“The wonder of creating something out of nothing” – in our retreat day we marvelled how something discarded and old can be transformed and made new and beautiful. In the processes of gathering small unseen natural beauty from the garden then shredding and transforming discarded papers through mulching, we made paper. We learnt the art of momigami to see how the power of touch can change paper to cloth for our book covers. As a community for the day – we worked together and pondered how as we went on to take these pages and bring them together to form beautiful books, something beautiful can truly come out of the discarded and broken.
Some Reflections from the day
“Like an open book, you watched me grow from conception to birth; all the stages of my life were spread out before you, The days of my life all prepared before I’d even lived one day….you know exactly how I was made, bit by bit, how I was sculpted from nothing into something.” Psalm 139
Could we with ink the ocean fill, And were the skies of parchment made; Were every stalk on earth a quill, And every man a scribe by trade; To write the love of God above Would drain the ocean dry; Nor could the scroll contain the whole, Though stretched from sky to sky. (1868-1953) Frederick Martin Lehman
In the garden of our Savior, no flower grows unseen; His kindness rains like water on every humble seed. No simple act of mercy escapes His watchful eye — for there is One who loves me: His hand is over mine.
This You have asked us: do little things with great love, little things with great love.
By Audrey Assad, Isaac Wardell, and Madison Cunningham
If you are interested in future creative day retreats please contact us
Paper & Book Making Day Retreat
Led by Sue Ashby and Ellie Rose Friday 10th October 2025 10am – 4pm
Season of Harvest and a Time for all Things
The Plum Tree
With thankfulness we gather the fruits from the tree
As the seasons continue and faithfully return
The fruits ripen with expectant hope
As we kneel to gather and reach up to glean
Each day an opportunity to receive nature’s goodness
With thankfulness we gather the fruits from the tree
A time to gather….. there is a season and a time for every matter
Here at Breathing Space, the garden has continued to bear fruit despite the lack of rain over the summer, displaying a beautiful variety of inspirational colours, providing a quiet haven to our visitors who come to stop and rest, pray and relax, create and share.
What is this life if, full of care, We have no time to stand and stare.
William Henry Davies – Leisure (1911)
Thoughts from the kitchen
As I gathered the harvest of plums, washed and set to prepare them, it took time, time to slow down and handle each one, to see the good and bad in each plum, to cut in half and see the inside – what can be saved? Or what has to be cut away? Is the whole plum good or are there parts needed to be removed? As each one was handled, the seeds were set aside for hope for the future, the good laid out and prepared for baking, and that which was rotten had to be put in the ‘waste/compost’
In our lives – let’s take the opportunity of this season to stop and gather and look at the fruit we are producing – can we ask ourselves the same questions? What is good that can be kept and help to feed others? What needs to be removed and set aside?
If you need some to time to step aside at this season please contact us to book in some time – we are open Thursday, Friday and Saturdays (9am – 4pm)
