A Monumental Muse - Page 3 of 4 - Find yourself in an oasis of peace, tranquillity and serenity. There is no sadness here only beauty and nature.

Guest Writer A Personal Muse – Judith Morris – “Cemeteries”

April 6, 2020 Monumental Muse

Today we have a post from guest writer Judith Morris, Proprietor of York Tutors, as the name suggests based in York. Prior to joining York Tutors Judith worked in the design industry before switching to accounting. She left work in 1978 to marry Malcolm and dedicate her time to raising their daughter Sheena who was swiftly joined by a younger sister Rebecca. Once the girls were in full-time education Judith chose to return to work by joining York Tutors. On writing for “A Monumental Muse”, Judith tells us: “When Sharon asked me if I would like to contribute, I was…

Buckley's Book Club Buckley’s Book Club – Simon Sinek’s “Start With Why. How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone To Take Action”

April 4, 2020 Monumental Muse

I first read this book whilst holidaying in Mauritius. Once I started it I couldn’t put it down and then when finished I read it again…and again. Something totally unheard of for me. Each time I re-read it I pick up something new. Author Simon Sinek discovered that well-known successful people such as Martin Luther King, Steve Jobs, The Wright Brothers, Barack Obama, Nelson Mandela all have one thing in common: they started with “Why?” Those who start with why he discovered, never manipulate, they inspire. People follow them not because they are told to but because they want to. …

Buckley's Book Club Buckley’s Book Club Review: Mark Matousek’s “When You’re Falling, Dive”

April 3, 2020 Monumental Muse

Does suffering have an upside? In his book, ‘When you’re falling Dive’, Mark Matousek explores the effects that trauma can have on the progression of our lives. He argues that `post-catastrophe living’ can often be more intense, more vibrant and more joyous than the lives of those who haven’t experienced great suffering. In an interview with Dr Rachel Remen, she tells him “The process of wounding actually awakens us to our strength. It shuffles our values. And the top priority is never what you thought it would be. It’s never about perfection or power. It always turns out to be…

Coping With Loss Grief – Eat Well, Feel Better with Sabine Horner

April 2, 2020 Monumental Muse

When I first met Sabine Horner, Proprietor of Asana Nutrition, last year at a networking meeting, her life had taken a totally different direction to that which she had planned, and it was all because of a personal tragedy. Sabine’s husband, Kevin, had passed away from acute myeloid leukaemia. During the last 18 months of his life, as his body fought the effects of the toxic chemotherapy drugs, Sabine studied Nutrition Science and Practise at the NCA in York to learn what nutrients would help him to feel better quicker. As part of this course, Sabine learnt about the effects…

Coping With Loss The Compassionate Friends – “The Gift” to Bereaved Parents

March 30, 2020 Monumental Muse 2Comment

The following is a poem, written by The Compassionate Friends (TCF) founder Joe Lawley: The Gift I have a gift. I did not want this gift, it meant suffering and pain. The pain came because of love. A love which had manifested itself in a child. The child brought its love to me and asked for my love. Sometimes I did not understand this. Sometimes I did not appreciate it. Sometimes I was too busy to listen quietly to this love. But the love persisted; it was always there. One day the child died. But the love remained. …

Feature Article Taking Loving Care of Your “In Loving Memory”

March 27, 2020 Monumental Muse

When you suffer the loss of a loved one the array of things you need to do can be totally overwhelming, from the moment they take their last breath and you find yourself thrust into collecting their death certificate and having to register their death to the minute they are buried or cremated and you have to acknowledge this is a final “goodbye”. The only remaining thing for you to do is to decide how to mark their final resting place – what kind of a memorial will you put in place for them – and who can you trust…

Feature Article A Chance Encounter Reveals A Story

March 26, 2020 Monumental Muse

42 – according to Douglas Adams “Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy” is the “Answer to the Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe, and Everything”, a sentiment Dave Briscoe would agree with – so much so his wife, Daphne, had it engraved on his headstone when he died. The headstone is a beautiful slate monolith and it’s simplicity and what it didn’t say had me intrigued. Complete with it’s a simple inscription, 42 and an intricately carved bunch of grapes, together with a little box seated directly in front of the monolith I knew this headstone had a story to tell….

Coping With Loss Remembering Ernie – The Singing Pilot

March 22, 2020 Monumental Muse 6Comment

Happiness and Singing Happiness was at the top of the agenda whenever Ernest “Ernie” Pace was around. He was known for two things: making those around him laugh and singing. Not just any old song but one song in particular: Dean Martin’s version of “Volare”. Originally written all in Italian it was subsequently performed by the Gypsy Kings in their native Spanish for all but the chorus which was left in Italian. With the Dean Martin version all but the chorus – which again was left in Italian – was performed in English. It was this version that became synonymous with Ernie. It…

Feature Article An Exquisite Place in York To Rest In Peace?

March 13, 2020 Monumental Muse

One of only two privately owned Victorian cemeteries in the UK today, York Cemetery dates back to 1837. Far from being a sad place where people come to mourn the dead, it is an oasis of peaceful serenity and quite unique beauty. Here the old sits alongside the new and wild plants and shrubs rub shoulders with beautifully manicured lawns and flower beds. In parts, nature is almost reclaiming its own as ivy creeps up and over beautifully carved and weathered gravestones. It is a mosaic of different areas within which one will find a section where angels watch over…

Feature Article A Hauntingly Beautiful Sight in York Cemetery

March 9, 2020 Monumental Muse

If ever a picture painted a thousand words then it must be one of the following, taken in York Cemetery this week. What the photos reflect is the sheer beauty of a carpet of purple which has been created by the planting of 18,000 crocus corms at the cemetery. The corms were planted as part of the “Purple4Polio” initiative created by Rotary International. In October 2018/2019 pupils from 3 local schools: St. Georges Primary, St. Lawrence’s Primary and Fishergate Primary commenced the planting and on November task days planting was open to everyone and they were joined by 50…