I shared yesterday a photo of the Mahonia tree in full flower. It is such a beautiful addition to any garden during the month of November with its beautiful yellow flowers. These also get visited by honeybees and bumblebees if the day is mild and sunny. Bees will maximise any hour or two of warm sunshine at this time of year, even during the month of November. Today’s photo is a close up of the bumblebee working the flowers for nectar.
(I have shared a new video below today🎥)
On This Day
On November 8th 2013 the Philippines went through its worst natural disaster when the country was struck by super Typhoon Haiyan one of the most powerful cyclones ever recorded to strike land.
On November 8th 2020 despite trailing in most polls, Republican Donald Trump was elected the 45th president of the United States, though his Democratic opponent Hillary Clinton won the popular vote by more than 2.8 million.
Birthdays Today
Gordon Ramsay (Celebrity Chef) is 57
Jack Osbourne (TV Actor) is 38
Saint For Today
Saint Geoffrey. He was an outstanding monk and a reformer of monasteries. It is said he spent most of his time in prayer and was admired for his spirituality and dedication to the Gospels
Significance of Today
Today Nov 8th is World Radiography Day. In 1895 there was an incredible discovery made, one that would utterly change the way we looked at the human body, both literally and figuratively. On the back of this discovery, a million new technologies would be developed in the areas of medicine, security, and much more.
Quote For Today
“Some people want it to happen, some wish it would happen, others make it happen.” ~Michael Jordan
Did You Know
Did you know that an Alaskan town goes dark for over 65 days. The residents of the town of Barrow, Alaska, see darkness for about 65 days of the year. The 65 days of darkness, known as polar night, is due to their geographical location above the Arctic Circle.
Video for the week🎥 (Updated every Wednesday🎥)
The video for this week is called ‘Every beam of light is important’
Thought For The Week
“The Gospels do not explain the Resurrection; the Resurrection explains the Gospels. Belief in the Resurrection is not something added to the Christian faith; it is the Christian faith.” ~John S. Whale
A question that’s often asked is – what happens to our loved ones when they die? We know a lot more than we may realise. A fascinating book by the late Colm Keane is called ‘Heading For The Light’. The book was five years in the making which included 100 interviews with people who temporarily died. Their lives briefly ended following cardiac arrests, traffic accidents, complications during childbirth and other factors.
In all cases they returned to life with extraordinary consistent accounts of what took place. Their stories conform to a common pattern. At the moment of death the soul/spirit departs the body. There is no fear, just a great sense of peace. They are looking back down where their body lies, sometimes surrounded by doctors, emergency services or family. Then the soul/spirit travels along a tunnel. At the end of the tunnel is a warm beautiful bright light. The soul/spirit is drawn towards this light. This journey towards the light has been described as relaxing, restful, wondrous, beautiful, comforting, pure joy, a glorious warmth, great serenity and total happiness.
So it is up to each of us to decide. You may believe that this is what happens when we die or perhaps not. I have done a lot of reading around the topic and all come up with the same conclusion, that the moment of death is simply a transition or a stepping stone or a bridge from one world to the next. I have been with many people down through the years at their final moment of transition. If I had to pick one word that would sum up this moment, the word would be peace or peacefully.
It is also our heartfelt belief that they are now at peace and in eternal light and love. During these days of November we remember with love our own nearest and dearest who have died. We miss them in lots of different ways and trying to put this into words is never easy. Some of these words might be: we still miss you, thank you for so many memories, you are remembered with love today, you will never be forgotten and may you rest in peace. Amen
Thought For The Week is updated each Monday
