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Anna Clemence Mews

Pau, France

ATTENTION: How do we pay it?

ATTENTION: How do we pay it?

The most precious gift we can offer anyone is our attention Thich Nhat Hanh Recently I read a scholarly and readable book that made me think a lot about ‘attention.’Stand Out of Our Light is the work of former Google strategist turned Oxford philosopher, James Williams. One hundred and

MYSTERIES: Do we need to solve them all?

MYSTERIES: Do we need to solve them all?

> The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing. Albert Einstein My almost three year old granddaughter has just added a new word to her vocabulary: ‘Why?‘ My sympathies are with her because I too always have a lot of questions and don’

FORGIVENESS: Is it the only solution?

FORGIVENESS: Is it the only solution?

> Forgive your worst enemy. It will heal your soul and set you free. Eva Kor The New York Times has run competitions over the years, including one for the ‘Saddest Words in the English Language.’ My all time winner would be the sentence that begins, ‘I will never forgive

EXPECTATION: Is it better to leave your options open?

EXPECTATION: Is it better to leave your options open?

> Peace begins when expectation ends. Sri Chinmoy Musing upon the good and the bad about ‘expectation’, I turned to my old friend the Shorter Oxford, always a useful source in times of perplexity. Cutting sharply to the chase, the OD suggests that, ‘expectation’ is a ‘Strong belief that something

KINSHIP: Is blood truly thicker than water?

KINSHIP: Is blood truly thicker than water?

> Woven into our lives is the very fire from the stars and genes from the sea creatures, and everyone, utterly everyone, is kin in the radiant tapestry of being. Elizabeth A Johnson The word ‘Kinship’ has always appealed to me. It’s inclusive. It echoes with a sense of

GRATITUDE: Is thank you enough?

GRATITUDE: Is thank you enough?

> If the only prayer you said in your whole life was ‘thank you’ that would suffice. Meister Eckhart If you happen to be feeling even slightly sorry for yourself or a tad low in spirits, that old maxim to, ‘Just consider how many people are worse off than you

AGE and ADULTS: But when do we become grown-ups?

AGE and ADULTS: But when do we become grown-ups?

> Maturity is so often considered to be synonymous with ‘adult.’ But I truly feel that maturity may be defined by the ability to be both an adult and a child. Gina Marinello Anybody looking at a form where I’m required to note my date of birth, can see