A city in Festival

August seems to be galloping away; the last full week of the Festival has started and there is just a hint of Autumn in the air. The Summer is on its way out and many school children are either back at school already or will be later this week and thus memories of holidays and time off and festival events are already slipping into the past. 

The past is only ever something that we can look back on and remember, we cannot change it; we just have to accept it as it is and live in the present with an eye to the future. For it is the present and the future we can change. I always think the dawn of Autumn after the Summer break is like the start of the new year, an opportunity to let go of things we no longer need to carry around and an opportunity to try new things; be that a course of study, a gym routine or simply making time to catch up with good friends and loved ones.

At this time of the year just before we begin 'new' things it is good to take a moment to stop and ponder on the present, the future and the past. To see where one has come from, where one is and where one wants to go. It is also an opportunity to put all of this to God in prayer and to ask for wisdom in discerning the way forward. Until the end of the month the Garden of Contemplation at the Good Shepherd is still up. Why not come and wander the path and take a moment of two to ponder some of the sayings or prayers as you begin to discern where it is that you need to be going in the next few months.