Bubble gum – remember first trying to blow a bubble? There is pink stuff running down the girls faces and I’m struggling with my own thesaurus of words, to explain how to make a piece of gum into a bubble. Such fun especially when L tries to talk with gum in her mouth. Soft juicy cheeks rolling around trying to make bubbles. Thanks Cazzie for the entertainment and joy you provide for us!
Look at these loot bags from a delicious party the girls were at. I love your creativity Rach, you clever mumby. The girls adored these. I am in love, continually, with womens creativity. I have such clever friends.
I did steal (with the girls permission) the blackballs from those very loot bats, to make a wee kiwi-ana presentation on my table. My cook book group are looking at making gifts for others for Christmas, this month. What a simple treat – a jar, some boiled loll-lolls and a pair of servers. Cute, esp with the ribbon to finish off. (If I do say so myself!!).
We were on a journey, a 2 hour journey and one of the little ones in our family came up with this idea: Hey mum, let’s play the ‘glad’ game!
What?
The glad game, from Polyanna.
Oh yeah (thinking – “sounds lame but maybe it could work”, and then, “why didn’t I think of this?”)
So we played this glad game – being glad for things. They were glad that I was getting better (with my swineflu/pnemonia episode) and all sorts of other beautiful things. It was a truly delicious game, surprisingly.
This year I met this amazingly lovely couple at school. They have invited us into their worlds and made us feel so welcome and part of their lives. I got a new camera recently and was slowly making my way through the instruction manual. Hubby of the lovely couple, asks if I need help as he’s trained on this camera. Manual is dropped immediately. What a gem. He helped, I learnt. Wifey of lovely couple joined in and then they took me out for coffee. They are so cool. I want to be like them! Their prayer most days is that people who come to their home (which they describe as a ‘mad-house’ because there are so many who pass through), will be better or feel better when they leave. Very encouraging.
It’s raining again. Can’t believe it. Not really thankful about that.
I love cushions, i love cook books. I am addicted to some things and am proud when i don't buy them (restraint!) and disappointed if i don't have the money to purchase them. But don't you love the wharehouse in NZ? Just picked up a few delicious cushions for a very cheapo price. Love getting a bargain!
Girls came home after a weekend at d-boys. It was a hard one as they learnt about going away for Christmas. But it was a great one too. K just kept saying, in such cheery and genuine happiness, that she was so glad to be home. That’s right baby. This is home. Wherever you and I are and L, is home. We talked about that this is our home and not to call it ‘mummys house’. It’s not a biggie, but to bring stability I wanted to remind them that wherever we are, it’s OUR Home. We are a family. Daddy chose to leave so it is called ‘daddy’s house’ and that’s OK. But let’s call this ‘our home’. Others may think differently about that, but it was something that I had felt to do. To add again, to their unstable world. A simple thing that hopefully bought some simplicity to complicated.
This is my fav card this week, from k who is just about to turn 7 - ahhhhhh! What a delicious and thoughtful girl. I am so proud of her and her yummy sister. A quote from a kind friend who hosted my girls recently, reminding me of what i feel i lack many-a-time!:
Sez, you have done (and are doing) such an amazing job with your girls! They are just so lovely and we love seeing them. Bailey is always so excited when she knows she is going to see her friends. They were just lovely at the party and are such a credit to you! Kaiya was awesome - she offered to help where ever she could, did a few little jobs for me, sidled up and talked with Boo when she was feeling overwhelmed and just had lovely conversations with me. Livster was great too - she made me smile when she came over and asked in a little voice where Grandma was - I had no idea and asked her if I could help her with something. She told me she just wanted to tell Grandma she had had enough to eat because she was listening to her body - I love it!!! They are so lucky to have you as their mummy!!!
I am glad, like Polyanna, of the goodness around us. When life is tricky at times, there is always something else to smile about.
Patient Trust
Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, St
Above all, trust in the slow work of God.
We are quite naturally impatient in everything to reach the end without delay.
We should like to skip the intermediate stages.
We are impatient of being on the way to something unknown, something new.
And yet it is the law of all progress that it is made by passing through some stages of instability---and that it may take a very long time.
And so I think it is with you.
Your ideas mature gradually--let them grow,
Let them shape themselves, without undue haste.
Don't try to force them on,
as though you could be today what time
(that is to say, grace and circumstances acting on your own good will)
will make of you tomorrow.
Only God could say what this new spirit gradually forming within you will be.
Give our Lord the benefit of believing that his hand is leading you,
and accept the anxiety of feeling yourself in suspense and incomplete.
I’m doing an assignment on the life of David. I have to choose one chapter and exegete the scripture and prepare a talk on it (good practice for preaching prep). I’ve chosen 2 Sam chapter 1 where King Saul and his son Jonathan have died. David has every right to rejoice and be estatic about the death of the man who has tried to kill him many a time, but again David chooses to give glory to God and to give his pain to God. He laments.
I’m reading a lot about lament and how it’s not a winging or whining to God but an invitation more or less, inviting God into the pain of our circumstance. David said that the lament he made, was to be taught to the Israelites. We must learn to lament.
Anyway it’s a good thing to be learning about in more depth. I think I’ve lamented well and in lots of ways over these last few years, perhaps without even knowing it. Today comes another experience of which to cry out to God about, to let him know the despair of my heart and why my face keeps melting.
Last night d said (really kindly and before he has even told the girls) that he will be taking them to another country for Christmas. He kindly told me it was only for 5 days as my voice began to break and the tears began to fall. I had prayed for a few months that he wouldn’t take them and had hope that my prayers would be answered in the way I wanted. But alas! I have to face the pain of the loss of separation. It’s kind of like you’re put in jail for doing something you didn’t do and you just can’t get out. Of course it is not nearly as bad as that but it’s kind of the picture I get – the loss of control, the ‘nothing you can do about it’ kind of scenario. And it’s all happening on my birthday. Yippie.
The same day my big brother and his family leave to go home to Australia, after having an early Christmas with us. I wish he didn’t have to go then and could stay for the 25th, just so I could feel like I had a family or some sort of semblance of family there. It will just be ma and me for Christmas and as lovely as that is, it just feels painfully small and insignificant. Mum on her own and me on my own.
I’m not sure how I’ll cope but when the feelings of ‘running away’ come (which pose themselves as – “which country could I fly to or which town could I fly to, so I am in control of my abandonment and not having to feel like I’ve been left alone at home), I’m less inclined to entertain them and I’m trying to be more inclined to cry and give those feelings to Him. A kind of lament I think.
Thank you Han, that we can do Christmas with you. Thank you God that you make family out of a mixture of people coming together. Thank you that in the middle of the stormy painful prickles you Live and move and have your way. Thank you d for being kinder in your way with words.
Psalm 25
To you O Lord, I lift up my soul;
In you I trust, O my God.
Show me your ways, O LORD,
Teach me your paths;
Guide me in your truth and teach me,
For you are God my Saviour
And my hope is in You all day long
The troubles of my heart have multipled;
Free me from my anguish
