Joy
LightNews LightNews
banner
joymiriam.bsky.social
Joy
@joymiriam.bsky.social
830 followers 390 following 500 posts
Psychotherapy, spirituality, neurodiversity, literature, cats, nature, how do we stay present to suffering and beauty?
Posts Replies Media Videos
joymiriam.bsky.social
..it's so much - which is what a festival is meant to be. But to spend a lot of time alone and with beautiful others, in the shelter of these gorgeous fruit trees, knowing that others were loving the noise, the music, the poetry the creativity - that was all I needed - thank you Greenbelt.
An apple tree with a multitude of green leaves and some visible apples is in the foreground, the background is blurry but some large tent structures can be seen with blurred people gathering near them
August 30, 2025 at 11:54 AM
joymiriam.bsky.social
Spent most of my waking hours @greenbeltfestival.bsky.social under the apple trees in the Orchard. I love that this festival exists; the ethos, the imperfect human quest for true inclusivity, the space to remain agnostic and explore faith and spirituality. I also find it an overwhelming experience..
The frame is full of the leaves, branches and fruit of an apple tree with glimpses of sky above. There are different shades of green as the light filters through the canopy.
August 30, 2025 at 11:42 AM
joymiriam.bsky.social
Doppelganger by Naomi Klein. Incredible, something read. #booksky
Because, though it may be tempting, Israel-Palestine cannot be written off as a confounding ethnic conflict between a set of intransigent Semitic twins. It is, instead, the latest chapter in that story of the construction of the modern world, a world that is now on fire. A world that was born in fire. A story in which we are all implicated, wherever we live. It began in the lead-up to the Inquisition, with the burnings, torture, and then expulsion of Muslims and Jews; continued with the bloody conquest of the Americas and the ransacking of Africa for riches and hu-man fuel to power the new colonies; wreaked colonial havoc in Asia; and then returned to Europe for Hitler to distill all of the methods forged in these earlier chapters-scientific racism, concentration camps, frontier genocide-into his Final Solution. But the story didn't end there. Because the Allies, who finally saw fit to stop Hitler, decided that they did not want to open their borders to his surviving victims, and instead offloaded their Jewish problem, along with their collective shame and guilt about the Holocaust, onto the Arab world and said: "You take it." THE UNSHAKABLE ETHNIC DOUBLE Engaging with the form of Zionism that created the state of Israel in 1948 means accepting that a people, just like a person, can be victim and victimizer at the same time; that they can be both traumatized and traumatizer. So much of modern history is a story of pools of trauma being spatially moved around the globe like chess pieces made of human misery, with yesterday's victims enlisted as today's occupying army. The story we are trapped in is not about a people, or two people, or twins. It's a story about a logic, the logic that has been ravaging our world for so very long. I think that's why, after all of this mapping of mirrored selves and mirror worlds and fascist doubles, I find myself drawn to this place that for so much of my life has been my own Shadow Land-a place I have struggled with in public and in private and in my own highly divided family (which runs the gamut from staunch anti-Zionists to orthodox settlers). Because for me, while Israel is a place, it has also always been a warning. A warning about the perils of building identity based on re-traumatization rather than confronting our collective grief; about the dangers of building a group identity around insiders and outsiders; about what happens when once vibrant debate gives way to fiercely policed speech.
June 18, 2025 at 7:27 PM
joymiriam.bsky.social
Beautiful walk with friends in the peak District. They put the second half of Canterbury evensong on the radio in the car on the way home.
A grassy slope with sheep in the middle distance and hill top ridges in the background. Al very green except a pale blue sky with a few light grey and white clouds.
June 9, 2025 at 7:15 PM
joymiriam.bsky.social
Concrete patio (very grubby) and a blue and white outdoor mat. On top of the mat is a black mesh washing basket inside of which is a black cat shaped silhouette
June 9, 2025 at 6:59 PM
joymiriam.bsky.social
It was very good, I have two photos - one of my husband being a megaphone stand and one of a couple of the placards.
A close up of a crowded area. Two signs are painted in the colours of the trans flag - blue, pink and white. The closest sign reads trans joy is not a threat to you The backs of people's heads in a crowd. At the front a tall man can be seen rising a megaphone on his shoulder.
May 4, 2025 at 7:20 PM
joymiriam.bsky.social
Not that anyone needs convincing that James Baldwin was a man of incredible insight, but this paragraph in This Morning, This Evening, So Soon hits hard.
Text reads You have suffered, too. But most Americans do not yet know what anguish is. It is too bad, because the life of the West is in their hands.' He turns to Ada. I can-not help saying that I think it is a scandal - and we may all pay very dearly for it-that a civilized nation should elect to represent it a man who is so simple that he thinks the world is simple.' And silence falls at the table and the four young faces stare at him.
April 5, 2025 at 5:19 PM
joymiriam.bsky.social
Four years passed until today when he just strolled back in as if he'd never been away. He's in much better condition than he ever was and he's been sat on my lap as often as he can. I have so many questions. Did he just hold a grudge for four years?
A selfie of Joy sat outside with a black cat on her lap.
April 2, 2025 at 7:26 PM
joymiriam.bsky.social
Four years ago I took Cheeky Steve, a seemingly stray cat who had been helping himself to our cats food for two years, to the vet to be neutered. We managed to keep him inside for 24 hours until he escaped out of a window never to be seen again.
A black cat sat by a plant pot looking towards the camera
April 2, 2025 at 7:22 PM
joymiriam.bsky.social
Four wonderful days spent at Alnmouth Friary. Felt so held by the gentle rhythm of each day. Only responsible for myself with space to breathe and simply be.
A photo of three large windows. The sun can be seen rising through the window on the left. A colourful sky, the sea and trees can be seen through all three windows. A clear blue sky takes up half the picture. At the horizon is a small strip of sea with white topped waves. The bottom half of the picture is golden sand. A large pink flower with ruched petals and a couple of dark green leaves against a blurred background where more leaves and some buds can be seen.
March 22, 2025 at 8:40 PM
joymiriam.bsky.social
So much to be sad or mad about right now.
And also this morning I spent time in my garden with a tiny snail eating a tiny piece of spaghetti.
A snail on a concrete surface with it's body covering most of a small pale yellowish speck. To the left is a fingertip which is clearly bigger than the entire snail.
March 15, 2025 at 9:03 AM
joymiriam.bsky.social
An absolute masterpiece, founded on empathy. Not an easy watch, but beautifully told. Highly recommend
Image of a film poster. Most of it is taken up by a very large snail shell. At the bottom of the poster the face of a clay model girl is peering out warily. The film title, Memoir of a Snail is written at the top of the shell, curved to its shape, with smaller lettering underneath reading Life can only be understood backwards but you have to live it forwards.
February 23, 2025 at 7:13 PM
joymiriam.bsky.social
I and two offspring thoroughly enjoyed 100 years of surreal landscapes at the Hepworth Gallery this week. Also this little guy in the gift shop.
A miniature shiny glazed sculpture of what looks like a sausage curved into a soft v shape. At the bottom of the v, is a small smile drawn in black, with three dots above for eyes and a nose. The sausage shape is resting on a glazed blue rectangle.
February 22, 2025 at 9:21 AM
joymiriam.bsky.social
I read this posted by Fr Jarel Robinson Brown recently - it made a lot of sense to me. He said he was writing about the "myth of discernment" which again, really resonates.
Photo of a hands written page of a letter which reads: really be surprised that the Lord seeks to bless the world through you - maybe, particularly as a priest! I think I said in Sparrow, that I don't really believe in an approach to the possibility of ordination that seems a settled, finally resolved answer to the question "is God calling me?" so I have no real advice to offer except the sermons I've included here which give a sense of my theology of priestly service, and the second thing is some hard but true "wisdom" which I suspect no one will share with you: Going into the priesthood will almost certainly break your heart, but countless others will be pierced back together through the work God will do through you. Priesthood and the call to priesthood is really the call to join Jesus on his cross, and to give ones life and will away daily, for the life of the world. There will come a moment when the cry from the cross no longer terrifies you and you'll know exactly what you need to do. And remember, everything you have experienced, even the darkness, will be in your priesthood, a gift - because everything, in the end, is harvest.
February 9, 2025 at 8:21 PM
joymiriam.bsky.social
Google lens tells me I probably saw a kestrel when I went for a walk so I'm going with that!
#birdofprey
Photo shows a very blue sky with bare branches stretching across it. In the centre is a reddish brown bird with it's head turned towards the camera, however it's at a distance so not easy to make out distinguishing features
February 9, 2025 at 10:37 AM
joymiriam.bsky.social
Arrietty enjoying the catnip plant
The image is taken from above a tabby cat curled up to fit a plant pot. A few stems and leaves emerge from underneath the cat's body
January 27, 2025 at 7:33 PM
joymiriam.bsky.social
Less furious looking when you can't see her eyes!
An image of a black cat curled up asleep with one of its from legs covering the front of its head
January 27, 2025 at 7:29 PM
joymiriam.bsky.social
"Leicester - we got the sauce. Aaron Brooks is the best new songwriter in the UK and we'll die on that hill. They got the sauce."
😊😊😊😊😊😊
Text reads: "You've been active for around eight years, in this time, do you think Leicester's local music scene has improved? What more can be done to help bring attention to our city?" Sure thing, and we haven't got a chip on our shoulder about remaining at roughly the same popularity in that whole time, and I don't know why you'd suggest that? They never knew about Van Goph in his lifetime either, he had to straight up die, boss. Nah, there's loads of good bands and way less buttrock blues dad supremacy now. We were essentially trolling for the first three years and have now committed our lives to the bit when we realised it was excellent. Leicester - we got the sauce. Aaron Brooks is the best new songwriter in the UK and we'll die on that hill. They got the sauce. We got the MWM, Sauce. We got the Mouse Teeth, pure sauce. The Societys don't really count because it's the same guy who is already par-excellence. but sauce. We got loads of stuff that I can't remember this very second and will regret when it comes out and people semi-jokingly ask why we didn't shout them out.
January 21, 2025 at 6:53 PM
joymiriam.bsky.social
Ooh, no I haven't. I love looking at lichen - took this pic a couple of weeks ago. Need to source a magnifying glass pronto!
Close up of greeny grey lichen on a stone. It looks flattish but frondy. A bit like seaweed.
January 16, 2025 at 8:25 PM
joymiriam.bsky.social
Is there anything more demotivating than NHS micromanagement?
Is there anything more beautiful than this rose?
Happy to hear answers to either!
A close up of a rose in full bloom. Its petals are dark orange at the edge and fade towards yellow as they reach the middle.
January 15, 2025 at 5:57 PM
joymiriam.bsky.social
If you have access to mubi I highly recommend this film. Finnish, wry, moving, only 81 minutes and an adorable dog (to whom nothing bad happens).
Film poster with Fallen Leaves written in large white letters against a dark background. Beneath the title are two people sat in a cinema. The man is looking sideways towards the woman who assists to be looking at the screen. Smaller writing says A film by AKI KAURISMÃKI
January 11, 2025 at 7:53 PM
joymiriam.bsky.social
Pretty fungi. Really enjoyed focusing on the intricate details of their structure.
A log lying on leaves with fungus growing along it's top edge. The fungus looks a bit frilly and it's been with light edges. A log with some holly leaves at the top of the picture. A large flattish fungus is growing from the middle, its brown on one side and white on the other. A mixture of leaves and white tree bark. In the middle is a single paddle coloured fungus comprised of a chunky stalk and a roundish cap. A cluster of frilly edged fungi, brown in colour with pale edges. A small part of the log they're growing on can be seen to the left side and some ivy leaves are visible around the fungi.
December 28, 2024 at 9:15 PM
joymiriam.bsky.social
Absolutely beautiful film, highly recommend. As ever, grateful to the Phoenix Cinema Leicester, for a lovely evening.
A film poster with the words "All we imagine as light" when in a large script. Two women are depicted in the bottom corners of the poster, possibly looking at each other, with blurry city lights in the background.
December 12, 2024 at 8:35 PM
joymiriam.bsky.social
For comparison
A close up of a black cat's face. The expression is one of seething fury.
December 9, 2024 at 9:59 PM
joymiriam.bsky.social
Apparently this fella was found roaming our housing estate two days ago. So sad I missed him.
A series of photos near houses and grassy areas, featuring police officers rounding up a smallish speckled pig.
December 7, 2024 at 2:19 PM