not so silent

I have been doing some reading on Dominican spirituality, for an essay I am writing, ‘what unites and what divides Aquinas and Eckhart?’    It has been a fascinating read and exploration. Essay planing on the wall and work desk in the making.  One of the changes I have made to my reading and writing was to do some of it in The Farm Workshop we are making. At home I had my dedicated study in the house or the use of the library at Queens or the library and studies at Sarum in Salisbury. I have studied two ends of the spectrum, in a century’s old academic institution in Salisbury and a leaking farm workshop in South Africa, both have strengths and weakness. The privilege of walking a few feet to a shelf in the library for the book I would like to use, is now understood as even more of a privilege than before. Yes The Farm Workshop roof leaks when it rains but I have big white walls to work on. In the workshop space I have been reminded the Dominicans were an order ...

One of the events on my life back in the UK was to go on a regular retreat and I am aware that those people are holding me in their daily prayers. Retreat is something I have just been able to make part of my life here in South Africa. Not knowing where to go was a bit of a challenge for me. I asked  Cecil, the local Methodist minister, and he gave me some contacts to explore. I made arrangements for a two night stay (I did not want too long, as they might be a bit too religious.) Never Alone  My journey was to take me to Belfast. Not the Irish original one, but the one about 144 km away halfway between us and Johannesburg, through some lovely countryside. The town takes its name from Irishman Richard Charles O’Reilly and his farm called Belfast (we Irish get everywhere.) I eventually found the farm at the end of a very long dirt road but it was worth the drive. It's called the iDwala Retreat Center  www.iDwalaretreat.co.za  run by Heidi and...