The Mindful Farmers Daily Diary Day 966

Good morning everyone and welcome to The Mindful Farmers place of peace and rest Carrig An Daimh. I had a very interesting chat at breakfast this morning with a very experienced counsellor and we spoke about children and the gift that every child has is to be free from the need to succeed at everything and just enjoy the moments in their lives, We, as adults however, can be so frightened at the fear of failure that we can become paralised and far too concerned what others might think of us, We, as adults, need to recapture our childhood and feed from our experiences and live by faith and less by sight. Be who you are meant to be and continue to pray, bless, power healing, peace, hope, love and happiness to all who need it and wear your Monday smile.

The Mindful Farmer

Patrick

The Mindful Farmers Daily Diary Day 965

Good afternoon everyone and welcome to The Mindful Farmers place of peace on yet another Sunday. A place of peace is a place that has been claimed by the feelings of the heart. Many people travel the world in search of peace but there is no place like this place that I know with my heart, soul and mind. I know this because this place speaks to me. If you don't know your place of peace, your home, then you may as well be a tourist. Nothing can cure our minds but peace and the soul comforts the mind. Have a lovely, peaceful, mindful Sunday knowing that The Mindful Farmer is remembering you in his prayers.

The Mindful Farmer

Patrick

The Mindful Farmers Daily Diary Day 964

Good morning everyone and welcome to Ballinwillin House Farm, Gardens and RetrEat centre. This morning earlier I was listening to Brendan O Connor on the radio as I was driving along mindfully and very peacefully. I listened for a while as he interviewed Bono who made a statement that "nothing is as it seems in this world." Now, you can take this any way you like but to me as a farmer and one who was born and reared in rural Ireland "everything was as it seemed" and had to be taken for such as we were all busy with our lives, surviving, working hard and most of us God fearing and respecting people. None of us tried to play God as Bono seems to do or that is my reading of him anyway. Maybe initially wrong here but I get a little bit stirred up in my peacefulness when I hear so called famous people like Bono on the radio quite frequently pontificating to us. I would much prefer to listen to a woman with a houseful of children telling us how she survives or a farmer who works seven days a week making a minimum wage in all kinds of weather. We are still a proud island people with a great work ethic. We need to hear stories from real people who are living in our little country and paying taxes in our little country. I don't think I am being unreasonable here and that is why I have put pen to paper, taking deep breaths and slowly returning to my peace and mindful state. I will continue to pray for you all and send blessings, peace, hope, love and happiness to all who listen and need it.

The Mindful Farmer

Patrick

The Mindful Farmers Daily Diary Day 963

Good morning everyone and welcome to my early morning experience. As I walked by the ocean this morning I will try to explain and paint a picture of what I witnessed. The sky was pitch black, the ocean was neon and bright as if it was lit up from underneath. I was walking as if I was in the middle and felt special, unique and blessed. I had never seen this picture of nature previously and it was so special and wonderful. My morning was astir with wonder and my eyes were seduced by this unintended glimpse of beauty and my imagination knew that this vision of originality stirred my senses and filled my heart and soul with warmth, a truly original experience and I thank God for His gifted hand of artistry. Continue to pray, bless, power healing, peace, hope, love and happiness to all who need it and wear your Friday smile.

The Mindful Farmer

Patrick

The Mindful Farmers Daily Diary Day 962

Good morning everyone and welcome to my Thursday morning of many colours. When I awoke this morning the colour of my Connemara morning was bright and blue and as I say by my window I was surprised by the sudden knocking of the heavy, thundering rain. Now the colours were orange and crimson, the leaves on the trees were falling like golden snow and now it is thundering rain again, I always find in Connemara that the varying light at different times of the day lightens my feet and illuminates the fields of treasure, memory and beauty in my mind. I find I am always sitting with God by my side and feel a warmth and light spread peacefully inside me. This warmth, this peace fills my world. Continue to pray, bless, power healing, peace, hope, love and happiness to all who need it and wear your Thursday smile.

The Mindful Farmer

Patrick

The Mindful Farmers Daily Diary Day 961

Good morning everyone and welcome once more to The Mindful Farmers place of rest and peace. Today I am celebrating all souls day, celebrating through prayer and remembering all my relatives and friends who have passed away but may have returned in other forms or partly. Genetics always reign and so does spirituality. This is a day when we pray for those who have passed and also celebrate their memory and their wonderful spirit but we also celebrate and appreciate what has arrived. We have the choice in this world to see many things but we should at least choose a way that makes us happy even when it is raining and the days are short. Our friends among the dead behold us now in a way they never could have when they lived with us here on earth but now they live near the source of destiny and their blessings, love and power for us are deeper, more accurate and penetrating to illuminate our spirits in a manner not known to a given, visible world as they weave us in cloaks of blessings after blessing. Our life over time behaves differently when blessings are involved. Continue to pray, bless, power healing, peace, hope, love and happiness to all who need it and wear your Wednesday smile.

The Mindful Farmer

Patrick

The Mindful Farmers Daily Diary Day 960

Good morning everyone and welcome. The month of November is a time where we gather our year together, we are grateful for what we have been given and we remember those who have passed. We remember in particular our loved ones and our ancestors who have gone before us. It is also a time to let go of what has been taken from us. It is the time of year we honour our ancestors and invite them home to us. In ancient celtic times in Ireland Samhain was the end of summer and the beginning of winter .At this crossover time the dead supposedly returned to our world and fires were lit to ward off evil spirits. At home in West Limerick as a child we were all gathered around a blazing fire outside and my parents would pray and give thanks for all that happened in the year past, twelve months of joy, sorrows, hopes, dreams, fears, love and happiness. It was a kind of tough as a child outside in cold, wet, windy nights but there was also a dark beauty being lit up by the huge bonfire and sparks flying like flares into the night sky, the trees and fields and the garden looked spectacular and mystifying but beautiful. It always made me feel very celtic and created a warm environment for the present and past and there was always an open welcome for those who had passed and the front door was always left open. I still very much feel it and believe it while I continue to pray, bless, power healing, love, peace, hope and happiness to all who need it.

The Mindful Farmer

Patrick

The Mindful Farmers Daily Diary Day 959

Good morning everyone and welcome to my thoughts through my window of wonder this Monday. Earlier, as I lay in bed just before dawn our big red deer stag "Big John" was roaring and bellowing very loudly in the front paddock outside our house. Well, it is the rutting season, his season and his time to mate and recreate. The sound was amazing as the rain and wind belted at my window. I was alive in nature. I really love this time of year when I hear all the stags roaring in the fields. It is nature in full voice and during nights like these I feel I am fully among the animals and out there with them in the woods, in the fields in the rain and wind, talking with them in their outbursts of callings, tuned in to their rhythms. It is in these times I realise that we are custodians of this precious earth and nature, a precious threshold where the rhythm of nature with its serene pulse and sublime patience restores and calms our minds. This was my mindful experience this morning and it was very beautiful. Thank you God and Mother Nature and Big John. Continue to pray, bless, power healing, peace, hope, love and happiness to all who need it and wear your Monday smile.

The Mindful Farmer

Patrick

The Mindful Farmers Daily Diary Day 958

Good morning everyone and welcome to Ballinwillin House Farm, Gardens and RetrEat centre. Well, it is another Sunday. A day of rest and peace after the routine mornings work is complete. I then go to the fields and the gardens for quietness, calm and solitude. On a Sunday especially it is lovely to retreat to a quiet place to pray and to meditate. Grand uncle Jack always said on a Sunday that "quietness is the classroom where we learn to hear Gods voice and still our minds." That is a lovely message for us all today while we pray, bless, power healing, love, peace and happiness to all who need it.

The Mindful Farmer

Patrick

The Mindful Farmers Daily Diary Day 957

Good morning everyone and welcome to Ballinwillin House Farm, Gardens and RetrEat centre. The big subject nationwide this weekend is that the Lord Mayor of Dublin has decided to dispense with the live crib at the Mansion House in Dublin, a long tradition and an old tradition but 30 years ago they started using live animals at the crib. It was wonderful for city people to celebrate the birth of Christ alongside his animals as it was day one over 2000 years ago. We all know that a child sees wonder in everything through their young, innocent and beautiful eyes and the world is a very different place when we look at it from a childhood perspective. This perspective I have taken through my life and always try to look at life through my childs eye window of wonder. I ask you all this morning what is wrong with some of our decision makers? Were they even children? Did they live the life of a child? I know most country, rural, vibrant, island people I know, do. So let's have some common sense and let the live crib continue. Continue to pray like a child, bless, power healing, peace, hope and love to all who need it and wear your Saturday smile.

The Mindful Farmer

Patrick

The Mindful Farmers Daily Diary Day 956

Good morning everyone and welcome to my window of wonder this morning. It is very wet, windy and stormy. The leaves are falling with abundance, the trees are bowing to the tune of Mother Nature as she is having her way and performing her annual undressing but they trust Mother Nature to do right by them and leave them rest for a while. The more we grow as human beings and the more we trust and hope the more we will recognise our connection with other people, with the world and with God. It is only by forgetting ourselves that we draw near to God, a nearness that is warm and beautiful. Feel it today and pray, bless, power healing, peace, hope, love and happiness to all who need it and wear your Friday smile.

The Mindful Farmer

Patrick

The Mindful Farmers Daily Diary Day 955

Good morning everyone and welcome to The Mindful Farmers story for today. Well, I must say I was shocked at the breakfast table this morning. We had an environmental scientist staying with us who was visiting schools and advising teenagers on the subject of waste materials and he asked everyone around the breakfast table what do you think is the one item that lasts longest before it decomposes. We were all guessing, plastic, cans, bottles etc and then he said chewing gum. It takes at least 1 million years to break down and then he put his hands on the table and said "this table and many others after it will disintegrate before the piece of chewing gum." I am still shocked and wonder why this product is sold in almost every outlet in the country, We all left the kitchen this morning in shock and all vowed to be more gentle, kind and caring for Mother Nature. Continue to pray, bless, power healing, peace, hope, love and happiness to all who need it and wear your Thursday smile.

The Mindful Farmer

Patrick

The Mindful Farmers Daily Diary Day 955

Good morning everyone and welcome once more to Ballinwillin House Farm, Gardens and RetrEat centre. The Mindful Farmer had a beautiful night last night sitting by my window of peace listening to the wind and driving rain and the falling leaves sticking like snow to the window. An artist couldn't have painted better. The only inside noise was the murmouring herar of the aga cooker and Marley the Golden Retriever snoring gently at my feet. I thought to myself "this is inner peace out of an outdooe station." Peace in the midst of a winter storm. How wonderful the inner life of peace can be with a mixture of inner light and outdoor darkness and the rising sap of beauty, joy and happiness to be blessed upon all we know and care for. I wish for all you out there to draw close to the light within yourself and seek no other refuge but continue to pray, bless, power healing, peace, blessing, hope, love and happiness to all who need it and wear your Thursday smile.

The Mindful Farmer

Patrick

The Mindful Farmers Daily Diary Day 953

Good morning everyone and welcome once more to this morning's view from The Mindful Farmers view from his window of wonder. This morning in the gardens the flowers are withering but they must do so that the fruits ripen. There is always a time for us to blossom. There is always a time for us to bear fruit and that time is always "now". Our best ambition should be, if we haven't done so already, to start living today as every new day brings us a chance to enjoy this twenty four hours while it is still ours. Today I am going to awaken to the spirit of adventure, hold nothing back and learn to find ease in risk for my soul senses the world that awaits me. Continue to pray, bless, power healing, peace, hope, love and happiness to all who need it and wear your Tuesday smile.

The Mindful Farmer

Patrick

The Mindful Farmers Daily Diary Day 952

Good afternoon all and welcome. Today saw me visiting three churches and three graveyards and attending one funeral. The weather was windy, dull, wet and gloomy but no matter what our circumstances may be it is up to us to find joy along the way, to encourage the hiding sun from behind the clouds to come out and lift our hearts. As we continue communicating with God our mood will gradually lighten and the greyest of days can be infused with joy to awaken your life in its call for freedom. Continue to pray, bless, power healing, peace, hope, love and happiness to all who need it and wear your Monday smile.

The Mindful Farmer

Patrick

The Mindful Farmers Daily Diary Day 951

Good morning everyone and welcome to The Mindful Farmers Sunday of peace, beauty and scenery. When I sit in my garden on another beautiful Sunday I marvel at the peace that is both in and around me. I marvel at the beauty that surrounds me and I marvel at the scenery that stares down on me from the majestic Galtee Mountains. There is so much industrial and commercial chaos out there, wouldn't it be wonderful for our minds if we could bring nature's tranquility into our minds, hearts and soul even for one day a week, even on this Sunday. Let's bring God's world into ours. Continue to pray, bless, power healing, peace, hope, love and happiness to all who need it and wear your Sunday smile.

The Mindful Farmer

Patrick

The Mindful Farmers Daily Diary Day 950

Good morning everyone and welcome to Ballinwillin House Farm, Gardens and RetrEat centre. Well, today I am recovering from two very painful knee procedures yesterday but I am back home relaxing and recuperating. Early days yet but with rest and exercise I am eternally hopeful I will be able to walk at least some distance again. There is no better place or better way to recover from any illness but to live outside as much as possible in nature. When I sit here in the garden and in peace with my eyes closed and my body resigned I try and gather as much warmth as possible around my wounds and my heart knowing that one spark is all I need to nourish the flame of activity that I once enjoyed and love for again, I am grateful for this beautiful place of nature and I know it will soothe a new and slow confidence to come alive. Continue to pray, bless, power healing, peace, hope, love and happiness to all who need it and wear your Saturday smile.

The Mindful Farmer

Patrick

The Mindful Farmers Daily Diary Day 949

Good morning everyone and welcome to my journey into the unknown. This morning I will make my way to the Mater Private hospital in Dublin. The Mindful Farmers body has taken a lot of punishment over the years from rugby to wear and tear on the farm. My two knees have given up so it is time to enter the house of suffering relief. Suffering knocks on all our doors and it is up to us all to glimpse its eventual gifts. Up to now I have taken the strain until it broke but what happens then is much unattended stress falls in. Gradually I will return to myself and for a while I take refuge in my senses. Who knows, tomorrow I may be like the joy of the sea coming home to the shore and the relief of my pain will rinse through my soul and away. Continue to pray, bless, power healing, peace, hope, love and happiness to all who need it and wear your Friday smile.

The Mindful Farmer

Patrick

The Mindful Farmers Daily Diary Day 948

Good morning everyone and welcome once more to Ballinwillin House Farm, Gardens and RetrEat centre. There is no doubt this is a wonderful time of the year on the farm and in the gardens. Autumn foliage where the vibrant, radiant colours are just stunning. It is funny really during the earlier part of the year and right up to Autumn we barely notice their beauty of green but in the Autumn time now their changing foliage just takes our breath away. Is there a parallel to our lives here in our time we are all bust growing and in the Autumn time of our lives and in decline growth wise do we become more beautiful and radiant? Now, there's something to ponder on for this Thursday and onwards into Autumn and let us all bless the imagination and humility of Mother Nature as she brightens beneath the vision of Autumn colour. Continue to pray, bless, power healing, peace, hope, love and happiness to all who need it and wear your Thursday smile.

The Mindful Farmer

Patrick

The Mindful Farmers Daily Diary Day 946

Good morning everyone and welcome once more to The Mindful Farmers view and scene from his window of wonder. I am writing this piece in the early hours of a windy and very stormy night in Connemara. It is dark outside, the rain pelts against my ocean facing window. The noisy roof is defending my dry shelter. The peace is beautiful and noisy. The open fire is crackling and bright, keeping me company. I have heard the phrase "constance in the midst of change" but my favourite thoughts tonight are peace in the midst of storm. This is a beautiful experience. I am thankful for my shelter to enjoy this amazing experience. I immediately think about the passion of this ferocious wind carrying before it the fluence of rain as the bright moon looks on in its shadowed sureness. This outward storm leaves me inward warm and then what comes to mind "how likely am I to have emerged to experience this night to the full and to dream with this storm in mind, spirit, light and soul and flashing into my mind are my friends of ancestry who have passed and paved this life for me and are now, this night, clothing me in weave, often weave of blessings''. Our world and our time behave differently when blessings are invoked and they allow us to sleep in our hearts and souls in a way we never suspected. Continue to pray, bless, power healing, peace, hope, love and happiness to all who need it and wear your Wednesday smile.

The Mindful Farmer

Patrick