Why is being happy such an imperative nowadays? What meaning do people give happiness? In this book Abbot Christopher turns to monastic wisdom to offer answers & to explain that in essence happiness is a gift not an achievement the fruit of giving & receiving blessings. Following the same accessible & engaging format of FINDING SANCTUARY Abbot Christopher takes different aspects of happiness examines them tells us what monastic wisdom has to say about them & offers us steps towards our own journey to finding happiness. ...

Heartwarming inspirational & genuinely touching Finding Harmony is the remarkable true story of an extraordinary dog that rescued a woman from the depths of depression & transformed a family for ever. A keen mountaineer Sally Hyder was in her prime & loving life. She shared her passion for climbing with her partner Andrew & it was a dream come true when Andrew proposed at Everest Base Camp. For them climbing mountains made anything seem possible & represented their attitude to life. But a year after Sally & Andrew were married Sally was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis. She was only 28 & was training to be a Macmillan nurse
- she wanted to care for the terminally ill. But Sally was determined the disease wouldnt slow her down: she went back to work looking after others & despite warnings that her condition could deteriorate in pregnancy went on to have three beautiful children. But it was when her youngest child Melissa was diagnosed with severe autism that Sally began to spiral into depression. Sally felt guilty about the pressures faced by her elder daughter Clara in her role as carer. Sally worried that she was missing out on the freedom of childhood. She needed help. Unsure who to turn to she happened upon Canine Partners & an extraordinary dog called Harmony. They formed an instant bond; Harmony can perform over 100 chores
- from putting groceries into the trolley to handing over Sallys purse at the till. Harmony is an unending source of comfort: she intuitively knows when Sally is in pain & calms Melissa when she suffers panic attacks. Harmony has given Sally the ability to start living once more & become a mother again in her own way. She has shown Sally that the skys the limit & with a taste for independence that she hadnt felt since her mountaineering days Sallys sights are set on the peaks of Ben Nevis once more. In August 2010 Sally planned to climb the hardest of the Munro Mountains. Sadly her attempt was thwarted after her motorised wheelchair short-circuited. But Sally is a fighter & is training for her second attempt which she will complete with her husband by her side. & Harmony too of course.

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Merlin: the very name evokes intriguing images
- magician wise man prophet adviser to Arthur counsellor of Camelot. The legend
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Dara Flood always says the most interesting thing about her life happened before she was born. Thirteen days before she came into the world her father walked up the road & never came back. Now in her twenties Daras life has a careful routine. She lives in Dublin with her mother & sister Angel. She has pizza with friends every Wednesday salsa class every Friday & sees her boyfriend every Saturday. Its safe & thats the way she likes it. Then Angel gets desperately sick & Daras ordered life falls apart. Neither she nor her mother is a compatible match for the kidney Angel needs. So Dara sets out to find the father who could be their last hope. But on the path to uncovering the truth about her father Dara learns that to let life
- & love
- in sometimes you just have to let go.. .

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Russell ' The Voice' Watson is a star with a real story to tell. While most stars of today find success early Russell was still working in a Salford factory at the age of 30. He spent the evenings singing in working men's clubs for extra cash to keep the bailiffs from his family's door. The chairman of Manchester United gave him his big break in May 1999: the opportunity to sing at Old Trafford. His extraordinary performance was quickly followed by a record deal & his phenomenal debut album. Despite his outward success Russell struggled with his health & family life. His rapid rise to fame led to a bitter divorce from his childhood sweetheart & his private life being splashed across the tabloids. Then last year he was struck down by a life-threatening brain tumor. This plunged Russell into a deep depression & it was only the thought of leaving his two children fatherless that kept him going. Just when it seemed he was fully recovered he collapsed again while recording & had to have emergency surgery on a second brain tumor that threatened his voice his sight & his life. Now in his own words Russell tells us the amazing story of his life. ...

Last year The Voice UK changed Leanne Mitchell's life forever. This is the exclusive full story of that incredibly journey told in her own words. ' Half of me was overwhelmed to have won the show & the other half was scared stiff because I knew that from that moment on I really did have to prove myself. OK so I have just won The Voice! What the hell happens now?' The Voice UK was the unique opportunity Leanne Mitchell had been waiting for. She had been so close to success before including a record deal that took her to America but didn't work out. Leanne knew that this could be her last chance to realise her dream of becoming a recording artist & she had to give that dream one last shot. This is the story of a true vocal talent how she finally found confidence in herself & went on to win the first series of The Voice UK & a major record deal. ...

Freddie Perkins has lost a lot. His mum for a start. His friends & his home now he's been dragged up to Scotland to live with his granny. & even his dad
- because even though Dad's still there he & Freddie can't seem to talk any more. But something is watching Freddie. Something very rare & very special. Something that finds things that are lost. Freddie has lost a lot but he's about to discover how much there is out there to find...
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This is the second of three volumes of posthumously collected writings of G. A. Cohen who was one of the leading & most progressive figures in contemporary political philosophy. This volume brings together some of Cohens most personal philosophical & nonphilosophical essays many of them previously unpublished. Rich in first-person narration insight & humor these pieces vividly demonstrate why Thomas Nagel described Cohen as a wonderful raconteur". The nonphilosophical highlight of the book is Cohens remarkable account of his first trip to India which

Includes:: unforgettable vignettes of encounters with strangers & reflections on poverty & begging. Other biographical pieces include his valedictory lecture at Oxford in which he describes his philosophical development & offers his impressions of other philosophers & " Isaiahs Marx & Mine " a tribute to his mentor Isaiah Berlin. Other essays address such topics as the truth in "small-c conservatism " who can & cant condemn terrorists & the essence of bullshit. A recurring theme is finding completion in relation to the world of other human beings. Engaging perceptive & empathetic these writings reveal a more personal side of one of the most influential philosophers of our time."

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Meg Henderson grew up in Glasgow in the fifties & sixties as part of a large & often troubled family. The tenement block in which they lived suffered a major collapse & they were moved to the notorious Blackhill district where religious sectarianism gang warfare & struggles with hostile bureaucrats were part of daily life. Meg was born into a mixed-religion family where there was warmth & laughter as well as conflict. Her mother Nan & her mother's sister Peggy were two idealistic women who took on the troubles of the world. Together they shaped Meg's life shielded her from the effects of her father's heavy drinking & helped her to move on eventually from the slums of Glasgow. Peggy searched for a husband until late in her life & then endured a harsh unhappy marriage until she died tragically in childbirth. Her death devstated the family & destroyed Meg's childhood but it was only as an adult that Meg was able to uncover the shocking facts behind Peggy's untimely demise. ...

Have you ever wondered why everybody these days seems so busy? In FINDING SANCTUARY Father Christopher Jamison the Abbot from BBC TVs THE MONASTERY & THE SILENCE offers practical wisdom from the monastic tradition on how to build sanctuary into your life. No matter how hard you work being too busy is not inevitable. Silence & contemplation are not just for monks & nuns they are natural parts of life. Yet to keep hold of this truth in the rush of modern living you need the support of other people & sensible advice from wise guides. By learning to listen in new ways peoples lives can change & the abbot offers some monastic steps that help this transition to a more spiritual life. In the face of many easy assumptions about the irrelevance of religion today Father Christopher makes religion accessible for those in search of lifes meaning & offers a vision of the worlds religions working together as a unique source of hope for the 21st century. ...