The Restory Retreat Centre

  Wendell Berry A Simple, Exceptional Man The Conversation Elements From The Conversation Just Wendell Berry Music Wendell Berry’s hope is neither hasty nor clamorous. It grows slowly out of one’s relationship with a place, with other people, and with the simple act of living. Gregory Alan Isakov’s "The Stable Song" conveys something of this return home—not to a perfect world, but to a world in which we can once again be present. Lyrics of The Stable Song: Remember when our songs were just like prayers Like gospel hymns that you caught in the air? Come down, come down sweet reverence Unto my simple house and ring And ring Ring like silver, ring like gold Ring out those ghosts on the Ohio Ring like clear day wedding bells Were we the belly of the beast or the sword that fell? We'll never tell And come to me clear and cold On some sea Watch the world spin in waves Mad machine Now I've gone crazy, couldn't you tell? You threw stones at the stars, but the whole sky fe...

  Taking Stock - January 2025 The Conversation    Elements From The Conversation   Music With our love. And deep gratitude for the blessings you are. George & Matilda

Treasures From Nature The Conversation Elements From The Conversation Music  May the road rise up to meet you, may the wind be always at your back. May the sun shine warm upon your face, the rain fall soft upon your fields. And until we meet again, may God hold you in the palm of his hand. Celtic Blessing                              George & Matilda

  Filling The Well The Conversation Elements From The Conversation Music Anxiety empties our wells. Florence is exhausted by her efforts to run away from it. Anxiety drives leisurely next to her, arm on the door.  "But I hear the music, I feel the beat, And for a moment, when I'm dancing, I am free.." To dance often helps to get water into empty wells.  From us, with love. George & Matilda

  Inside and Outside History of Tafelkop The advantages of being on the heal from the flu: One moves slower.  It’s been a week since that first scratchy feeling that signaled something’s up. Since, we’ve both had bad days and better days and then bad days again. Today is one of the better ones. It seems the flu viruses these days are not easily conquered. What seems even stranger is that a symptom seems to be a feeling of hopelessness, downright bone deep depression. So, this morning I decided to counter that by taking a slow walk to the old farmstead that we are starting to renovate. Skhumbozo and Zakhele are currently stripping walls of their numerous previous coats of paint. Everything is so beautiful right now. We’ve had some Spring rain and the new life budding from trees are almost too much for my watery eyes! The crabapple has shed the last of her blossom petals and has become a lush abundance of green with the most deliciously cool shade underneath. “It needs...

Wild Sactuary The Conversation Elemente Uit Die Gesprek "Once upon a time, all humans knew their lives, their food, their survival, their sense of meaning and kinship with God or the gods was connected with all their relations: the hawks and soil and ferns and mosquitoes. Like all the other wild creatures, they belonged to the land, and they knew it…. They were part of a grand conversation, a relationship of reciprocity and respect, connecting them with all the other beings and elements of life. But there came a time when some of the people could no longer hear the conversation…. The wax in their ears became hardened, and their hearts pretended that they were happier controlling the world than loving it. They rushed right past the burning bushes on the way to Importance, missing the message of the doe hiding in plain sight with her newborn fawn. They packed the bodies of sacred forest cathedrals onto trucks and shipped them to mills. They forgot that the thrush songs spelled out w...

With New Eyes Molly listening to our recording where we tell about her experience. The opening where she fell through. The Conversation Elements From The Conversation  Snow-covered Tafelkop Music Click on the YouTube link in the block above to watch the video. With love and wishing you a spacious life.  George & Matilda

  First Nature Impressions At Tafelkop The deer at Tafelkop Picture taken by Matilda Angus The Conversation Elements From The Conversation Picture taken by Matilda Angus Music This week we have different songs for the Afrikaans and English blog posts. We didn't want to choose, because both speak to us in our setting and on our journey. About the English choice: in contemplative spirituality nothing is trivial, not even a Disney movie. The music in the Afrikaans blog? You'll have to go and listen -  Afrikaans song Our blessing to you comes from Deut 33:13-16 (ESV) Blessed by the Lord be your land,  with the choicest gifts of heaven above,  and of the deep that crouches beneath,  with the choicest fruits of the sun  and the rich yield of the months,  with the finest produce of the ancient mountains  and the abundance of the everlasting hills,  with the best gifts of the earth and its fullness  and the favor of him who dwells in the bush....

  Meditation In Practice This week's post is very lean and stripped. The focus is on the meditation practice.   The Conversation Love. George & Matilda

Scholars, I plead with you, Where are your dictionaries of the wind, the grasses?                                                                                                                                        Norman MacCaig English painter, John Constable, did more than looking at clouds. He spent much of his time collecting and classifying them. In a letter written in 1821 he expressed his conviction that clouds carry the mood of a painting, calling it the key note. He would leave his house in the morning with a bundle of papers and his pocket full of brushes and spent hours on t...

     A Wide Conversation  The Conversation  Elements From The Conversation  Music In this version of the well-known Stand By Me , the musical conversation takes place across continents and the diverse contributions make it beautiful and unique.  With our love. George en Matilda

  Without Nature We Can't  The Conversation  Elements From The Conversation  Music  Keep well. George and Matilda 

    Silence "Be still and know that I am God. Be still and know that I am.  Be still and know.  Be still.  Be."                                                       Ps 46:10 The Conversation  Elements from the conversation Let Your God Love You Be silent. Be still. Alone. Empty Before your God. Say nothing. Ask nothing. Be silent. Be still. Let your God look upon you. That is all. God knows. God understands. God loves you With an enormous love, And only wants To look upon you With that love. Quiet. Still. Be. Let your God— Love you.                                         Edwina Gateley Music  A master of silence in his compositions and music is the Italian composer and p...