rift
A tear in the fabric—where reality bends and the unexpected slips through.
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Divinity in Difference: The Window That Says What We’ve Been Trying to Say
Every now and then, an image comes along that says in colour and light what pages of writing have been circling for years. This stained-glass window feels like that. It gathers the heart of NeuroDivine—the essays, the fiction, the hymns, the poetry—and holds them up to the light with one steady claim: Difference is not… Continue reading
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God’s Whiskered Rogues
This hymn was born from a passing glimpse on Facebook—a brief mention of otters warming St Kevin as he stood in the icy waters of Glendalough. The image lingered. It was easy to picture the bold little creatures of the river: curious, bright-eyed, unafraid. Not solemn attendants, but playful companions. Not tame, but gloriously themselves.… Continue reading
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Waiting
In much of Christian spirituality, waiting is treated as a virtue—Advent waiting, prayerful waiting, hopeful waiting. But that language can sometimes feel abstract, almost decorative. It does not always account for the body. For the nervous system. For the long fluorescent hours in hospital wards. For the way time stretches, distorts, or presses against the… Continue reading
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Sacred Imagination, Wonderfully Wired
Many of the images that accompany my poems and hymns are created with the assistance of artificial intelligence, which I use as a humble instrument in the service of the Creator. As someone wonderfully wired, I believe the varied ways our minds perceive, feel, and imagine are not accidents but expressions of the imago Dei—the… Continue reading
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Rescued. Renewed. Rejoicing.
There are moments in life when strength runs thin—when the body falters, when the mind grows tired, when the soul feels hemmed in by shadows. Psalm 116 begins in exactly that place: “I love the Lord, for He heard my voice; He heard my cry for mercy.” This Sunday at NeuroDivine, we sit with a… Continue reading
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Stop. Start. Stay.
Not every journey is straight. Some of us live by detours. Some of us measure time in appointments, recoveries, resets, and the quiet courage it takes to begin again. This new hymn was written from within that kind of landscape. It blesses the roundabout and the restart. The traffic light on a rain-washed street when… Continue reading
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Night Watch
On nights when my husband is not well, our cats call me to keep watch. This image and poem honour NeuroDivine care—where animals serve as sentinels, attention becomes prayer, and love stands vigil in quiet hours. Night Watch The house lies still in shadowed hush,yet soft paws stir the air;the cats come whispering through the… Continue reading
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Fall. Grace. Love.
This morning did not unfold as expected. Before Mass began, our celebrant was injured in a fall and taken to hospital. In her absence, the community gathered for Morning Prayer and the Litany. The form of worship changed, but prayer continued. What had been prepared for Eucharist became something simpler and quieter, shaped by attentiveness… Continue reading
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Lines. Rise. Twice.
When the Words Arrive Twice This morning I wrote a poem for a grieving friend. The words came quickly—not rushed, but with that quiet certainty that sometimes accompanies deep care. They felt true. They felt needed. They felt like mine to offer. And yet, before I pressed “publish,” I did what many of us do:… Continue reading
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Held in the humming
A poem expressing the medical treatment I experience. The morning hums its fragile tune,the clinic lights grow bright;on Monday, Wednesday, Friday dawnsI take my steady rite.The lines connect with practiced care,the blood begins its round;a pilgrim held by humming pumps,yet rooted in this ground.Twice yearly comes the Dublin trip,a check that keeps me true;HIV’s a… Continue reading
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Kept on honour
From Bushmills’ coast the malts arise,Black Bush with warmth that stays;The ten-year bright with morning light,The sixteen deep as days.The Reserve kept for nights of cheer,Firelight falling low now;A quiet dram, the hour held still,As amber shadows glow.A pink gin softens fading light,Sloe gin warms the cool air;And port, when taken gently warm,Brings peace beyond… Continue reading
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Silence. Suffering. Steadfastness.
A day of uneasy memory, quiet courage, and layered history. On 30 January, NeuroDivine holds space for complexity, conscience, and the land’s long remembering—and offers a new hymn rooted in Leinster’s fields for those who honour your servant Charles with tenderness rather than triumph. Continue reading
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Brigid. Pat. Sarah.
From Brigid’s fire to today’s Church, a hymn of gratitude and hope, attentive to calling and the Spirit’s movement in an Irish Church still becoming Continue reading
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River. Forest. Abbey.
The River Bann has long been a place of refuge for me. As a Venture Scout, I learned its rhythms from the seat of a canoe—the quiet pull of the current, the soft slap of water against the hull, the sense that the river always knew where it was going. I found the same calm… Continue reading
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✨ Small Wins, Big Sensory Joy ✨
This morning’s McDonald’s Sausage & Egg McMuffin was perfect—properly cooked, not burnt, just right. For many of us, food isn’t “just food”; it’s a sensory experience that can make or break the start of a day. When something is done well, it deserves to be named. So I shared positive feedback with the team. Consistency,… Continue reading
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Boundaries. Café. Overwhelm.
Today in Caffè Nero, I found myself in one of those situations that many neurodivergent people will recognise—where a simple moment becomes unexpectedly intrusive and overwhelming. A woman at the next table began asking me a series of personal questions: When I tried to disengage with a simple “Oh just leave me alone,” she continued… Continue reading
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Star. Blackthorn. Light.
On this Epiphany morning—Nollaig na mBan—we gather around quiet revelations: frost on bog cotton, bare branches holding promise, and the steady light that guides us home. A new hymn rises from the Irish landscape, blessing the unseen, the faithful, and the radiant Christ who meets us in every dawn. Continue reading
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Riverbank. Roundabout. Peace.– A hymn inspired by Psalm 23 — “The Lord is here beside me now” (CM)
The Lord is here beside me now 1. The Lord is here beside me now, in every step I take; He leads me by the Barrow’s edge as morning starts to break. 2. Along the quiet canal-side path He steadies heart and mind; in all the routes my day unfolds His faithful care I find.… Continue reading
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Light. Frost. Presence.
The tenth day of Christmas rarely draws attention. No feast, no fanfare, no special observance in the Church of Ireland—just a quiet winter day held within Christmastide’s long, slow glow. Yet for many of us, especially those who move through the world with neurodivergent rhythms, these “unmarked” days can feel like home. They offer space… Continue reading
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Name. Covenant. Praise.
New Year’s Day in the Christian calendar invites us into a quieter beginning than the world expects. While fireworks fade and resolutions rush in, the Church turns its gaze to something far smaller and far more tender: an eight‑day‑old child, named and marked in the flesh. The Feast of the Circumcision and Naming of Christ… Continue reading
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