Welcome again to CentreStage! CentreStage showcases fantastic authors from around the world, often introducing fellow featured authors at loveahappyending.com as well as my fellow authors in the Sapphire Star Publishing family. On CentreStage, these authors might write for you about their lives, or their writing journey, or anything else that matters to them. Every feature will be different in format and flavour, so watch out for a variety of stories and tales.
Today, it is my great pleasure to welcome a loveahappyending.com featured author… Introducing: the amazing Richard Holmes!
Richard says: “You Can’t Beat A Bit Of Inspiration”
First of all I would like to thank the wonderful Nicky Wells for having me as a guest on her blog. I know that she has had a number of amazing authors as guests and it’s an honour for me to follow in the footsteps of those who have gone before.
**Nicky blushes** Thank you for your kind words, Richard, it’s lovely to have you visit today. 🙂 Sorry to interrupt, please continue….
I have chosen as a theme for this short post, “inspirational quotes”. I don’t know about you, but I love a bit of inspiration and I do get fired up by the thoughts and musings of the world’s great “quoters” both past and present. Some pieces of inspiration are self-explanatory, such as this masterpiece from Marie Curie:
“Nothing in life is to be feared; it is only to be understood”
But there are other gems of wisdom that are open to interpretation and may need a bit of pondering before the meaning becomes apparent, such as this piece from Charles Dickens:
“Have a heart that never hardens; a temper that never tires; a touch that never hurts”
On the surface he appears to be contradicting himself with his talk of a temper that never tires, but if you think about it, it seems that he is actually talking about desire and enthusiasm; the fire one gets in the belly when one gets their teeth into a project. The drive to keep going right to the end.
I would like to share with you a couple of my personal favourites, and also my own slant on them. Firstly, this wonderful quote from Sri Sathya Sai Baba; I will never forget the feeling I had when I first came across this because it is so true and apt:“In your heart you will find peace, everywhere else you will find only pieces”
These words are just so true. If you think about it, when we take the time to find a quiet space and sit with our own reflections, we can and do find that inner peace that passes all understanding. But in the helter-skelter of the outer world everything seems so disjointed. We are always running here, there and everywhere; sometimes achieving nothing in the process, and the noise can sometimes be deafening. Life really can seem like a 1000 piece jig-saw at times with the pieces scattered all over the place. But when we find that inner peace nothing else seems to matter and we can experience that blissful feeling of being an impartial and silent observer, unruffled by all the chaos in the world.
Pesky me, interrupting again: so sorry! Just had to say how much I adore that quote. It’s beautiful, and I am happy that you’re sharing it here today. End of interruption, I promise!
Another quote that really inspires me is this one from Ralph Waldo Emerson. Someone gave me a picture as a gift back in 2003, when I was moving to Wales, and this quote was on it:
“Do not follow where the path may lead. Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail”
I only recently found out it was one of Ralph’s and it really makes me think whenever I’m having one of my “woe is me” phases.
Lastly, I very recently saw an American female singer being interviewed on TV. Her name is Melody Gardot, and she had been involved in a terrible car crash. She used her time recovering in a hospital bed to learn to play the guitar. Although she recovered she was left very sensitive to light and sound, but when the interviewer asked her about her ordeal she said the most wonderful thing. She described the whole experience as the universe “opening its arms” and giving her the most amazing opportunity which she grasped with both hands. It made me think of that quote and how she was a classic example of someone who dared to tread where most people would not and because of this she became a shining example for others to follow.
That’s just such an amazing story! Anyone interested in finding out more about Melody’s story can visit her website here or take a peek at her potted history on Wikipedia.
Well, all that remains now is for me to say thanks again to Nicky Wells for having me as a guest on her blog……. Thanks Nicky!
The pleasure is all mine, Richard. I am humbled and delighted by the quotes and thoughts you are sharing today. Thank you! Now, I believe there’s a book you’d like to tell us about at this point?
I do indeed! I’d like to introduce the first book in the Fragments Of Divinity series. This is an innovative publication of blog style articles that deal with potentially complicated spiritual subjects in an easy to read and understand way. Based mainly on my own actual experiences, these delightful articles will provide both inspiration and insight to the reader, and will also answer many of those nagging questions that you thought you would never receive answers to. A truly inspirational read.
And here’s Richard’s bio and amazing life story:
Richard was born in London in 1955 and has lived a very topsy turvey life that hit rock bottom as we entered the new millennium. “I always felt like a bit of a misfit, not really belonging anywhere. This is illustrated by the fact that I left school at 15 with no qualifications and would have been asked to leave had I not done so voluntarily. By the time I was 17 I’d had 24 jobs and was just not able to settle anywhere.”
Out of frustration and boredom Richard joined the army in 1976, but this did not work out either and he left at the end of 1979. After a three-month interim period Richard went off to Germany to work and remained abroad for six years. It was during his time in the army and in Germany that he succumbed excessively to the temptations of alcohol.
Richard returned to the UK in 1986 and by the mid 1990’s found himself in a pretty sorry state. Things came to a head during the latter part of 2000 when Richard’s life seemed to sink down to an all-time low. “Finally, out of the darkness there came a light and in 2001 I found my spiritual pathway giving me a purpose in life“.
These days Richard lives in Tetbury, Gloucestershire and has been working as a medium for over ten years. He runs workshops in various spiritual topics, gives private consultations for guidance along life’s pathway and also tutors on a one-to-one basis in meditation and spiritual awareness. He is a Reiki healer, psychic surgeon, spiritually inspired artist and gives profound interpretations of dreams.
Visit Richard on his website or at loveahappyending.com, find him on Facebook, or follow him on Twitter.
You can buy Richard’s books on amazon.co.uk, amazon.com and smashwords.
Well, I have to say I am positively reeling from all these insights (in a good way, of course!). Wow! Over to you, dear reader. Which quote speaks to you loudest? Do you have a favourite inspirational saying or quote? We’d love you to share!
Nicky Wells: Love & Thrills 