The Mindful Farmers Daily Diary Day 702

Good morning everyone and welcome once more to Ballinwillin House Farm, gardens and RetrEat centre. It is nearly two years or 702 days since Covid19 struck our shores, our homes, our families, our communities, our businesses and after all the lockdowns, mask wearing, hand washing, the receipt of the third vaccine and the paperwork that goes with that. Pandemic, the war as I call it, makes us all vulnerable, reclusive, nervous and has cast a huge shaddow over us in our time. It has led to a very increased distance between us all and it is up to us now to endevour to decrease this distance and gain our confidence. The time has come to rediscover our spirit of adventure, to hold nothing back, to find ourselves at ease with new possibilities and soon we will be home to a new rhythm and our hearts and souls will sense and welcome and rejoyce in the new world that awaits us. Continue to pray, bless, power healing and peace to all who need it and wear your Wednesday smile.

The Mindful Farmer

Patrick

The Mindful Farmers Daily Diary Day 701

Good morning everyone and welcome once more to Ballinwillin House Farm, gardens and RetrEat centre. This day and date, February 15th is well remembered by me and my family as I got a sudden heart attack while feeding the deer in the back yard. I was rushed away by ambulance and got two further heart attacks over the next two days. I spent the next two months in and out of hospital and after various procedures I am back on the road again, not the same man I was but a different one and stronger in some aspects of my body and mind. It took nine months of rest and healing before I could think about getting back to serious work again but now, thank God, I look forward to my days physical work and writing but not the mad eighteen hours a day I was working during Covid to survive, to survive for my family and our business. The rhythm of my heart may be out of control and time took the strain until I collapsed and all unattended stress fell in my soul like an endless, ever increasing weight. I had travelled too hard, long and fast over false ground. Now my soul has come to take me back where calmness can claim me to be gentle with myself and all around me. I have learned a new respect for my heart and joy dwells therein. Continue to pray and bless each other.

The Mindful Farmer

Patrick

The Mindful Farmers Daily Diary Day 700

Good morning everyone and welcome once more to Ballinwillin House Farm, gardens and RetrEat centre. Today is Saint Valentine's Day and a great day of celebration, love and affection. This day has become a significant cultural, religious and now commercial celebration of romance and love all over the world. It originated during the period of the Roman Empire and also celebrates the beginning of Spring and all the fertilities attached to Spring. For any person to reach their fulfilment in life, real frontiers cannot be crossed or even approached without the heart being passionately engaged, woken up and excited at this threshold. The great complexity of emotion really comes alive. It only takes seconds for life to change irreversibly. Life is for living. Life is a mystery, so blessed in the mind that dreamed this day, share it with someone deserving and continue to pray, bless, power healing and peace to all who need it and wear your Monday smile.

The Mindful Farmer

Patrick

The Mindful Farmers Daily Diary Day 699

Good morning everyone and welcome once more to Ballinwillin House Farm, gardens and RetrEat centre. Sunday is always a day to take time out from the cares and anxieties of everyday life and we all need it and we all need a special place to do so, a quiet place. It can be in your home or in your garden. It could be the beach or on a mountain walk.These places are special as they give us time to reflect. Our mission in life should not be to merely survive but to thrive and to do so with compassion, some humour and with your own style being mindful and caring, Have a beautiful Sunday and continue to pray, bless, power healing and peace to all who need it and wear your Sunday best smile.

The Mindful Farmer

Patrick

The Mindful Farmers Daily Diary Day 698

Good morning everyone and welcome once more to Ballinwillin House Farm, gardens and RetrEat centre. Today is another very special day here at Ballinwillin House. It is our granddaughters 4th birthday. Ada is here name and she is very special to us all and my prayer for her today is that our ancestral angels will turn towards here with streams of blessings and encourage her throughout her life, keep her safe so that she will walk alongs her path in life allowing her to blossom from childhood, through her teenage years and onto womanhood. May she always have the courage to live the life that she would love and this applies to all of us. Happy birthday Ada with lots of love from Grand Pat. Continue to pray, bless, power healing and peace to all who need it and wear your smile.

The Mindful Farmer

Patrick

The Mindful Farmers Daily Diary Day 697

Good morning everyone and welcome once more to Ballinwillin House Farm, gardens and RetrEat centre. There are always special places for peace to be really experienced and appreciated. I feel that real peace comes from within, inspired by that from without. On the farm here and in Connemara each moment calms and peace comes with ease and I feel this place healing every part of my body and mind. When I am enjoying these special moments I am aware of its privileges and I don't forget that not all my followers out there may not be so fortunate and that is why at every opportunity I pray for peace in our families and our communities and that no harm or hurt will be done to anyone, anywhere along our Holy voyage as we tread through life. Continue to pray, bless, power healing and peace to all who need it and wear your Friday smile.

The Mindful Farmer

Patrick

The Mindful Farmers Daily Diary Day 696

Good morning everyone and welcome once more to Ballinwillin House Farm, gardens and RetrEat centre. This time of year I try to do as much pruning as possible in the garden. With the larger trees and bushes on the farm it is a time for correction trimming and final pruning for the year ahead. This work will enable all to grow stronger, more beautiful and more expressed in their life. Much the same can be said of ourselves. We all need pruning and correction so that we can become more grounded, more caring and more beautiful people to be with. As I was pruning some overgrown roses this morning I got many pinches and thorns. Yes, they hurt a little but anything worthwhile hurts a little. This morning is cold, wet and chilly outside but as I stand on the earths clay I know it anchors all these beautiful trees and plants with firmness, light, rain and fresh air. I wish you all out there peace and happiness so that you may all grow from within. Have a wonderful, peaceful, mindful day, power healing, peace and love to all who need it and wear your Thursday smile.

The Mindful Farmer

Patrick

The Mindful Farmers Daily Diary Day 695

Good morning everyone and welcome once more to Ballinwillin House Farm, gardens and RetrEat centre. When I worked out the front avenue this morning I noticed our first daffodil had opened its petals to display it's yellow joy for all to see. It is a great sight and sign of Spring and when you think about its life cycle, this bulb has its own rhythm as it emerges from the cold and dark earth to warm our hearts with joy and colour. It also reminds me that its season has come. Just like the daffodil, we too can awaken to be our true selves and this is the ideal time to do so as it is the beginning of Spring. It is time for us to listen to our true inner voice, to become aware and attuned, to become truly awake to all the beautiful possibilities of the Springtime in all our lives. This day will only dawn if we are truly awake. As I make my way back to the house, I feel my life has awakened to the call of its freedom. Thank you dear daffodil, my golden flower of Spring and your blossoming elegance. Continue to pray, bless, power healing and peace to all who need it and wear your Wednesday smile.

The Mindful Farmer

Patrick

The Mindful Farmers Daily Diary Day 694

Good morning everyone and welcome once more to Ballinwillin House Farm, gardens and RetrEat centre. I often refer to the river in my writings. Our lives remind me of this river that flows whenever it finds openings between trees, rocks and cliffs. Even when it is dammed it will always find a new course. It is much the same as us as we navigate our lives, new jobs, new places to live, new people in our lives. Just like the river, we change course, we accept change in our lives and find a new direction. If we don't, our lives will stagnate and will never flow with ease, poise and passion. We must always be ready to dance with rhythmatic poise. Continue to pray, bless, power healing and peace to all who need it and wear your Tuesday smile.

The Mindful Farmer

Patrick

The Mindful Farmers Daily Diary Day 693

Good morning everyone and welcome once more to Ballinwillin House Farm, gardens and RetrEat centre. Yesterday we went for a drive down some really mountainous roads and I noticed some very old, derelict and neglected houses that were once homes. We are all aware of the phrase "home is where the heart belongs". The home is always a place of shelter, love and warmth. The sweetest word in any language. It fastens identity, intimacy and belonging and above all, individuality. It is also a continuation of the human body, our original home of the heart, mind, soul and spirit. To be who we are meant to be we need to be at home in our mind and body and it is then that our adventure and growth can begin with great promise. On this Monday think about your home and its importance for you and your family and friends and the adventure you can have beginning from home.

The Mindful Farmer

Patrick

The Mindful Farmers Daily Diary Day 692

Good morning everyone and welcome once more to Ballinwillin House Farm, gardens and RetrEat centre. It is another Sunday and a wonderful chance for us all to rest and take stock of life, family and nature. On the farm this morning, nature revealed her funny side. The young wild boar were scurrying around like playful children everywhere following me and then I went hiding over and over again, it was a joy to experience. There is a quiet reflection in every heart but these little fellows switched on the light for me this morning and as this morning light lightens my feet and illuminates my mind to the treasures that Mother Nature bestows on us daily. We can always visit these fields of memory and when we meditate on nature's gifts the light will spread slowly inwards to fill our hearts with peace. Peace in our newfound world. Continue to pray, bless, power healing and peace to all who need it and wear your Sunday smile.

The Mindful Farmer

Patrick

The Mindful Farmers Daily Diary Day 691

Good morning everyone and welcome once more to Ballinwillin House Farm, gardens and RetrEat centre. A wonderful thing happened in our house last night. I was sitting in the dining room doing a little reading and I could hear my little grandson as he climbed the stairs to his bedroom with his father. He was asking "where is baby Jesus?" Every morning and every night during the twelve days of Christmas he would take the baby Jesus from the crib and kiss him. Great trust from a two year old. This was spontaneous on his part and now we have to leave the crib in his room at his insistence. It is difficult to describe the joy in my heart that a little two year old boy won't go to bed without kissing the statue of baby Jesus. JJ is living his young life in blind faith. It should be an example to us all - live by faith and not by sight and you will find not only the Lord's presence but also His peace. Continue to pray, bless, power healing and peace to all who need it and wear your Saturday smile.

The Mindful Farmer

Patrick

The Mindful Farmers Daily Diary Day 690

Good morning everyone and welcome once more to Ballinwillin House Farm, gardens and RetrEat centre. Today we are celebrating 36 years of living at Ballinwillin House Farm and gardens. When I look back I give thanks for the wonderful life we have enjoyed here raising a family and running businesses. Overall we have received many gifts and I would like to think and believe we have unwrapped those gifts as gratefully and gracefully as they were sent to us. You don't live this long without having problems, setbacks, trials, tribulations and sorrow but as time went by we were given God's strength to free our hearts and let joy fill our hearts. It is a wonderful feeling when that joy fills our hearts to awaken the wonder in your life. I also give thanks for the wonderful friends whose kindness is watchful and near, encouraging us to live and enjoy our life here. The years have given many beautiful gifts and more to come, please God. Our efforts could never have earned these gifts and what is very important is to have been given the health to enjoy and be who we are meant to be and the peace of mind to mirror it's mystery. Continue to pray, bless, power healing and peace to all who need it and wear your Friday smile.

The Mindful Farmer

Patrick

The Mindful Farmers Daily Diary Day 689

Good morning everyone and welcome once more to Ballinwillin House Farm, gardens and RetrEat centre. Spring has certainly arrived with us. The weather is expressing itself everywhere and in everything and it is also telling us in its own way that it takes a calendar year for nature to complete its cycle. It takes time and we must remember this, besides rushing everywhere and paying little or no attention to the now. When we consider what nature has to do to produce flowers, fruit, wheat, barley and so on, it takes the spring, summer, autumn. It takes bees, sunshine and rain. Anything that is rushed or forced is not wholesome. Anything that is worthwhile needs patience, time, love, understanding, prayer, mindfulness and blessings. It needs trust and Gods power and we must by faith and not by sight. Continue to pray, bless, power healing and peace to all who need it and wear your Thursday smile.

The Mindful Farmer

Patrick

The Mindful Farmers Daily Diary Day 688

Good morning everyone and welcome once more to Ballinwillin House Farm, gardens and RetrEat centre. It was really beautiful to witness on the air waves yesterday the celebration of St. Brigid across the country and how her spirituality guides us from February 1st right across the seasons and how she inspires us with her legacy of qualities and gifts. We can see her imprint and influence on Irish females, mothers and mothers to be. She is the wise mother of winter, the new mother of spring, the goddess of the high summer and the eternal Mother Earth of autumn's harvest. This time of every year as we drink and bless from our Holy wells nearby, we drink also from the inner wells of lifes experiences where together we can nourish, refresh and renew our souls. Blessings are from the soul to the soul and the key to who we are is in all our souls. I get great comfort every time I pass the Holy water font in our home and in any home and I bless myself and any other person that I see or that comes to my mind. Blessings can cure. Continue to pray, bless, power healing and peace to all who need it and wear your Wednesday smile.

The Mindful Farmer

Patrick

The Mindful Farmers Daily Diary Day 687

Good morning everyone and welcome once more to Ballinwillin House Farm, gardens and RetrEat centre. Today is a very special day in our annual calendar, Lá la Brídhe or St. Brigid's Day. We have many traditions in our country associated with St. Brigid. Brigid is the patron saint of poets and midwives. Also, Irish nuns, fugitives, blacksmiths, boatmen, farmers, scholars, sailors and many more. We were all taught in school how to make a St. Brigid's cross. We all brought in our own rushes and in my case there was plenty on the land. The most important message for us all to remember is to remind us that all our great mothers reared us with great love, unconditional love, warmth and kindness. They gave us strength and determination. Her feast day is celebrated to herald the beginning of spring and the beginning of brighter, warmer days as we emerge from the darkness of winter. It is up to us now to proceed with a pep in our step and with hope and light in our hearts. Happy St. Brigid's Day to you all. Continue to pray, bless, power healing and peace to all who need it and wear your St. Brigid's Day smile.

The Mindful Farmer

Patrick

The Mindful Farmers Daily Diary Day 686

Good morning everyone and welcome once more to Ballinwillin House Farm, gardens and RetrEat centre. It is another Monday and the awakening of another new day and week. It is time for us all to experience this day as a secret gift woven all around our hearts. During the day, take a little time out to meditate and celebrate the quiet miracle that living for today is. It seeks no attention but it is our duty to give it our full attention, live it to the fullest and to celebrate this day and all days that we live. A great friend of mine always says that we should celebrate everything at every opportunity and I agree. Let joy and peace temper our senses always and may the warmth of our hearts keep our presence of time. Continue to pray, bless, power healing and peace to all who need it and wear your Monday smile.

The Mindful Farmer

Patrick

The Mindful Farmers Daily Diary Day 685

Good morning everyone and welcome once more to Ballinwillin House Farm, gardens and RetrEat centre. Another Sunday and a day of rest and restoration. When we rest we reclaim our power, our place in life, a quiet place today. A retired day like today will help to bestow love, joy and healing in our lives where we can take back control from the outside world. This time in a quiet, peaceful setting and alone with God will allow us to see our inner lives as they should be. It is here we will find peace and what a miracle gift peace is. With peace in our mind and heart we can rest easily and mindfully and sit happily in the comfortable seat of our soul. Continue to pray, bless, power healing and peace to all who need it and wear your Sunday smile.

The Mindful Farmer

Patrick

The Mindful Farmers Daily Diary Day 684

Good morning everyone and welcome once more to Ballinwillin House Farm, gardens and RetrEat centre. This morning as I gaze through my window of wonder in the Saturday morning silence my respect and admiration for the creation of this landscape, trees, rocks, decorated by the fading glow of the moon as it gazes through the darkness, the friendship of the wind was carrying soft, gentle rain as it gently kissed the landscape and all around. I feel the breaking daylight illuminate my heart and soul so that it may refine and deepen my mind and this land. I feel the deep presence of the creator of this amazing scene and I feel all the pieces of my life falling into place as I gaze through the eyes of my heart and soul. Continue to pray, bless, power healing and peace to all who need it and wear your Saturday smile.

The Mindful Farmer

Patrick

The Mindful Farmers Daily Diary Day 683

Good morning everyone and welcome once more to Ballinwillin House Farm, gardens and RetrEat centre. I often speak about the people we meet on a daily basis and the positive effect they have on us or conservatively, if it is negative it can have a negative effect. If we take a scientific look at the behavior we have 60 seconds in a minute and 60 minutes in an hour. Total 3600 seconds in an hour and then if we multiply that by 24 we get 86 thousand 400 seconds in our days. When someone is negative or unpleasant towards us it is our duty not to allow them to steal any one of our seconds. They are too valuable to us, too precious. We may never know why people have shadows over their life and if we can we should help them shine a little brighter but we must ensure they don't spoil any of our 86,400 seconds that we have to enjoy with the positive and beautiful people we have and encounter in our daily lives. Continue to pray, bless, power healing and peace to all who need it and wear your beautiful smile.

The Mindful Farmer

Patrick