HOW DO YOU DESCRIBE THE QUESTION MARK INSIDE?
We all wonder about what gives our lives meaning. It could be a child, a smile, an ambition, a particular hope, a love, the sun after rain, the sea, a whisper in the dark.
What are the words that describe what's important to you, and your own feelings about life's meaning? What are the words that describe your feelings about the Cathedral Building of St Paul's?
Sometimes, the simplest words can sum up the deepest feelings. Words make it possible to share the way we see the world and to discover, perhaps, that we're really not so different from each other.
By adding your words to this project, you can be part of the attempt to describe the great mystery of the question mark that lies inside us all.
st. paul's cathedral is simply the most magnificent, breathtaking building i have ever seen. its beauty alone is enough to make me want to travel back overseas to see it again.
ReplyDeleteLife, smiles...hugs....laughter...My Children. St Pauls, A place where peace dwells. Where I can be still and feel the love of Jesus at each breath.....thinking upon what gives me joy and calmness or on what cause's me pain. St. Pauls lives in my very soul leaving me with peace each time I enter. xo
ReplyDeleteLife is walking by the sea, wind in your hair, and the sun on your face
ReplyDeleteLife for me is seeing the view from the window, working in the garden, seeing and being with good friends.
ReplyDeleteSt.Pauls is a joy to behold, morning, noon and night from every angle in all weathers. It makes me feel proud, It's a proud building.
ReplyDeleteWill You Be One?
ReplyDeleteWill you be one?
One that sees past
imperfections and afflictions
to the beautiful soul
that reaches out to you?
Will you be one?
One that forgives
and allows each person
before you to be human,
as they allow you to be as well?
Will you be one?
One that is thankful
for each effort made on your behalf
though it is made by another so imperfect...
but another soul, beautiful and unique.
We are all the same
no better than the next.
We are all God's children.
We all look and act different,
but we are all the same...
needing love and consideration,
needing to be seen and recognized.
Will you be one who does your part?
Teresa L. Ellis, 03/30/08
The question mark inside for me, means asking my self 'am I doing all that I can to be kind and helpful to others'. Making sure that what I say isn't hurting someone.
ReplyDeleteI make sure that I book in time to see my family and friends regularly and to stay in contact often.
As you grow older you realise the importance of family and friends.
In a time of personal difficulty, my family have been a tower of strength. To me this is one of the greater loves.
ReplyDeleteFeeling good about the day and liking oneself is about how I see life. Life is good!
ReplyDeleteAnother lovely day and I'm so pleased I'm allowed to enjoy it.
ReplyDeleteIf we only look and study, the world is a beautiful place.
ReplyDeleteWaking up to another lovely day, whatever the weather
ReplyDeleteThe shared humaness of us all, the good,. the bad and the ugly
ReplyDeleteLife for me is to love everyone unconditionally and keep them all in my heart.
ReplyDeleteLife for me is having chosen the most perfect mum.
ReplyDeleteTo be able to make others happy.
ReplyDeleteTo be able to positively affect the world around me.
"I've realized that the meaning of life is to enjoy it."
To walk inside a Cathedral and aborb the atmosphere of it's age is such a peaceful experience, I love exploring Churches and Cathedral's, it is a very rich experience.
ReplyDeleteMemory is important to me...
ReplyDeleteI often feel as though there isn't enough time in my day. I bet a lot of people would agree with me. It seems as though the moments I want to last forever are the ones that pass me by the quickest, as if they are trying to catch up to the Earth spinning.
But my memory has the power to create my own realm of time, where a moment can become permenant. Reality can become five-dimensional, with the past and present and future occuring at the same time.
Actually M, the idea of Spherical Thinking reminds me of Virginia Woolf's writing (ex. Mrs. Dalloway, To The Lighthouse, etc.) as they suggest that you can be simultaneously "here" and "there" and "one" and "many"...but I think the important thing, is that one has to be open to the idea of Spherical thinking, and willing to experience the world by using more than basic sense perception...you have to use your soul to preceive the world. Thus, I think Mind and Soul must work together for one to reach their full potential. Memory is an integral part of the human spirit.
Not only is my memory able to transcend the barriers of TIME and REALITY, but it guides my soul towards love, knowledge, and Truth. I guess you could say that my memory acts as a compass for my soul.
I visited Norwich Cathedral yesterday and the choir was practising for the evening choral service, it was amazing I felt so touched, it actually brought tears to my eyes.
ReplyDeleteSt. Paul's Cathedral represents so much of what is good in the world, long may it do so.
Life is about God and Family. I couldn't image life without either.
ReplyDeleteAs for St. Paul's Cathedral, I visited in 2007 and I was truly amazed and inspired. What a glorious tribute to God and all that is good in life. A spectacular cathedral--full of history and breathtaking to behold!
The Hankins Family USA
I love St. Paul's Cathedral
ReplyDeleteTo enjoy the peace and tranquility of a holy place
ReplyDeleteI like to get the maximum out of each day, rising early so that I catch every bit of daylight.It's wonderful being alive
ReplyDeletemaking work, touching people with beauty, walking in mountains, choral singing in an amazing space, meeting singers in a remote village, speaking through the medium of art, a family meal, writing a song, finding the right words to speak about something,hope, faith, love, beauty, charity, love, good friends
ReplyDeleteWhere there is faith, there is love; Where there is love, there is truth; Where there is truth; there God is.
ReplyDeleteLove, truth and beauty.
This is what makes my life meaningful.
St Paul's is the guardian of London. Noble, strong, lasting, peaceful. It doesn't shout about its beauty and it refrains from competing with the new. It is solid and uncompromising. If it was lost, the ghost of St Paul's with cast its domed shadow on London forever.
ReplyDeleteThere's something about the solidity of the structure that resonates with me. It commands respect without aggression and doesn't need embellishment to illustrate its purpose. There's no craving to be anything other than what it is and it's bathed in Peace and serenity. Content. That's where I'd like to be.
I love when I don't doubt what i believe in.
ReplyDeleteI don't like when I don't know that I don't know something.
The beauty of this world is something to treasure and hold dear, that's why the impact of global warming needs to be addressed.
ReplyDeleteSt. Paul's and all Cathedrals stand for so much, it's our heritage, and they are the most wonderful architectural buildings to behold.
It is the human continuum, the collective spirit, the vast unconscious well which holds all love, all knowledge. it isn't a god, or a judgemental, prescriptive religion. This is so much bigger than that. I see it in my small granddaughter's gray eyes: love, acceptance, knowledge that isn't taught, innocence, intuition. We are born knowing, but we learn not to know. It is civilised out of us, so that by the time we are adults we have begun to exist outside of ourselves. It often takes serious adversity to remind us of our heart.
ReplyDeleteSt Paul's is a temple of this human spirit, glossed with religion, but you can still find the spirit if you look through.
The Cathedral stands resilient, defiant, inspirational and as an icon.
ReplyDeleteLife is to stand resilient, defiant, inspirational and as an icon.
What gives my life meaning? This could be a complicated question with multiple layers that constantly shift. Love, hope, peace, and harmony are such broad concepts. My husband, my family, my pets, and my own self are almost too concrete...too precise.
ReplyDeleteFreedom. I believe freedom is what gives my life meaning. Freedom to do as I wish. To love whom I please. To say what I feel. Freedom to be my own self. To choose my own course in life and the direction of things. Freedom from atrocities and tyrannical governments. Yes. Freedom.
I cannot imagine a world without giving....a gesture, a smile, directions to a stranger, even a gift.
ReplyDeleteAlso, a smile of one of my children means the world to me.
Friendship and love; to love and be loved. To care and be cared for. Sunshine after dark days, an hour with a friend, a breeze on your face, the sound of the sea, birds singing. Anything that makes you smile and even if it's only for a second to feel happy.
ReplyDeleteWonder. Small unexpected moments that take me by surprise. Yesterday, it was a silhoetted tree on the horizon at dusk. Today, a spiral of paper from an envelope, previously hacked open by finger. Magic popping up through the cracks in everyday life.
ReplyDeleteLove. Dancing with my daughters for the best part of an hour this evening before their bath time. Having a beer with my wife last night, outside, at 9pm.
Useful-ness. Doing/making something that is useful to someone else.
St.Pauls is a great axis point on London's skyline. A great symbol of London. Good from a distance, better up close. The dome is a testament to human endevour, glorifying god - hard to build and perfect in form.
This indeed is a quite A Question.
ReplyDeleteThere are so many things which get me through my life on a day to day basis: a fabulous piece of music, laughter, the generosity of my friends (especially when I'm drunk!)
I take a lot from looking into a blue sky - for me it signals freedom, options and a planet full of opportunities just waiting to come my way.
Personally, I always regard St Paul's as a phoenix. It was born of fire and survived the worst that The Blitz threw at it. It is a symbol of longevity and strength.
We live in a miraculous times when almost everything we can dream of has the possibility of coming true - how lucky we are to be here?
Dapper old men (a suit, a tie and hand polished brogues), even though they're just nipping down to the newsagent to collect the papers and a pint of milk. Watching television whilst lying in the bath. Giving someone a bum steer. Salt & vinegar Hula Hoop sandwiches. Reading filthy text messages in public. Ordering exactly the same thing (bangers and mash) off the menu as your friend, and then seeing that your helping has got a little bit more mashed potato than he. A small and precious victory! Falling asleep on the beach. A small child using a swear word. The smell of a brand new pair of trainers. Being humbled. Waking up in the morning with a totally numb arm as you wonder how it could have fallen off in the night. My mum's obsession with Cliff Richard. Sports Personality of the Year. Being selective with selective hearing. The way people do that funny squint when it's raining. Thick West country accents. In-jokes. The old-fashioned description of a protruding bogey - "You've got a lady at the window dear". Admitting defeat and giving up on a boring book. Dropping the proverbial bomb in a clean and spacious disabled lavatory. Quite large people with surprisingly high voices. Nutters that yell stuff. Nostalgia. When someone unwittingly tees you up for a joke, like when you're in a pub and the barman says "Do you want a tray for that?" and you reply "Thanks, but I've got enough to carry". People with a Christian name for a surname...Gary David. People that still dress for dinner. Jeremy Paxman in a stinker of a mood. Splinters. Having a heated row with someone and they ever so slightly mispronounce a word: "You're a fucking arsehole mate" "Yeah, well the feeling's neutral." The statistically significant correlation between beards and real ale. Peeling the protective plastic off a new phone. Queuing etiquette. Toast and salad cream. Brian Blessed. When two girls share a pudding and simultaneously shovel chocolate fudge pudding into their mouths while insisting they don't want any more. Australian louts calling Loughborough Loogaborooga. Flirting with girls in other cars even though you're driving down the motorway at 80mph. Perfectly poached eggs. Sleeping during the day without dribbling. The Welsh. Failing to understand the meaning of schadenfreude after another England penalty shoot out exit, but understanding the meaning of schadenfreude after another England batting collapse. Watching people's faces when they're brushing their teeth. Watching people at the very moment they nod off. Watching Nick Broomfield documentaries. Pipe smokers. Heaving a sigh of relief as you finally get into the car after the 20 minute saying-your-goodbyes-after-a-Christening ritual. Getting home from a beach holiday and walking on carpet. That moment on a lazy Sunday afternoon when you realise that Zulu is just about to come on the television. Watching other people attempt to eat beef jerky. Sneezing. Understatement, like when Alexander Graham-Bell upon inventing the telephone said, "I can say, without fear of exaggeration, that by the end of the 20th century, every major American city will have at least one telephone". A cigarette after a vindaloo. Saying something you know you shouldn't. The first ten minutes of creosoting a fence. Tabloid headlines. The barman on holiday in Thailand called Boy, and never tiring of saying "Oh, I'll have a beer please Boy". Eating whole knobs of butter on digestive biscuits. The awkwardness of someone over fifty ordering a fancy cup of coffee at Starbucks. Shouting "Speech! Speech!" When someone clearly doesn't want to make a speech. Eccentricity. When the last bit of lasagna in a café is both too large for a single portion and too small for two portions, so they have to give the whole lot to you anyway. Test match special when you're stoned. Playing 'Smack My Bitch Up' when you're getting ready to go out. The mild autism inside us that can't help but find patterns on the pavements. Blushing. Farting when you're walking along and the fart comes out of alternate bum cheeks. People thinking that advertising doesn't work on them. The lack of proper safety procedures in foreign countries. A commentator's righteous disapproval when a streaker legs it onto a football pitch. The smell of a just blown-out match. Sarcasm. The sheer, once-in-a-lifetime, never-to-be-repeated magic of getting five correct answers in a row when watching University Challenge. The thought of old ladies wandering into a hairdressers and asking for a short, grey, slightly frizzy perm. Singing 'Hey Jude' at the end of a wedding. Drinking bloody marys in business class. A half volley. Very public cock ups - like the time the mini cab driver ended up on News 24. The feeling of sun on your skin just before sunburn kicks in. When people do a little 'air signature' when gesturing the bill from a waiter. Knowingly talking about the weather to strangers. A new album after four listens. Winning at DIY. Fair play. Being really tired but refusing to go to bed because it's Saturday tomorrow. Being outdoors for so long it makes you want sugar in your tea. Imagining what dark and depraved secrets super-polite people might harbour. A moment of social and professional confusion when greeting clients: a kiss, a handshake or a Chinese burn? The squeak of haloumi cheese. Cheese in general. When you're walking home drunk and take a wee whilst walking backwards down the street - and being surprised by how far it stretches. Collective moaning when a train is delayed (the only time you can legitimately communicate with other passengers). Special travel outfits that Americans wear for flying. Hostess trolleys. When English people abroad make up for their lack of linguistic skills by pronouncing certain words with an accent. "Oh hello there, I have a reservation for Jason Woodman". The first time you get to play with your girlfriends breasts. Walking out of a cinema and momentarily feeling like the film is still going on around you. A bad transvestite. Sitting on the face-to-face seats on the Victoria line - when someone who's even a little bit fat sits down next to you, you jump up into the air a little bit. Imagining my friend Sam Ball dressed up as Bono from The Fly era. Watching someone stifle a yawn when it's really rude to yawn. Oh, and hearing Geordies say the word "Hermesetas".
ReplyDeleteAwareness of death is a helpful thing . Although it`s one of those things that people don`t want to talk about or even think about , it is the thing
ReplyDeletethat constantly should remind you that you should make the most of life. So it`s less about having a nice normal life but about daring to do those
things that quite possibly aren`t normal or nice (at least to you ). St Pauls isn`t normal . It is also reverred because it has been around for longer than a generation , as if it has transcended death - therefore it is very special .So the key is to think about death a lot , then your life will reach new heights of meaning.
Getting a smile back from love ones, nothing make you feel better than this.
ReplyDeletefreedom... to be who you are and be accepted
ReplyDeleteWhat makes life meaningful and purposeful for me are
ReplyDelete..my family
.. my daughter waving me off to work at 6.00a.m in the morning .
..trusting that any situation however difficult or daunting has the
possibility of a creative outcome
..laughing with family, friends and colleagues
..sitting in a window seat overlooking a hillside, hearing the rain
beating down
..the smell of newly mown grass
..asking for help
..helping people reach their own conclusions
As for St Pauls I love the beauty and simplicity of the whispering
gallery.
St. Paul's Cathedral is majestic and wonderful. An architectural beauty.
ReplyDeleteWe all want something or someone to believe in.
ReplyDeleteFrom Niky Fathers
ReplyDeleteOn what makes life meaningful:
Friendship that's so strong that you end up loving the person like a sibling
A roaring belly-laugh that makes you chuckle even the next day when you think about it
Cuddles from my family
Falling in love for the very first time and the hope that one day I'll feel like that again
Dreams that are so good that when I wake I wish I could go back to point at which I awoke
On St Paul's:
Bumping into my brother there very unexpectedly and him announcing "hello there, didn't we once live in the same womb"
The knowledge that, whatever happens, the sun will rise in the morning.
ReplyDeleteThe dawn chorus heralding the start of a new day.
The innocence of children and the wisdom of the elderly.
Belly laughing with friends.
The first buds on the trees in Spring.
The wind in the trees in Autumn.
The smell of bonfires.
My three year old niece telling me she loved me as we made jam tarts together.
St Pauls reminds me of the wonderful things man is capable of - and of how short life is. It was here years before me and will be there long after I'm gone.
I believe that if you keep an open mind and an open heart, every day can teach you something new, every day can show you a new wonder. Never stop wanting to learn, never stop wanting to search and strive. But also never ever forget that beauty, love and happiness are found close at home, in the small things, the simple things: in the love of friends and family, in the unexpected kindness of a stranger, in a hot shower after a long hike, in the colours of the setting sun. Finding that balance between reaching out but not losing sight of all those small things that make life beautiful is difficult to achieve. In a way, St.Paul's proves that it can be done by its combination of the beauty and grandeur of the building with the message of love and hope it contains.
ReplyDeleteLife is for living but also watching out for our family, friends and neighbours.
ReplyDeleteWhat makes life meaningful and purposeful?
ReplyDeleteIf you’d asked me this question 10 or 15 years ago I’m sure my reaction to this question would have been very different.
I could talk about coming out of winter and feeling the warm of the sun on my back or being surrounded by the wonder of nature, (I recently saw the Aurora Borealis in Iceland and travelled to magical places in Colombia) but increasingly my thoughts are dominated by what are for me three interrelated ideas:
Firstly evolving Spiritually and living in the moment.
In the end this seems to be at the heart of happiness and purpose and meaning.
The journey changes the perception, meaning and purpose of everything. It is a distillation down of everything, into what is truly important.
Then there is the central importance in my life of great Relationships.
Family, friends. The better the quality of relationship the greater the potential for happiness. You can never have too many best friends.
The Power of Contribution is one I have discovered in recent years that in many ways has transformed my life.
Contribution, the making of a difference to others is profoundly rewarding, so much so that it is almost a selfish act.
For me Saint Paul’s has always been a sacred space, a place of hope and inspiration.
The photo of Saint Paul’s surrounded by flames during the War unscathed, enduring, something good prevailing over something bad is one I always think about when St Paul’s is mentioned.
Inside the beauty, the craftsmanship, the silence, the sense that generations of our ancestors have gravitated to this place at times of great upset, danger, celebration or change, looking for and finding meaning, reassurance and peace.
I appreciate it’s a National monument used to mark National events, but to me its always been more personal than that. I suppose its become like a member of the family.
Life is like St Pauls. It's all about resonance, spiritualism and the space to breathe. To be able to look up into the heavens and shout all your frustrations away or to yell in ecstacy about the good things in your life.
ReplyDeletelaughing, being, making, doing, loving, finding, learning make life worth living..
ReplyDeletePersonally I like to think of St Pauls as the giant breast of London. A great big stone reminder that women are as much a part of the fabric of London as men, that we can walk the streets without fear, that even a patriarchal religion erects monuments to our life-giving, miraculous selves, that we have the right and the power to get to a state of equality; to be prominent in the life as well as the skyline of this city.
I'm amazed at how wonderful the human body is, how it heals itself through even the greatest trauma.
ReplyDeleteit is so perfect, there has to be a divine hand in this creation
It's good to know that our history lives on in St. Paul's Cathedral and all the churches and Cathedrals around the country.
ReplyDeleteThe unbelievable vastness of the universe and how it all works so precisely.
ReplyDeleteWhat Gives Life Meaning
ReplyDeleteTravelling on the sacred orders of the universe.
Growing wheat in the palms of your hands.
When bleeding in the desert, rising on an elbow to admire the perfect stride of a desert nomad.
Having the courtesy to pay attention when the sky is wooing you.
Penetrating the symbols.
Invisible tigers.
Kisses.
What Gives Life Meaning
ReplyDeleteMoney.
Just kidding.
Having the resources to commit myself to the headlong flight into the storm.
Since reading Samuel Pepys diaries, St Paul’s to me means continuity. When I look at it now I see, within it and all around it, Old St Paul’s, the church destroyed in the great fire. I see all the inhabitants of London from that day to this and even further back. For it’s the fifth recorded church built on that site. It’s said that the first wooden church dated 675 was built over a temple to Diana.
ReplyDeleteI hope it was. Christian churches were often built on pagan sites. While this may have been an attempt to obliterate what went before, it could hardly have succeeded. You can’t stamp out people’s beliefs, they’ll just find a new way of expressing them. Spirituality is not a commodity. It can’t be owned by any one group and no one group can claim to be doing it the right way. Politics and political correctness are the worst thing that ever happened to religion, which is why organised religion makes me uneasy. I prefer to think of religion in terms of spirituality. Religion with a small ‘r’. It’s about our humanity, our spirit, the better part of us.
Ritual is important. However this is not the prerogative of organised religions, however much they might like us to think so. Ceremonies to celebrate and mark births, marriages, deaths - the welcoming of new people whether little or big, saying goodbye, joining together - all these rituals are essential to the human soul and the human psyche. It’s just that it doesn’t matter how you actually do it. You can make up your own ceremony and no one has a right to say otherwise. I used to be a catholic. I believe that like other organised religion, it is capable of, and has indeed done, great harm. It also contains rich seams of wisdom and humanity.
When I was little I used to pray. Then I didn’t and later I did in my own way, but I didn’t consider it to be prayer. So when I’d be speaking to someone who’d been bereaved or who was distressed for some reason, and if they were ‘religious’ I’d tell them I was praying for them. Sometimes I didn’t say it at all, because I always felt such a hypocrite, but I felt bad. They needed to hear it but I knew I didn’t believe what they did and I wasn’t’ going to be praying the way they prayed. Then, just recently, I realised that prayer didn’t have to be formal. Wishing them well, asking t Buddha, Christ, the spirits of earth, fire, wind and air - whoever - to take care of them and comfort them -all that was praying. So I didn’t have to be a hypocrite after all.
Spirituality is whatever you want it to be. For me it just means there’s something else. I don’t know what it is for sure; I am inclined towards the ideals of Eastern philosophies and paganism. However, do I believe you should up and being counted, not watching silently and saving your own mental skin. It’s very hard to though, and it gets harder not easier in a world where people opt for the quiet life, for a variety of reasons, some good, some sensible and some bad.
None of this exactly answers the question - what gives our life meaning, what is important to me? Of course it’s all the things people have already mentioned, that toes without saying - family and friends, trees, sun, cats, tigers, animals of every kind, laughter, space, privacy, quite and writing are alls essential and treasured and valued. Nevertheless for me it’s not just what gives life meaning but how to keep going and keep appreciating stuff? It all comes down to self, which sounds contradictory but is nothing of the sort. When I criticise others I’m criticising a part of myself; if I can learn to accept myself and love myself, then I will love others. Sound’s simple and is very difficult; it takes a lifetime. I’m not there yet.
An interesting question, why are we here?
ReplyDeleteFaith and hope are inextricably linked and our places of santuary where faith and hope grow and nuture can be anywhere of our choosing. Mine is very much an internal light filled space but I feel a deep love and appreciation for all places of worship and I've always imagined them all connected the world over. Whatever echoes in St Pauls reverberates in all places of faith and sanctuary and returns eventually. My Great Grandfather, Grandfather and Great Uncle were all singers and choristers in this great church. I feel personally connected. My son, also now a chorister, sings with a gift passed down and I recently took him to experience that space and together we heard The Messiah. An experience to treasure. It is a mammoth thing to try and define the importance of St Pauls but amalgamating, drawing together the vast and each of the uniquely special and important messages delivered through The Question Mark Inside is a great start. Some is pure poetry. Anything that reminds us, makes us stop and consider with a pure and positive intention, what's really important to us has to be a vital and important thing. Faith, Hope, Love, Friendship, Empathy, Giving and Receiving.
ReplyDeleteLoving my children and their love for me.
ReplyDeleteEarthbound Wonder
ReplyDeleteWill I be remembered?
A neurotic mess of a scarred soul...
A weary statistic of a callous world...
A tried warrior in an unending battle?
No earthbound structure houses
the wretched power of my soul.
Divine symmetry hardly begun,
there is little of myself
I want to stand as monument.
Yet I can see monuments of others,
see such impossibilities achieved.
Souls of incomparable power and light
have come before and created
structures having no earthbound equal.
I can walk the majestically hallowed halls,
view the awesomely panoramic walls,
and stretch my neck to drink in
the dreamlike sincerity of even the ceilings.
To see such in reality, stark, treasured and true...
to begin to know such things for a possibility,
give enlightenment to even my tired spirit.
Such encouragement gives rise to questions
not asked for such a time, I can't measure...
What can I give? What is inside still?
What can I create? What have I to share?
Thus is the joy of blessings bestowed...
Thus is the wonder of hope renewed.
Coping with the ups and downs of life but keeping enthusiastic to overcome the downs.
ReplyDeleteEnthusiasm is contagious. Life is for living
Saint Paul's Cathedral is an expression of the most pure art that can be made by the human being. That's make us closer to God there.
ReplyDeleteWorld could be better if every human act had the same inspiration.
It's size and every detail show us the capacity of the mankind to create something so special. At the same time, the human being can be so cruel and destructive.
That's the great meaning of Saint Paul's nowadays in this world.
When I'm alone and look up to stars I am nothing and everything, I live in the past and the future, on earth and floating in eternity.
ReplyDeleteThe incredible way that nature works - it's divine
ReplyDeleteGracious Mercy.
ReplyDeleteEternal Love.
Unending Hope.
New Beginnings.
A Simple Smile.
Old Friendships.
Trust.
Life is for living and sharing
ReplyDeleteThe Question Mark Inside? Why me?
ReplyDeleteLooking at the cathedral, I think about the people who built it. Laid the foundation, cut each piece of glass, constructed the pillars, shaped the roof, carved the stones; the people who dreamt it, imagined what it might look like, and had the imagination to capture the space inside.
ReplyDeleteI can't imagine life without love. Unrequited, unfathomable and sometimes completely unexpected.
A friend has commented on one of the blogs on my space... the question she asks herself... the question we all ask ourself... "What are we doing here? And why?"
ReplyDeleteI've spent 4 decades agonizing over these questions. It's only recently that I've formulated an understanding that makes sense to me... this phase I've entered recently that has opened some insight somewhere inside. This is what I now know to be true...
Sometimes, you have to take things on faith... and even if you don't believe in God and that He has things in hand for our eventual good... you must have faith in yourself. Your subconscious is on top of everything... processing everything that you see and hear... thinking, in depth, of 100's of thousands of things that you have no idea are in your mind. You know things you have no idea of... you don't have the idea yet because it isn't time. Everything has its own time.
We all waste time and energy worrying about things we aren't suppose to know yet. Relax... you will know when you need to know. Until then, we must take care of our business... and do it the best we know how... until it is time to do something else... and that time will present itself... and it will do so without our hurrrying it along or fretting about our inability to hurry it along.
I believe that there are things we need to do periodically... and I believe that our time is our own in between those instances. So we can do things we want... handle our daily business or go completely off in tangents until those instances are at hand.
I think that life is a balance and the perfect education... doing the things we are meant to (because I do believe in that) but doing things for ourselves and our friends and family as well. Handling our daily business or taking a class that interests us or finding a hobby that gives us mental and emotional room to heal and restructure or seeking out the things in this world that inspire us in whatever endeavors that strike our fancy (such as St. Paul's Cathedral =).
Whether you have faith in God or faith in yourself... being on this earth in any kind of peace takes faith... and when you have faith, you can find acceptance... peace is not far from that.
Does that make any sense? It does to me but I'm not sure I've illustrated it properly.
A Quest
ReplyDeletecan't imagine life without the ones we love,but some how at times you must
ReplyDeleteThe meaning we are alive is to contribute to the world even you are in work or study in campus.Someone produce the love for world peace and some others manufacture goods for people's life and eating.We need to struggle for the good life of mankind beacuse we have only one earth.But how about people dead and whatwill we do after we are dead because we will die after 80 or 100 years after we are born.Why we get into the churches .The divines and christ are dead living in the churches and they paid the services to our alive people in society.
ReplyDeleteThe meaning of live is to contribute to the world even you are in work or in the studying of campus.But how about we have been dead and what we must do after we die?Why we will go to churches when we are living beacuse I think the divines and christs are the dead in the churches and provide the services , cares and merrys on our lived people and we reveived the peaceful mind from them and held a better life than before we go to the churches.How do you think?
ReplyDeleteLove yourself,be happy wth who you are
ReplyDeleteMichael Hamblin says, Consider the Mystery of God, the Creator of the Universe, becoming a Man, to experience and know the life of His own Creation, and then to die on the Cross to provide a Pardon for those who believe and accept His Free Gift of Eternal Life.
ReplyDeleteInteresting how good weather with plenty of sunshine brings out the best in people.
ReplyDeleteIn life everything is together: Luck, happines, pain, sorrow, friends, enemys, tears, smile, sun and rain. But to know in bad times, that good times will come is what makes life, the life that we love!
ReplyDeleteBeing at peace with oneself
ReplyDeleteWe particularly like one statement we saw on that awful wall surrounding Bethlehem - 'Love builds bridges, hate builds walls' It has such widespread relevance. Indeed for us, love is the essence. It is our faith.
ReplyDeleteForgiving refreshes the soul
ReplyDeleteDon't worry about things which you can't alter; try to understand, not judge...
ReplyDeleteBelieving those you loved and lost, will be waiting
ReplyDeleteWisdom
ReplyDeleteKindness
Justice
To make the world a better place
Beauty
Humour
Hope
...and a happier place
Love
Friendship
Empathy
...and a place to share
I love life, embrace it and thank God for the wonder of it.
ReplyDeleteGod and therfore Love, Hope, Forgiveness and Dreaming!
ReplyDeleteDon´t dream your life, live your dreams!
ReplyDeleteTreat each hour of life as a gift
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion there's just one thing that makes life worth living: To see the people around you being happy and enjoying their lives. That makes me feel happy, too. Making people happy is the purpose in life - and it's something anyone of us can do. Not in a material way, but by supporting them and by being there if they need someone to talk to. I can't really explain what I opine, but I hope you'll understand. For me the main thing in life is the human cooperation.
ReplyDeleteLivin your dreams.
ReplyDeletecherish the life you have
ReplyDeleteFaith to me, is love and hope given to you in life by those who love you.
ReplyDeleteGood parents give you the freedom and confidence to grow through childhood into adulthood, and so close friends and beautiful partners bring you life lesson’s and hopefully a selflessness that can make adulthood a sound place that is comfortable in whatever faith you choose.
I think it is a cool project.
ReplyDeleteI am 13 years old.
Find the sense of living.
ReplyDeletefrom Gennaro R.,Germany
Love, friendship, kindness, the natural glory that is our planet. These are personal, the building bricks of my life. These things make me happy. For the human race I would like to wave a magic wand and find each and every one of us imbued with respect. I would like lovers to respect each other, so that even when love is gone there would be truth and kindness. I would like all people who live by crime and greed and destruction to do as they would be done by. I would like governments to respect their people so that there would be no more wickedness of the kind witnessed in Burma, Zimbabwe, Darfur, China. I would like all people to respect the Earth and the other wonderful, amazing. extraordinary creatures with whom we share this space. I would like their rights respected too. I hope that one day the human race will achieve this, so that everyone will know happiness.
ReplyDeleteSt Paul's isn't just a beautiful religious building. It is a symbol of hope and survival. It graces our skyline. Religion is too often highjacked, used as an excuse for appalling behaviour. But goodness and kindness and hope should be at the centre of all religions, and to me St Paul's symbolises these qualities.
It makes one proud of the Aid Workers who go into different countries in order to help those in need, such as the China earthquake and the Burma Tornado. There are so many good people about, but unfortunately, we mostly hear about all the bad things going on.
ReplyDeleteOne thing that amazes me about the cathedral is how it survived the Blitz. It was attacked as it was seen as the heart of the city and if it was destroyed morale of the country would have been broken. I therefore think of it as a SURVIVOR.
ReplyDeleteOne thing that amazes me about the Cathedral is that it survived the Blitz. it was under attack because it was seen as the heart of the city and had it been destroyed morale would have been broken. I therefore think of it as INSPIRING, SURVIVOR, DEFIANT
ReplyDeleteSt. Paul's Cathedral - a monument to our future
ReplyDeleteI'm looking at a sunset - it is so beautiful
ReplyDeleteIf you’d asked me 10 or 15 years ago I’m sure my reaction to this question would have been very different.
ReplyDeleteNow I could talked about coming out of winter and feeling the warm of the sun on my back for the first time in the year, or being surrounded by the wonder of nature, (I recently saw the Aurora Borealis in Iceland and traveled to magical places in Colombia,) but increasingly my thoughts are dominated by what are for me three interrelated ideas:
Firstly evolving Spiritually and living in the moment.
In the end this seems to be at the heart of happiness, purpose and meaning.
This journey changes the perception, meaning and purpose of everything. It distills everything down to what is truly important.
Secondly there is the central importance in my life of great relationships.
Family, friends. The better the quality of relationship the greater the potential for happiness. You can never have too many best friends and you never stop learning with them and through them.
The Power of Contribution is one I have discovered more recently that in many ways has transformed my life. Contribution, the making of a difference to others is profoundly rewarding, so much so that it is almost a selfish act.
For me Saint Paul’s has always been a sacred space, a place of hope and inspiration.
The photo of Saint Paul’s surrounded by flames during the War unscathed, enduring, something good prevailing over something bad is one I always think about when St Paul’s is mentioned.
Inside the beauty, the craftsmanship, the silence, the sense that generations of our ancestors have gravitated to this place at times of great upset, danger, celebration or change, looking for and finding meaning, reassurance and peace.
I appreciate it’s a National monument used to mark National events, but to me its always been more personal than that. Of all the Cathedrals I know, St Paul’s is the one where I feel most at home.
I suppose its become like a member of the family.
Music, Love, and Friendship
ReplyDeletei can't imagine a world without my family and my friends.They are the most importent in my life. I really love them and I never would like to be far away by them because i need them. And i wanted to thank my mum and Dad and my sisters,Annemie and lea, and my boyfriend Andreas for always beeing there for me when i need you
ReplyDeleteA friendship that gives my life joy and happiness. The friend that I know will always be by my side, and knowing that I couldn't walk through this world without.
ReplyDeleteBreathing gives my life meaning. I come from a time when I wanted to die, when I didn't believe that life DID have meaning and that my purpose simply wasn't.
ReplyDeleteGrowing up at a human being in this world gives my life meaning. People dying everyday for what they believe in gives me purpose.
My goals, dreams, tears, laughter, and happiness gives my life purpose.
My two neices, and two nephews give me a reason to live. That may sound cliche, but it is true. They give me a reason to go to school, to wake up, to be someone I know they can be proud of and in the end that I can be proud of.
People like you, Martin, give my life a purpose.
The fact that a poem I write can be so evocative and make people feel is so powerful to me. That gives me meaning.
I only have 25 years of life experience, but in that time, I've learned that every moment is precious. I know to breathe in every second, to fill my lungs, and keep moving forward.
ReplyDeleteI believe that every river can be crossed, and every door can be unlocked if the motivation and strength is there. I feel so lucky, because someone always seems to be there in the background, beside me, or up-ahead, cheering me on.
Keep moving... keep moving....
It's simple, really. Everything and everyone that is good in this world is important to me. The love of my friends and family, and the remarkable beauty of the world is what gives me that motivation and strength. That's the grand prize.
I'm so grateful to have lived such a strange, interesting, challenging, crazy, painful, and wonderful life thus far. :)
"Yet one thing I do fight for, tooth and nail, all the time, and that is my bit of inward peace, where I am at one with myself...and I must say, I am often worsted."
ReplyDelete-D.H. Lawrence
St Paul represents a profoundly solid and still place within myself and all of life-- especially the bustle of this ever changing city. Its physical presence is an embodiment of the largesse that reverberates in all. It articulates a simple and deep longing for ultimate connection and the heralding of what is surely an undefinable, undeniable, unknowable truth.
ReplyDeleteMy office used to be nearby and some lunchtimes I would dip into its still arches and bathe in 1400 years of solid devotion ...emerging on those well worn stone steps reassured, like a babe by its mother. This too shall pass....and life continues unabated.
x
Happiness... that would def be my son....
ReplyDeleteimagine driving with the jeep top down.......early in the morning.....me with my coffee...my wife with hers....looking back...smiling at ewan.....just loving life...he makes me smile....and so does my wife....what a perfect day that would be.... :)
Understanding that we have to die but only a few of us truly live "we all must live but some try to just float though it" I want to be one that can say I truly lived I've never feared death near as much as Ive feared Life. So I take my fears and I do them in turn I live. What truly drives me to live life to the fullest i guess it would be fear. Fear of not living.
ReplyDeleteWhat gives my life meaning is love. True love. Something I have come to experience in the last few months. You know... that first true love that you will never forget. Connecting with someone on that level is what makes life worth living and fighting for.
ReplyDeleteI think what gives my life meaning is love. Giving and receiving love from everyone...family, friends, boyfriends, girlfriends, children, etc.
ReplyDeleteFamily and friends. Family and friends make you who you are. They always give you there undying love and support.
ReplyDeleteI suffer from agrophobia, social anxiety and depression and I can honestly say that my two sons keep me going. Having them hug me and kiss me and tell me they love me because "you're my mummy and you're beautiful" lets me know there's reason for struggling on, reason for getting up in a morning and fighting the demons that haunt me.
ReplyDeleteWhat gives my life meaning? My sons.
To the leaders of the world
ReplyDeleteIf you really want to impress us and do good for the nations.
Save our youths' futures, by NOT sending them away to die in a foreign country for a foreign war........
***********
Sometimes the world weighs so heavy, it can stop your heart and breath by it's immense dark wieght.
Sometimes the world shows us in the smallest ways that life is to savour and enjoy and those are the days we can float away like a shimmer in the sky
****************
I work with children who have long term or terminal illness. If they can smile and enjoy the small victories and enjoyment of life, why do the rest of us have to make it so damn difficult?
*******************
Menaing and happiness is when you can be yourself with those around you and allow them to be the same way.
Wow, how to answer this question? Life truly is a mystery, but how amazing are the little things that always manage to bring a smile to our face. There are so many things that I value beyond expression.
ReplyDeleteEDUCATION
RUNNING
IMAGINATION
SUNSHINE
JOY
LAUGHTER
MUSIC
FREEDOM OF THOUGHT
LOVE
I think above all comes love. Love is a powerful thing that has the ability to change the things that seem unchangeable. To take an idea from the great John Lennon, imagine a world full of peace and of love. Wouldn't that be paradise?
I believe the Meaning of Life is to prove that life can exist
ReplyDeleteReligion was the all-encompassing theme of my childhood. Now at the age of 34, I can finally say that I am an atheist, and that fact has given my life more meaning that it has ever had before. I am finally alone. I an finally free to make the most of the short time I have on this earth without worrying about the impact of my actions on my afterlife. It is the most true and wonderful liberation.
ReplyDeleteFor me then, the Cathedral represents an exquisitly beautiful prison of the mind.
LONGING
ReplyDeleteIDENTITY
TREASURE
I couldn't imagine life without love and longing. Feelings that make my heart jump and my stomach churn make me feel alive.
ReplyDeleteI sometimes feel like that when I go into St Paul's - it isn't just a building, it is force bigger than me. Vast and beautiful. Like falling in love for the first time.
It's the great difficulty of being human, unable to see the whole picture, because we are unable to see the whole picture, being human. A paradox.
ReplyDeleteBeing with my husband and laughing so hard that I have tears in my eyes and I forget absolutely everything in the whole world for that moment. - Cole
ReplyDeleteHere beneath this dome, three sorrows became a morning beam of light.
ReplyDeleteI am beginning to believe that I love you
ReplyDeletethe cathedral is to me - iconic
ReplyDeleteIt has reach.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.stpaulsreach.co.uk/britain-from-above-helping-describe-the-value-of-reach/
www.stpaulsreach.co.uk
In Hoc Signo Vinces
ReplyDeleteto appreciate everything in life.
ReplyDeleteSt Pauls meant more to me when I visited it with the one I love ...the Whispering Gallery changed me. Never thought that St Pauls would be the most memorable place in my life. I met my love half across the earth, he maybe the at his worst because of his moods, and maybe so many girls have hurt him but I just hope that he finds in his heart to realize that I am here with no conditions and loves him without expecting anything in return. He is everything Im not... yet my heart only has his name on it. I love him
ReplyDelete"Sing like no one is listening;
Dance like no one is watching;
Love like you'll never get hurt;
and Live like it's heaven on earth.
Live well, laugh often, love much! "- KISMET
Is he thinking about me?
ReplyDeleteDoes he remember my name?
Oh I wish he would call, do I matter at all...
....or will I ever be the same?
Am I one of the many?
Every time I see St Pauls, I see my future...I see the people I love...my eagle. I feel a sense of gratitude of being here in London and working almost day and nite yet feels a sense of relief that my family is provided for... I see my kids so happy with their Dad and just being here I see that I am at my best ever! I love St Pauls!
ReplyDeleteSt Pauls reminds me of my husband.I first met him on a trip to London and thats how our love story started. We are total opposites, He has a weird temper, yet a loving Dad to our twins, very responsible, so funny and so romantic. He is my world and I love him with no conditions. I accept his past, for what matters is what we have now and what we want for the future. Hes the gift I prayed for. Hes not perfect... well nobody is anyway. St Pauls will always be special to me.
ReplyDeleteWalking anywhere - along the road, in the forest, among the city streets, in the hills, alongside rivers and canals.
ReplyDeleteWalking helps me find my way, plan my day, get some space, appreciate all that I have , share and communicate, help others, advance my journey, smile and exercise.
I need in my life love and warmth, appreciation and smiles, to be able to make a difference, to help and be of some use.
St Pauls is majestic, vast, one of London's iconic sites, a beacon and a shelter. It's steadfast and surviving.
St Pauls symbolizes my past, present and future with my family ...its where my heart is
ReplyDeleteLife: Hope Strive Joy Contentment Friendship Vast Siriol(It's a Welsh word!)
ReplyDeleteSt Paul's: Serene Imposing Achievement
a kindred spirit
ReplyDeletea gentle word
an act of compassion
a friend in need
Love is all that matters.
ReplyDeleteA child's love.
A mother's love.
God's love.
Passionate love for another, for a vision, for a mission.
St. Paul's was built with love and that is why it endures and touches us all.
My animals, my true friends who ARE my family, my creativity, my mental stability & intelligance &... Oh yah... My Firefly/Serenity DVD's... they make things feel better when all seems lost in the world :P
ReplyDeleteNope... no more closet geek for me, LOL!!
Loneliness and solitude make me appreciate life. It shows me who and what is really important.
ReplyDeleteMy favourite spot in St. Paul's is Sir Christopher Wren's tomb. Unassuming, buried below, and constantly bypassed. It holds a strange atmosphere for me - a certain isolation too - maybe because Wren never saw a limit to his ambition, and he gave us the best view over London there is!
Love is all that matters.
ReplyDeleteA child's love,
A mother's love,
God's love,
passionate love between two people,
passion for a project, a gift or a mission.
St. Paul's is a work of love, that is why it endures and has the power to move us.
My child... sometimes when I look at her I feel as though my meaning in life was to have her, to teach her, and prepare her for what life will throw at her. To give her all the confidence that I am lacking, the opportunities that I never had, the dreams I let go, the possiblities that are endless and the ability to do whatever makes her happy. That is the meaning of my life...
ReplyDeletepersevere, live day to day, do good, be kind, try to make a difference
ReplyDeletebut most importantly raise my boys to do good, be kind, improve our world even just in small ways, give them the opportunities to grow up happy and healthy so that they can make a difference locally and maybe even globally
I hope I'm doing enough, I hope I'm doing it right
To deal with life gracefully, to be kind, funny, hopeful and to enhance the life of others.
ReplyDeleteSt Pauls is a symbol of continuity in the centre of the oldest part of London. To a Londoner, its a reminder of all those previous generations who have come and gone and to make the most of our time here. (Kate)
On a cosmic level, the cosmos itself fills me with awe. On a human level, love and hope both with intimate friends and with our fellow humans and the rest of the planet are what continue to make each take a significant one.
ReplyDeleteOn a cosmic level, the cosmos itself fills me with awe. On a human level, love and hope both with intimate friends and with our fellow humans and the rest of the planet are what continue to make each day a significant one.
ReplyDeleteI've been having trouble collecting my thoughts lately. The ebb and flow of life has made for one hell of a roller coaster ride. Things tend to happen, that skew our perspective. Amidst the tornado of reality, I don't want to lose focus on what is important to me. I am going to do a better job at not taking things or people forgranted. Life and Death are going to happen, but maybe I can better myself at the in between.
ReplyDeletehappiness
ReplyDeleteWhat gives my life meaning? I guess the constant learning ...education i find is something always to look forward to...it doesn't have to be school, but just life experiences that you go through, different people you meet, places you go, school even, all these things broaden your knowledge base making you more aware and knowledgeable but at the same time you become less knowledgeable because you start to realize not how much you already know but how much you DON'T know.
ReplyDeleteMy Family because you always have them and you'll always need them.
ReplyDeleteAnything that makes me happy... whether it be family or friends.
ReplyDeleteARTWORK should make an impact on a sub-conscious level, as well as a conscious one.
ReplyDeleteVirginia Woolf
ReplyDeleteTo me, St Pauls represents a full range of human emotion and attributes: Resiliency, Strength, Forgiveness, Determination, Pride, Hope and Belief, to name a few.
ReplyDeleteSt Paul's is almost organic in its place is history. It has borne witness to centuries of celebrations and tribulations. It has been both exalted and maligned. It has risen up, been torn down, and risen up yet again. It is a celebrity among English architecture, yet also serves as refuge to the poor and homeless. It is both tourist trap and house of God. It holds within its walls centuries of history yet always looks to the future. It endures.
RESILIENCE: The current St Paul's is the 5th in modern history.
DETERMINATION: Following the Great Fire in 1666, the King went against the advice of many when he decided to rebuild St Paul's on its same site.
STRENGTH: Even after years of persecution, disease, and then the fire, the people of London, and their beloved cathedral, endured.
HATE: 100 years before, when Henry VIII turned to Protestantism, all of the outbuildings belonging to St Paul's were burned down or sold as shops, mostly to radical Protestant booksellers.
FORGIVENESS: When the Great Fire struck, St Paul's provided shelter for the equipment, products, and people of those same stores.
REFUGE: In the early days of the fire, St Paul's thick stone walls were sought by many.
FOLLY: Unfortunately, the people overlooked the wooden scaffolding surrounding the cathedral at the time. On the third day of the fire, it went up in flames, causing the lead roof to melt, running through the nearby streets like flowing lava. St Paul's was gutted.
PASSION: Christopher Wren cared so much about the design of the new cathedral that he spent much of his life creating the plans and overseeing the reconstruction.
PERSISTENCE: It was 32 years before St Paul's was again opened for use, and another 9 years before the rebuilding was completed.
BELIEF: The first sermon in the rebuilt cathedral was aptly based on Psalm 122 - "I was glad when they said unto me: let us go into the house of the Lord".
ENDURANCE: Although its structure has changed many times, St Paul's has continued for centuries to serve its people.
When walking through St Paul's, I am awed by its magnificence. I am impressed with its celebrity. I also feel almost tangibly the presence of those who have been there before me - centuries of prayers seem to echo within it. Prayers for life, health, love, forgiveness, happiness, peace, strength, family, friends, self....
It's a comfort to know that St Paul's has been rebuilt so many times. It gives one hope and the confidence that whatever the future brings, and long after we are gone, there will be a St Paul's. And there will be others who are baptized, get married, and pray there, like so many generations have before them. Just as St Paul's represents to us a rich history, it also provides a glimpse into the future. A future as filled with prayer as our current time and as it has been for centuries.
I wish i had no knowledge of the brutality of this world. Just emotional feelings so i can peacefully and purely enjoy the beauty of the sunset, the stars and moon. But is it my pain that makes the sunset, light up the sky so delicately. Is it my lonliness that make the stars so inviting. Is it my sadness that make the moon hopeful in a dusk sky. Such a paradox is this life. Heartache needed in order to feel real beauty. What a notion....
ReplyDeletePlease honor the power of mystery. It is the unknown that inspires us to seek knowledge, to create beauty, to love another person. Mystery when honored and respected, allows us to transcend differences of faith, culture, race, gender, and sexual preference to create a working community. Mystery acknowledges that which is different has its own truth. Mystery grows gardens, wild creatures, buildings, words and music, and the soul. Some name it God. These days, I think that is a far too limited word.
ReplyDeleteFULFILLMENT
ReplyDeleteThe inner desire we all have to fulfill what we see as our destiny.
ACCEPTANCE
We all crave ACCEPTANCE from our peers and from society, but mostly from our family, our parents our CHILDREN
There is one word that we can all share in universally and that is HOPE. Without HOPE, I believe one is impoverished internally.
ReplyDeleteI believe that one is impoverished internally without HOPE, so HOPE for me is universal. If one has HOPE one has the opportunity to relate and engage with others.
ReplyDeleteStruggle
ReplyDeleteI think every aspect of life can be a struggle- struggle to find meaning. Struggle for holiness. Struggle to stick to your morals and struggle to stand up in dangerous and lonely world
Sanctuary.
ReplyDeleteTo use modern parlance, St Paul's does what it says on the tin. A peaceful, spiritual, historic place in which you can escape the turmoil outside.
God's Good Grace.
Love life and live in love!
ReplyDeleteFor me life is about having the freedom to love and to choose to act with kindess. It's about appreciating the moment,noticing the details and looking long enough to find the beauty in everything.
ReplyDeleteI'm happy snapping asparagus, walking in warm rain, listening to the wind in the trees, taking a photo, watching snow fall, being by the ocean, knowing my friends and family are safe and happy but I was happiest hugging our dog.
what makes life meaningful? friends and family who accept me for who I am - who, when I see them or talk to them, whether days or years in between meetings, its easy, sound and inspiring, giving me comfort, strength and direction.
ReplyDeleteSt Paul's is like that to me. Solid and reliable. Stands tall without towering above. Its always there, although you can't always see it. But when you turn the corner, it's there. Beautiful architecture. Light and dark. Solid and delicate. Warm on the inside. I've climbed to the top and can see the whole of London - it feels like the world is your oyster and you have the support behind you to follow your dreams. I'm very lucky that St Paul's is right near where I live, so when I see St Paul's its just like going home!
the GRANDURE of the Cathedral (like all great monuments) brings people together - all people to worship or simply marvel. TOGETHERNESS as a collective - as HUMANITY is what answers my question mark. When you witness moments of UNION - hopefully in happiness but also when there are challenges and barriers to overcome.
ReplyDeleteThe Cathedral for me is a place for people to do this but also to REFLECT on daily and wider matters. Literally the heart and soul of a diverse city.
i miss him dearly i pray he gets healed and when i see him i will embrace him with all my love
ReplyDeleteENGAGEMENT, BETROHAL .... The place where I fell in love with London
ReplyDeleteSeeing my son smile when I kiss him as he sleeps.
ReplyDeletePraying and hearing God listen
ReplyDeleteGetting a story in The Times.
ReplyDeleteSpending my life writing and reading about God.
ReplyDeleteGoing to meetings.
ReplyDeleteReading one of my husband's poems before I go to sleep.
ReplyDeletePlaying 'When the Saints go marching in' on the piano. Singing 'Bendemeer's Stream' and playing it in F on the guitar.
ReplyDeletePlaying Pokemon Diamond, Pearl and Platinum on my DS and trading Pokemon with my son and with friends I've made on Pokemon forums such as Serebii and Pokedox. Contemplating Shaymin it its Sky form. Marvelling at the imagination of Japanese computer game programmers. Playing DS games in Japanese and feeling the left side of my brain starting to work in a way it never has before.
ReplyDeleteLight.
ReplyDeleteA twinkle of light on a dark night.
The light of my wife's eyes smiling.
The light of God in the Dark Night of the Soul.
The light of my parents and my children.
The light of Christ.
Light.
I can't imagine life without the love of God who gave that gift of life to me. A love that calls me beyond myself, so overflowing with that love that I become as a chalice filled beyond capacity, overflowing, sharing with others. It is my prayer...
ReplyDeleteThe memory of walking toward St. Paul's Cathedral for the first time, leaving the noise of everyday life and entering the hushed quiet of that hallowed place. The smell of its ancient consecrated stone. Daily Communion. A lingering desire, after each visit, to return. Hours in quiet prayer. A sense of the bigness of God.
ReplyDeleteIs the 'credit crunch' just the Golden Calf?
ReplyDeleteWe have been here before, and we recovered through application, effort, ingenuity and free enterprise which enabled economies to once again thrive and people to feel financially secure. And doubtless we shall be here again, for 'boom and bust' is as natural to capitalism as 'snap, crackle and pop' is to rice krispies. It is only when they are soaked and soggy that they lose their life and vibrancy; and it is only when capitalism is drenched in regulation and artificially controlled through state intervention that it ceases to function as God intended.
What gives life richness and meaning is the ability to be able to talk about what gives life richness and meaning!
ReplyDeleteRachel at Re vis.e Re form
Like Ruth reading and writing and blogging about God.
ReplyDeleteRachel at Re vis.e re form
Jesus and writing poetry
ReplyDeletePick up your load, wipe the dust from your feet,
See the eagle in flight over fields of wheat.
Set out on the path up this Calvary hill,
Your burdens are heavy but you seek your Lord's will.
Breathe in the spirit that strengthens your stride
And climb with your might, you have nothing to hide.
You don't journey alone but with millions through time
Who have once, and are yet, up this mountain to climb.
Look left to the stillness, look right to the trees,
There's a stiffness that stifles the groans of your knees.
But soon you'll let go and set this weight down to rest
At the foot of His cross which His blood has so blessed.
You're nearing the place now and a darkness descends:
A yearning and tearing in the atmosphere lends
to the stillness a tangible weight pressing down
But His face is alight with a tree twisting crown.
There is sorrow and anguish but victory plain;
The spirit is soaring though the body is slain.
Smell the mercury blood, see the sweat run like tears,
Taste the salty black air, His last breath fills your ears.
Now set your load down for He knows you by name
And promises life will be never the same!
He'll inhabit the footprints you leave in the dust;
He's your Saviour forever, your brother to trust.
Now breathe in His Spirit, let it fill up your chest
And breathe out rejoicing; in his arms you find rest.
The eagle still flies over fields of gold
And dust remains in your toes from those journeys of old,
But you are brand new now, you're whole and made clean,
For He whispered your name, from the cross, where he leaned:
"Sorry, my lord",
"You're forgiven, my daughter,
On wings we will rise, though like lambs we are slaughtered,
I'll suffer your sufferings and weep when you cry
But ours is the victory and truth can not die;
I'm mending the broken and lifting you up,
I've secured your salvation by drinking this cup.
Lift your hands up in praises, carve a stillness in time,
Journey daily, I'm with you, on the mountain you climb.
It is me that you see carving sky-clouds in flight,
I am there in your darkness and lending it light.
They lifted me up, they didn't beat me down!
Pluck a rose from the thorns that they placed in my crown;
Savour its sweetness for there I reside,
For the fragrance forever lingers, though the flower has died.
Shout my name from the clifftops, for its echoed return
Will fill up the world for whose people I yearn.
Now rest my dear daughter, my mission's complete
I've delivered you here at my cross and my feet,
Curl up in the knowledge that a future awaits
Where once paths were crooked, they soon will be straight.
Where once with your spirit mine too was entwined,
We'll meet in a fullness, not perceived with the mind.
There's a pure new creation I'm carving for you
Of wonders unspoken, needing languages new.
Breathe me into each fibre of what you are now,
You're not yet what you could be, but I'll show you how.
I am your teacher, your master, your Abba father and friend,
I am the fire in your soul that will purge it and cleanse,
I am the Alpha Omega, the all and complete,
I am the binding anointing your earth-stained feet.
I'm your future, your present, your past, your forever.
Put your hand deep in mine for we journey together!"
Rachel at Re vis.e Re form
THE LOVES OF MY LIFE: HARRA, MY WIFE, DICKSON & WALTER MY LITTLE BOYS (their laghter and hugs)
ReplyDeleteLove, faith and family.
ReplyDeleteAd Majorem Dei Gloriam
ReplyDeleteTruth, goodness, and beauty
ReplyDeleteAll value is created - I give my own life meaning.
ReplyDeleteGod's gift of joy...
ReplyDeleteThe question is (from my 4-year old daughter) - what are people for?
ReplyDeleteThe answer- To make other people happy.
I love the memorial to Wren in the cathedral:
ReplyDelete'Reader, if you seek his monument, look around you'
It's certainly true for St Paul's but also for life - look around you, there's some amazing things out there
I find that there is nothing like the laughter of a child. In my case specifically, the laugh of my son. No matter what the circumstances, his laugh will make the worries and concerns of the world melt away.
ReplyDeletetrust your senses
ReplyDeleteTo know that when I get angry and make mistakes I am forgiven
ReplyDelete..All around the cathedral the Saints and Apostles look down as she sells her wares. Although you can't see it, you know they are smiling, each time someone shows that he cares...
ReplyDeleteThere must be beauty, whether it be the new leaves in spring glistening with fresh dew; a red, pink and orange streaked sky at sunset; whales frolicking in their ocean; a dog running free on a beach; or one of man's creations loved by all around it.
There must be music, whether it be from the throat of a bird or a man-made instrument; music depicts our emotions and relationships, letting us come together or stand apart.
I'm an Australian and have visited the cathedral only once, a glorious morning in January 2008, and as I looked out from the galleries I tried to imagine how London must have looked during the Blitz in 1940, all around the much smaller buildings burning and being bombed. I was moved almost to tears by the beauty of the building, its glorious light-filled interior and its miraculous survival. I believe St Paul himself must have been looking down on the city keeping Wren's cathedral, built to honour him, safe for future generations to admire, and to experience the feeling of peace and wonder inside its walls. I will return, most certainly.
Quite simply my husband and my baby
ReplyDeletethe question mark inside stops me from answering other questions.
ReplyDeleteit's the underlying assumption for how to live and to be.
the answer to everything. the answer to all my questions. it will let me know who i am. it will put everything into perspective.
we all need to be found.
LOVE!
ReplyDeleteMY CHILDREN: WILLE AND JULIE.
LOVE IS ALL WE NEED.
"The beauty of music."
ReplyDelete(or more simply: "Music")
"Our life together."
My daughter's sudden flash of a smile when she is telling me something she finds funny. My horse's ears talking to me. Understanding and being understood - by friends, art, books.
ReplyDeleteSt Paul's is the embodiment of this understanding, across centuries and expressed in stone.
Warmth--whether that be from a stranger's smile, my boyfriend's embrace, or the sun on my face.
ReplyDeleteLIGHT=LIFE=LOVE
ReplyDeleteWithout Love there is nothing.
Love of ourselves, each other, the environment, everything.
Kim Foster 6/11/08
I could not imagine life without imagination.
ReplyDeleteFor me, St Paul's symbolises the possibility of survival.
God is central to everyone - working with a mixed bag of young people has taught me that - He is our common denominator. We just choose our own routes to Him.
ReplyDelete