This well known quote is from Michelangelo regarding his sculpture of an angel, now situated in Basilica of San Domenico in Bologna, Italy. The story goes that other artists had seen the rough lump of stone and had thought they could do nothing with it. But Michelangelo, the master craftsman, had looked deeper and seen …
It’s nearly 2021 and what a year 2020 has been! I like, at the end of every year (and at other times!) to think about the good things which have taken place, including the challenging things from which good has (and can still) come, and the many things I am thankful for. (One of the …
Christmas! This Christmas is so different for many of us! But the reason behind Christmas has not changed – God cared so much for the world – for each and every one of us -that He ‘laid aside His majesty’ to become one of us, to cancel our debt of wrongdoing, restore our true identity …
I’ve been thinking recently about the transformation of a caterpillar into a butterfly and the remarkable process which takes place inside the cocoon. During that time of seclusion and apparent inactivity, the caterpillar does not just lose it’s legs and grow wings! Instead, all the structure of the caterpillar breaks down. It becomes something like …
I am profoundly grateful for the friends and mentors with whom I have been able to safely share my story. Such valuable relationships are not always easy to find. This is one of the reasons I offer, in my coaching, such a place for shame to die and to have opportunity instead to discover your …
Authenticity! It’s one of my values and I love and admire it when I see it in somebody else. Even so, I haven’t always found it easy myself! It takes courage to be vulnerable enough to show who we truly are (what if someone doesn’t like what they see?) Learning to love and accept ourselves …
I was coaching someone earlier in the week who said he believed birds were singing when he was born. I asked him what, if it could be put into words, were they singing? It was a song of celebration. I thought that was lovely, so I later asked the same question of myself – what …
A pruning season When I think of the season we’ve been in during lock down, the metaphor of pruning comes to mind. Pruning a tree involves selectively cutting back or removing unwanted branches in a way that results in improved health, greater fruitfulness and better shape of the tree. Pruning could look like an unwise …
‘We are what we eat.’ Whatever we ingest and digest becomes a part of us. This isn’t just true of physical food, though. It includes the things we watch, listen to and think about and so inwardly digest this way. It’s important to be informed about the situation around us and to adhere to the …
Here is something I wrote some time ago when I was journeying through the effects of trauma. Desert Island “I’ve been shipwrecked, and now I’m stranded here on this desert island. I’ve learnt survival and self-sufficiency and can eke out a meagre existence. The gulf between me and the rest of humanity seems huge. It’s …
