As I listened to the radio this morning, the extent of the tragedy which had unfolded during the night on the Norwegian island of Utoeya, was not easy to take in.

When you are a mother of teenagers and young adults, it isn’t difficult to touch the edge of horror when you fleetingly imagine yourself in the shoes of a bereaved parent. But no mother lingers there for long and I am no exception.

An hour later I walked in the sunshine through beautiful countryside. My Labrador and I skirted along the perimeter edge of yellow fields of freshly cut wheat and barley. I listened to John Rutter on my ipod and was hugely lifted by this track http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PaMkj4_H8WM   which helped me to appreciate the beauty which surrounded me, be thankful for all I have and to say a prayer for those parents who will find it difficult to see anything good in this world today, or possibly, for many days to come.