Twilight beauty

My soul has been sad of late but I find comfort in music and the sea. Last night as I walked, I listened to 2Cellos’ beautiful version of Fields of Gold, accompanied by the gentle slap of the waves against the sea wall. The setting sun cast its light across the water and I was reminded of words of Blaise Pascal who said: In difficult times you should always carry something beautiful in your mind.

So my mind was filled with the sound and smell of the sea, and the myriad of colours that streaked the sky and stained the clouds. The music changed to Deep Peace: A Gaelic Blessing and the lovely lyrics wished me ‘Deep peace of the gentle night to you. Moon and stars pour their healing light on you.’

My thoughts then turned to the writing of John O’Donohue and on returning home, I picked up his book Divine Beauty and sat with the words:

‘When the mind is festering with trouble or the heart is torn, we can find healing among the silence of mountains or fields, or listen to the simple, steadying rhythm of waves. The slowness and stillness gradually take us over. Our breathing deepens and our hearts calm and our hungers relent. When serenity is restored, new perspectives open to us and difficulty can begin to seem like an invitation to new growth. This is also the experience of prayer.’ 

And so my prayer was for deep peace and the grace to recognise that ‘the infinity of the beauty which is God is a feast for the soul.’