by Rachel Chamness, Clerk to the Okehampton Society of Friends

I have been thinking about Stephen Cook's Reflections last week in which he recognised the wonderfulness of modern inventions like the internet and smart phones, but also the need to get away from them and live the real lives God has given us, to the full.

To do this, we need refreshment of mind and spirit. In Psalm 46 we are told 'Be still and know that I am God.' We need to enter a quiet place.

In Quaker worship we sit in silence and are 'still' in our thoughts and minds, and we wait hopefully, wanting to 'know God'. Out of that, sometimes a person feels they have a message to share for the help of others.

Everyone needs periods of stillness and inner peace. We may be short of money, and feel frustrated we can't have a new technical device.

We may even be finding it hard to allocate money between the necessities of life: food, warmth, shelter and clothing. But in our times of stillness we can take the opportunity to count our many blessings.

During July it was hot and dry, which meant that our gardens needed watering. This was a chore. But it was nothing compared to the many humans in vast areas of the world where water to sustain life is so scarce and the situation so desperate that it is not just a plant dying, but a child. It only takes a few moments reflection.

So let's count our blessings. And as we do, we'll find that we help others with love and care. We'll find ourselves giving a friendly smile and cheery greeting to those we meet along life's way. Happiness will rise up from within us.

And if many of us do this, Okehampton could become famous for being a happy town!