Compassion, Winter 2021

Winter 2021 - Compassion | www.tcf.org.uk 15 “The Swallow, the Owl and the Sandpiper: words of courage, wisdom and spirit” compiled by Claire Maitland for the Sandpiper Trust This is a collection of sayings, poems and stories which have been chosen to provoke thought, offer comfort and give hope to people who have suffered trauma of all kinds, including bereavement and grief. This is a really good book to dip into because it’s a treasure trove of wonderful words, some familiar and some new, and I find something different in there every time I look at it. I also find I start to browse and then look at the clock to find, to my amazement, an hour or more has slipped away without me noticing it. Gil Roberts, who used to manage the library, called this ‘The Birdie Book’ and that’s what it’ll always be to me now; it’s what I write on my records whenever I send it out! The contents are so varied, from the ‘footsteps’ poem to the story about dragonflies to an excerpt from Little Women, and that makes it hard to choose one particular thing to quote here, but I’ve settled on this one because it encapsulates the ethos of TCF for me. “Don’t walk in front of me, I may not follow. Don’t walk behind me, I may not lead. Walk beside me and be my friend.” By Albert Camus (pp 143) I thoroughly recommend both of these books and can supply them from the library on request. Mary Hartley We are always looking for people who are willing to review books for us. If you can help please contact Mary at library@tcf.org.uk