Held by Claire

08/02/2026

Sunday Stillness 💙🐕‍🦺

07/02/2026

Don’t wait til I’m gone
And then stand up to speak
About all the things
That you loved about me

Don’t sing all my praises
Through all of your tears
When I am no longer
Beside you to hear

Don’t leave all that love
Like a secret unsaid
But tell me tomorrow
Or right now instead

And I’ll tell you too
Of the things I admire
About who you are
And how much you inspire

I’ll speak from my heart
Whilst you’re still here to know
“You are” not “you were”
Or “it used to be so”

I’ll speak of your light
Whilst you’ll still hear the words
And not leave that love
In the darkness, unheard

So tell me tomorrow
Or right now - don’t wait
Because we don’t know
When it might be too late

Because we don’t know
When our time might be up
And we need to hear - while we are here -
How we’re loved

*****

Becky Hemsley 2024
Beautiful artwork by Native Intellect

‘Tell Me Tomorrow’ is a poem from Words to Remember: https://amzn.to/4qn5Ydv
(affiliate link)

06/02/2026

JOURNEY OF THE SOUL
One of the qualities that you can develop, particularly in your older years, is a sense of great compassion for yourself. When you visit the wounds within the temple of memory, you should not blame yourself for making bad mistakes that you greatly regret. Sometimes you have grown unexpectedly through these mistakes. Frequently, in a journey of the soul, the most precious moments are the mistakes. They have brought you to a place that you would otherwise have always avoided. You should bring a compassionate mindfulness to your mistakes and wounds. Endeavor to inhabit the rhythm you were in at that time. If you visit this configuration of your soul with forgiveness in your heart, it will fall into place itself. When you forgive yourself, the inner wounds begin to heal. You come in out of the exile of hurt into the joy of inner belonging.

JOHN O'DONOHUE

Excerpt from the book, Anam Cara,
25th Anniversary Edition.
Ordering Info: https://johnodonohue.com/anam-cara

Dawn, County Clare, Ireland
Photo: © Ann Cahill

01/02/2026

There is a kindness that dwells deep down in things; it presides everywhere, often in the places we least expect. The world can be harsh and negative, but if we remain generous and patient, kindness inevitably reveals itself. Something deep in the human soul seems to depend on the presence of kindness; something instinctive in us expects it, and once we sense it we are able to trust and open ourselves.

JOHN O'DONOHUE

Excerpt from the books, Benedictus (Europe) / To Bless the Space Between Us (US)
Ordering Info: https://johnodonohue.com/store

County Clare, Ireland
Photo: © Ann Cahill

01/02/2026

Happy Imbolc and Snow Moon to you all 💚🙏❄️🌝

The Full Snow Moon will rise as Imbolc whispers that spring is stirring beneath the frozen earth.

This is the meeting point of
❄️ stillness and spark
🌑 release and renewal
🔥 rest and reawakening

The Snow Moon asks you to sit with what feels heavy… what lingers… what winter revealed in the silence. It shines a light on the emotional truths we can’t carry forward.

Imbolc arrives like a soft flame in the dark… the first promise that life is returning. The seeds are not visible yet, but they are alive beneath the soil.

Together, this energy says:

You are allowed to outgrow the version of you that survived the winter.
You are allowed to hope again… gently, slowly, in your own time.

Tonight is not about rushing forward.
It’s about clearing space so the new light has somewhere to land.

Release what drained you.
Forgive yourself for what you couldn’t do.
Make room for who you are becoming.

Your inner spring is closer than you think. 🌕

31/01/2026

💚

Putting Out the Cloth for Brigid’s Day
Oíche Fhéile Bríde

On the night before Brigid’s Day which is tonight Sat 31st Jan , it’s an old Irish custom to place a piece of cloth outside the door, on a windowsill, or over a hedge.
This cloth, often called Brat Bríde, is left out to be touched by Brigid as she passes through the land.
By morning, it is believed to carry her blessing.
A blessing for protection.
For healing.
For the home and those who dwell within it.
Tomorrow, the cloth may be kept safely, used to touch sore joints, wrapped around the wrist, or placed somewhere meaningful as a reminder of care and renewal.
Imbolc is not about grand gestures.
It is about quiet faith in returning light,
and small acts that say: we are ready.
🌱
May Brigid’s blessing rest on your home tonight.

30/01/2026

💓

Recently, I’ve become acutely aware of the energy around me because it feels heavier than it's ever felt before. People are carrying pain, exhaustion, and so much grief. I notice it in conversations I overhear at cafes. I feel it when I walk through the grocery store. There is so much fear in the collective field we all share.

And rather than judging it or trying to fix it, I’ve been sitting with one simple truth: the world is asking for love.

Not dramatic love, or performative love intended for likes on social media, but grounded, embodied, steady love — the kind that simply is.

Many people believe that to make a difference, we must be loud, visible, or constantly “doing.” But from what I experienced during my near-death experience, I know that energy speaks before words ever do. Consciousness communicates without effort. Presence itself is powerful.

You don’t have to be an activist. You don’t have to have a public platform. You don’t even have to leave your home. You can be a force of healing simply by embodying love.

When you soften your body, breathe with compassion, and choose kindness toward yourself, you send a ripple far beyond what you can see. So today, I want to invite you into a gentle commitment to consciously send love and healing into the world. You might imagine light moving through your heart and outward into the collective. You might silently bless the people you pass.

You might sit quietly and hold the intention: May all beings feel supported, safe, and loved. There is no right way to do this. There is only sincerity.

And please remember — you don’t need to drain yourself to uplift others. In fact, the most powerful energy you can offer is one that is grounded, nourished, and at peace. When you care for yourself, you raise the frequency of everything you touch. This is how healing spreads. This is how love moves. Quietly. Naturally. Effortlessly.

Thank you for being part of this shared field of consciousness.

27/01/2026

‘Even when our circumstances feel anything but peaceful… we can choose the path of peace for our minds…’ 🙏

✍ Walking Through All Conditions - Our walk takes us through sun and rain, dry roads and wet, through snow and warmth, through noise and blessed silence, through crowds and quiet solitude. Some days are gentle and kind. Some days ask more of us than we expected.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ Some days surprise us with unexpected beauty or unexpected challenges.

And isn't this just like all our lives?

There are times when everything flows smoothly, when the path ahead feels clear and our steps feel light. And there are times—perhaps some of us are facing this right now—when the road feels rough, when obstacles keep appearing, when we feel cold or tired or uncertain about what comes next, making it hard to take even one more step.

The weather of our lives changes without asking permission. Sunny moments give way to storms we didn't see coming. Ease gives way to struggle. Joy and difficulty sit side by side in our hearts. We cannot control these shifts, no matter how hard we try. We cannot demand that life only bring us gentle days.

But here is what we can do, and it changes everything: we can choose the path of peace for our minds, even when our circumstances feel anything but peaceful.

When we make this choice—when we gently commit to being mindful with our breath and our daily actions, when we practice being present instead of fighting what is—we discover something that feels like grace. We find a peace within that the changing conditions cannot shake, cannot steal, cannot destroy.

The rain still falls, but we are not swept away by it. The rough path still asks us to be brave, but we do not lose who we are. The noise still surrounds us, but we are not drowned by it. Because beneath all of it, there is something in us that remains steady, quiet, whole.

This is the peace that lives beneath all circumstances. It doesn't depend on perfect weather or smooth roads. It doesn't require everything to go our way. It simply asks that we show up for ourselves with kindness and mindfulness, breathe as consciously as we can, and meet whatever comes with gentleness instead of harsh judgment.

Life will bring sun and rain—that is simply its nature. But peace—true, lasting peace—is not found in controlling the weather around us or within us. It's found in learning to walk through all of it with minds that stay as grounded as we can, hearts that try to stay open, and spirits that whisper to us on the hardest days: this too shall pass, and we are still here, still breathing, still whole, still capable of choosing peace.

We are stronger than we know. And peace is closer than we think.
May you and all beings be well, happy, and at peace.

26/01/2026