It is early in September and one of those beautiful autumn days when the sun is shining all day.

I have been to church, we have been invited to make a donation to help the refugees who are fleeing from destruction and war.  I am pleased to see that the bowl is piled high with notes and I add my contribution.  It is the least we can do.

I sit outside on the patio and have my lunch, salad with avocado and egg, blackcurrant ice with crumbled meringue and cream.

The sun is really hot.  I decide to lie in the sun on the lawn, the neighbours are away and it is really peaceful.  I lie in my relaxing chair with my feet up.  I am thinking of Isabel who used to come to my art class.  She has recently died and two days ago I went to her funeral.  She feels very close to me, I have been thinking about her so much.  She was a very bubbly, vivacious woman, always smiling.

She was a remarkable woman, very involved in meditation practices.  She had been married to Maxwell Cade, a doctor and psychologist who was a pioneer in the study of biofeedback and altered states of consciousness and she helped him with his work.  She had given me his book The Awakened Mind and now, for the first time, I have decided to read it.

I open the book on an autogenic relaxation exercise.  I follow the instructions and begin to relax, tensing and releasing my muscles, relaxing every single part of my body, feeling the warmth of the sun on my body.  My thoughts are turned inwards, I am at ease, I feel secure, serene, still.  I am cocooned in the warmth of the sun.  After a while I take a deep breath and slowly open my eyes, stretching all the muscles in my body.

I see the deep blue of the sky above me, the trees, the flowers, the green grass, I see everything with startling clarity. I feel it is a gift from Isabel.  I am full of gratitude.