Practice the wound of love

Let it devastate

It will scrape your soul

For blessed are the gentled

Blessed are the meek

Blessed are those whose fullness

Now lies empty

Practice the wound of love

For in that broken place

Grief is no longer silent

Ragged roots tap deep

Into this trampled earth

Blessed are you, as you reach for love

For it reaches for you

Practice the wound of love

Let it devastate

For nothing ever came from nothing

Apart from love

At the end of everything

We are cups

Who are cupped

We are held

For many years, over the May bank holiday weekend, I have been taking a trip with some old friends out to one of the many deserted islands of the inner Hebrides in order to make a kind of retreat. It is something that we have shared with many ‘guests’- some who have been once, others who have become regulars and firm friends.

We are likely to have some spaces on the boat this year and so if you fancy coming along then get in touch.

We will probably be going here. We will leave early on the morning of Saturday the 29th April from Easdale, and be picked up by the boat on Monday afternoon (1st May.) We will confirm these details.

There are some posts describing past trips on this blog – here are a few;

Lunga 2016.

Eilean Mor 2015

A few reflections on wilderness.

Eileach an Naoimh 2011.

The basics of the trips as as follows;

• We go as a group of supportive friends- this is not a commercial trip. We have no insurance etc.
• We can supply suggest kit list etc.
• Costs are just for boat and your own travel etc. Boat will be around £60 each (we split total cost between amount of us that go
• We camp wild. Not as challenging as you would think
• We may get wet and cold
• We split time between ‘social’ and ‘silent’
• We share experience and conversation in the evening
• We take resources but you can do whatever you like
• We start from a Christian tradition, but seek no converts and welcome anyone who is comfortable to talk about their own spiritual journey.

If you are interested, get in touch!

The world is full of grace and beauty

It needs no landscape gardener

Old Capability Brown was never capable

Of this

The world is full of grace and beauty

This twisted curl of unfolding girl

Needs no photoshop, for inside

Is woman

The world is full of grace and beauty

The singing bird soars on

the unsythesesised arc

Of its song

The world is full of grace and beauty

The trace of trees on amber sky

Is only imitated in paint

Not captured

The world is full of grace and beauty

The celebrities can burn all neon bright

But I was thirsty and she

Brought tea