Sometimes
life is a mess.
Maybe a mess
of our own making,
maybe a mess
of somebody else’s making.
But there’s no denying one thing –
it’s a mess!

I look at it
and think to myself,
“Where do I even begin
to start?”

Words of Imelda
spring to mind –
“Ask God to sort it out
and then leave Him
to get on with it!”

So that’s what I intend to do.
No fretting, no worrying,
no dwelling-on it,
no “what-if’s”.

I place this mess
in the hands of God
in faith and in love.

I have confidence in God
and I’ll do the few wee
bits and pieces
that I can

Then I’ll let God get on
with sorting this mess out.

© Claire Murray, 30th October 2024

Andrew’s got an important exam
today.
He’s been studying away,
night and day,
in preparation for it.
I’ve been praying for Andrew,
offering up Rosaries
and praying to Saint Joseph of Cupertino.

Now, it’s exam time.

I find myself in the chapel
where Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament
is taking place.

I kneel, bow my head
and tell Jesus
all about Andrew.
About Andrew as a small boy
in primary school uniform
at school morning Mass.
and about how hard Andrew works
and studies.
(I think Jesus knows all this anyway,
but sure there’s no harm
in reminding Him!)

I explain to Jesus
that right now,
at this very minute,
Andrew is in the middle
of a very difficult exam
and that he needs Jesus’s help.

All the while,
Jesus is up there
on the altar,
so, so close –
almost within touching-distance.

A sense that Jesus already knows
all about Andrew.
A sense that Jesus loves Andrew
from the top of his head
to the bottom of his toes.

And, as I genuflect
to leave the chapel,
a sense that I am leaving Andrew
in very good hands!

© Claire Murray, August 2025

We haven’t done
the shoreline walk at Omeath
for ages –
so off we go!
Sunshine, blue sky,
and a light breeze – perfect!

But as we walk along
we find that our eyes aren’t drawn
to the shimmering blue sea
of Carlingford Lough;
instead, our eyes are drawn
to all the butterflies
along the path!

This path is lined
with buddleias
(also known as the butterfly bush)
and cerise knap weed
(which is sort-of like a friendly thistle –
no jaggy spikes!)
Butterflies love both of these plants
and so instead, of being a sea-walk,
our walk becomes a butterfly-walk!

Butterflies galore!

Red ones and orange ones,
brown ones and white ones
big ones and wee ones.
Some that are speckled white,
some that are freckled brown,
and some with huge, eye-like spots!
Dozens at a time,
basking on the buddleias
and stepping daintily
on the knapweed.

A floatilla of six white butterflies
dances by on the breeze
while a gust of wind
blows a swirl of thistledown
lightly into the air.

We dander along,
gazing in wonder at all the flowers,
so beautifully-adorned
by butterflies.

A hint of sadness
because such a display of butterflies
can only mean one thing –
that summer is drawing
to a close.

Thank You, Lord,
for today’s walk
which was made so colourful, beautiful
and graceful
by all the butterflies.
Thank You for blessing us
with the health to enjoy it.
And thank You for the gift
of family time together
as summer draws
to such an amazing and colourful close.

© Claire Murray, 11th August 2025

One day
I was walking along a nearby street
on my way to the bakery
when a splash of colour
in a street grating
caught my eye.

Curious,
I went back to take a wee look.
And can you guess what it was?
A begonia!
Green, fresh, shiny leaves,
tiny white petals
and a heart of gold.
All blooming and beautiful
down below the bars
of the grating.

“Beauty in the gutter!”
I thought to myself.

It was almost like a wee miracle
the way it was growing there!

Well, miraculous or not,
it filled me with a deep sense of hope.
And as I continued my walk
to the bakery
I gave thanks to God
who sends us
these snatches of hope,
wee glimpses of survival
against the odds.

I reckon that each of these
is like a love letter from God,
reminding us
that He is powerful,
that He is everywhere,
that He knows absolutely everything about us
and that He loves us deeply
anyway.

Each of these wee messages from heaven
urges us
to place our trust in Him
and to never, ever despair.

Beauty in the gutter –
isn’t it amazing?
(Isn’t God amazing?)

© Claire Murray, 22nd August 2025

The Curé of Ars was fascinated
by an old farmer
who used to sit for ages in the church,
looking at the tabernacle.
Eventually
the Curé of Ars asked the farmer
what he did
as he sat so still
before the tabernacle.
“Nothing”, answered the farmer.
“I look at Him
and He looks at me.”

Today I’m praying
for four very special intentions.
In my mind’s eye
I have placed each one of these
before Our Blessed Lord
on the altar.
And as I kneel in adoration,
gazing up at Our Lord,
the words of that old farmer
from long, long ago,
spring to mind –
“I look at Him
and He looks at me.”

I know that my four intentions
are in very safe hands.
I look at Jesus
and Jesus looks at me.
No words are necessary.

Peace fills my soul.

© Claire Murray, 19th June 2025

In a television programme
called Undercover Boss,
the head of a company
poses as a lowly member
of the organisation
and spends a week, incognito,
working with staff at all levels.
Only at the end of the week,
does he reveal his true identity.
Members of staff are invariably
astounded.
Some are rewarded
for outstanding work
and others … are not!

Today I’m praying
the Glorious Mysteries of the Rosary.
At the Ascension,
I find myself thinking that
at His Ascension
Jesus revealed to His disciples
His true identity.
He was, indeed,
the Son of God –
not just a carpenter.
He was, indeed,
almighty and all-powerful.
And He did, indeed,
ascend into heaven
before their very eyes.

What a spectacle that must have been –
absolutely breath-taking!

And as I continue to contemplate
the mystery of the Ascension,
I’m aware that one day I, too,
will get to see Jesus
the ultimate Undercover Boss
in all His glory
and it’ll be my turn
to wait and hear
whether I’ll be rewarded …
or not.

(I hope and pray
that I will be rewarded!)

© Claire Murray, 24th July 2025

One summer’s morning
I get an early bus
to visit my parents
in Derry.

I’m really looking forward
to this visit
because we have something special
lined-up –
a sing-song!

But, first things first –
tea, cream cookies
and a visit to Fiorentini’s.
Then, with CD and songbooks ready,
we settle down
for our sing-song.

These are no ordinary songs.
They’re songs from childhood
that Mammy used to sing
around the house
or play on her wee, red record player
in the kitchen.

And so the three of us,
Mammy, Daddy and me,
spend an hour singing away.
Don’t Cry for Me Argentina,
The Castle of Dromore,
Little Boxes and Little Arrows,
all sung with smiles
and with gusto.
(And if we can’t reach the notes,
is that really that important?)

One song is extra-special –
If I Had a Golden Umbrella.
A song that Mammy,
now eighty-eight,
learned as a school girl,
perfecting it with her friend
as they walked around
the school garden
at Thornhill.

Songs from childhood –
Mammy’s and mine.
Songs of happy memories
and carefree days.

Thank You, Lord,
for the wonderful gift of music
to lift the heart.
And thank You, Lord,
for this wee family sing-song –
another happy memory
to make us all smile!

© Claire Murray, 3rd July 2025

We had great plans
for our garden –
a pond to attract frogs
and maybe even dragonflies!

And so last year,
a small pond was put in place,
along with a wee pump
to circulate the water
and keep it fresh.

But the pump stopped working
and the wee pond
slowly got clogged up
with leaves, twigs
and grass.

The water turned green
and it was a sorry-looking sight –
a bit of an embarrassment, really!

Last week
I was holding the ladder
near our “pond”
while Paul was working.
I got bored
and started looking around me.
I was surprised to see
hover flies zooming around
at our wee pond
and sometimes even
rugby-tackling each other
mid-air!

Exciting stuff!

Wow!
Who would have thought
that our wee stagnant pond
would be worth fighting-over?

A movement caught my eye
as a wee insect wriggled
in the murky water.
A poor wee insect,
drowning …
and I couldn’t go to save him
because I was holding the ladder!

Minute after minute went by.
Still the wee insect wriggled
in the water
and showed no sign of drowning.
Strange …
could it be
that the insect actually lived
in the water?

I shot over to our stagnant pond
as soon as Paul came down
from the ladder.
And, right enough,
there was this wee insect
wriggling and flicking
and using a long tube
to snorkel its way
through the water.

How clever is that?
I mean to say –
how smart is God,
to have designed the insect that way?

It was a baby hover fly
and its Mammy or Daddy
was obviously guarding it.

And so our wee pond
wasn’t a failure after all,
it’s acutally
a hover fly lagoon!!!

God is like that, you know.
We try, with the best of intentions,
to do something for Him …
and it all goes
pear-shaped.
But God can take that
stagnant mess
that we’ve created
and do something wonderful
and totally unexpected
with it.

You see,
He’s God.
And He’s absolutely amazing
(and He’s wile, wile smart!)

© Claire Murray, 29th May 2025

My Aunt Chris
is a woman of deep faith
who has great devotion
to Our Lady.

During each visit
Chris will mention, at some stage,
the Rosary beads
that she uses every day.
She’ll also talk about
the wee plastic folder
containing all of her daily prayers
(and she’ll show me
Uncle Ted’s folder, too).

Chris will also mention
the holy water font
that she keeps, filled,
by the front door
and that she instructs her grandchildren
to use –
“You know what that
holy water font is for –
use it on your way out!”

That’s my Aunt Chris –
brimming over with faith
(and determined to pass it on!)

But right now, sadly,
Aunt Chris is dying.
And as I pray for her,
I’m aware that Chris prayed
for this exact time of her life
at least 50 times every day
when she prayed her Rosary.
You see,
each time Chris said
the Hail Mary,
she said the words,
“Pray for us sinners now
and the hour of our death”.

I’m convinced
that Our Lady will be there,
right by Aunt Chris’s side,
when God calls her.

And so, this morning,
I ask Our Blessed Lady
to pray for her old friend,
my Aunt Chris,
now, and at the hour of her death.

Amen.

© Claire Murray, 6th June 2025