Plaiting with new love
Planting Memories event
Yesterday 4 guests came to plant wildflower bulbs in our garden and down in our woods, to help them take time out and remember loved ones. We ate delicious homemade cake, thanks to my friends and neighbours' wonderful cooking, and also read a poem together. The poem mentions November because it was written for All Souls Day, a time of year when we remember those who have gone before us. I think this is important, not always to rush on towards the future, but to honour those from our past and take time to grieve and remember them properly. I especially love the line 'And I weave their love as I wend my way, plaiting it with new love.'
Here is the blessing I read, taken from Tess Ward's The Celtic Wheel of the Year.
As I rise up this morning I remember the love that I lost. I remember their laughter and smile, their quirks and silly moments. I remember the place they always sat and the things that they once said. I remember that old thing they used to wear that carried their smell, and I remember burying my head in it and weeping. I remember with sorrow the words left unspoken, the plans forever shelved. And I remember the first birthdays and the first seasons without them, the wrongness of them leaving me here, as the world kept turning. And November remembers, in the vapours and mists, the brownness of decay, the intractable darkness in the afternoons. But though I can no longer touch, time cannot undo or unravel their mark, And I weave their love as I wend my way, plaiting it with new love. They are never far, in the lash of the wind, in the birds that keep song, in the lamp-lit streets at night, and in the quiet of my prayer this morn, for though the summer has gone now, I know that spring will come.
Below are photos of bulbs I planted for a friend who couldn't make it to Treargel yesterday. We have some bulbs left, so do contact me in the next few days, if you would like me to plant a bulb for you in memory of someone special. Even if it's a little furry friend. Let me know if you would like a message buried with the bulbs or a marker made.
Lastly, I am thankful for the weather, as we ended, the rain started.
Coming up at Treargel
Gardening
We only have a few spaces left for our Gardening Week 26th March - 3rd April. Free accommodation for anyone who wants to join in ripping out brambles, chopping down branches or weeding. Plus some good conversation, enjoying food together, and general community spirit.
We will have a BBQ and Blessing of Treagel at the beginning of the week on the 27th of March. This will be a free bring and share event, so please book.
Icons
I know icons are a bit weird to some, but I am learning how fascinating they can be. They have been used for centuries to offer a way of engaging with a bible story through prayer, stillness and contemplation. I will do a blog about this later. But if you are interested to find out more or come to study one, we will have the specially made Retreat Association Icon displayed here at Treargel from 7th April to 2nd May. With a Quiet Day for it on the 23rd April.
Summer
We are fast becoming booked up over the summer, so let us know early if you wish to come. Don't forget, we have a few places with our bursary and the NHS bursary is still available till June 2022.
Lastly, our Hermitage guest over Christmas said he counted 21 different species down in our woods. Here's hoping we all get to see some today. Here are a few I've spotted recently.
