created the word “loneliness” to express the pain of being alone. And it has created the word “solitude” to express the glory [...]