I have mentioned before about my Auntie Connie being ill. The sad news is that she died on Tuesday morning. She was ready as she had left a note with funeral arrangements etc.
I feel sad for my cousin and her family, their loss is profound. I thank God for Auntie Connie and it blesses me to know she is with God and those family members who have gone to be with the Lord before her. Thank you Lord that she was part of my life and is safe with you.
Saturday 21 November 2009
Tuesday 6 October 2009
Our second home
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The cottage we have been going to for 23 years. Our children had all their holidays here and we hope one day to take our grandchildren.
Holiday
Just back from our annual holiday in Wales. We've been going there for 23 years now and mostly to the same cottage which is more beautiful and peaceful every year. It is a place that inspires me and makes me truly appreciate God's creation, His provision and His faithfulness.
This year we were robbed of our holiday money for the cottage, and though not destitute, it would have left us scrimping and scraping for every penny. But God is good and forever faithful as we recieved an anonymous £200 in the church collection, we sold our trailer tent which had been for sale for about two years and my husband got a well deserved pay rise - all in the same week before the holiday!! It all came to the amount we needed for the cottage! We thank God for His provision and for the obedience of that one person who was prompted to give us the £200 with God's blessing.
This year we were robbed of our holiday money for the cottage, and though not destitute, it would have left us scrimping and scraping for every penny. But God is good and forever faithful as we recieved an anonymous £200 in the church collection, we sold our trailer tent which had been for sale for about two years and my husband got a well deserved pay rise - all in the same week before the holiday!! It all came to the amount we needed for the cottage! We thank God for His provision and for the obedience of that one person who was prompted to give us the £200 with God's blessing.
Wednesday 2 September 2009
Monday 17 August 2009
Grandchildren
How easy it is to give grandchildren gifts and money, or sit them in front of a DVD or game console - and they'll love you for it - but will the memory of it stay in their mind for very long?
This last weekend we took our grandchildren on an adventure up their first mountain.
As we walked we were able to talk to each one individually about their lives, hobbies experiences, and they were able to ask questions about the countryside, Wales, wildflowers and trees as well as grandad teaching them about maps and compasses. We laughed a lot - especially when I fell in the heather and got grumpy. We got wet, muddy and very tired and at the very end they voted to go the extra mile to the summit and made it. We were very proud of them and they were happy to have done it.
Time is the greatest gift you can give to anyone, not just grandchildren. I'm sure our grandchildren will remember it for many years to come.
This last weekend we took our grandchildren on an adventure up their first mountain.
As we walked we were able to talk to each one individually about their lives, hobbies experiences, and they were able to ask questions about the countryside, Wales, wildflowers and trees as well as grandad teaching them about maps and compasses. We laughed a lot - especially when I fell in the heather and got grumpy. We got wet, muddy and very tired and at the very end they voted to go the extra mile to the summit and made it. We were very proud of them and they were happy to have done it.
Time is the greatest gift you can give to anyone, not just grandchildren. I'm sure our grandchildren will remember it for many years to come.
Tuesday 11 August 2009
My Godmother
My Godmother is 81 and in poor health. After visiting her a couple of weeks ago I started reflecting on her life and the family's lives as she is also my Auntie and now find myself longing for more time with her as there are so many questions I'd like to ask her.
Our older relatives hold so much wisdom and knowledge and stories about our family. Sometimes they're funny memories, sometimes sad, but most of all they teach us a lot about ourselves and how we came to be the way we are.
I don't think my Godmother can share so much now but it has made me realise how precious she is and how she helped during my upbringing and especially how she always encouraged me to go to Mass and have a relationship with God. She has been a constant strength to me and a bolthole in my teenage years when I needed to get away and just be.
Iwill miss her when she's gone, but I know she'll be up there praying for me and looking out for me.
Cherish your older relatives and visit them often before it's too late.
Our older relatives hold so much wisdom and knowledge and stories about our family. Sometimes they're funny memories, sometimes sad, but most of all they teach us a lot about ourselves and how we came to be the way we are.
I don't think my Godmother can share so much now but it has made me realise how precious she is and how she helped during my upbringing and especially how she always encouraged me to go to Mass and have a relationship with God. She has been a constant strength to me and a bolthole in my teenage years when I needed to get away and just be.
Iwill miss her when she's gone, but I know she'll be up there praying for me and looking out for me.
Cherish your older relatives and visit them often before it's too late.
Tuesday 4 August 2009
A Poem
When the land lies silent,
and all around
the coldness and stillness
of a Winter's Eve
envelops us.
Then,
I think we are in God's hands.
He holds us
and warms us
in His embrace.
He thaws the cold heart
and puts life into
withered limbs.
He puts a hope
in the hearts of the lost,
and joy into those
who are despairing.
He infuses us
with the promise
of a Spring to come.
He makes our eyes eager
for the first green shoots,
the first buds of blossom
on the willow,
and our ears strain
for the sound of a skylark
and the bleat of a lamb.
It is on evenings like these
that I know we are safe.
That our worries are needless,
for He holds us in His plan
and He loves us.
Ann Baxter
and all around
the coldness and stillness
of a Winter's Eve
envelops us.
Then,
I think we are in God's hands.
He holds us
and warms us
in His embrace.
He thaws the cold heart
and puts life into
withered limbs.
He puts a hope
in the hearts of the lost,
and joy into those
who are despairing.
He infuses us
with the promise
of a Spring to come.
He makes our eyes eager
for the first green shoots,
the first buds of blossom
on the willow,
and our ears strain
for the sound of a skylark
and the bleat of a lamb.
It is on evenings like these
that I know we are safe.
That our worries are needless,
for He holds us in His plan
and He loves us.
Ann Baxter
Friday 24 July 2009
Wednesday 15 July 2009
Mountains
Mountains are beautiful and awesome - beautiful to look at and awesome to climb! I found out a great deal about my character when I started climbing. It really reveals to you who you really are, and sometimes that's a revelation , sometimes a disappointment.
I found I was very enthusiastic at the beginning but as the miles went on I was grouchy and whingy and not very nice at all! I made it to the summit, but I also learned a lot about myself and of ways to change.
The experience taught me that,if possible, I should pick my mountains carefully so I didn't overwhelm myself. Just as in life, we should learn to say no sometimes to situations and people who want something from us.
As for those mountains that we can't avoid or say no to - we should pace ourselves, take enough liquid and food with us on the journey and persevere until the end - hopefully without whinging!
I'm also reminded of the children's story book, "We're Going On A Bear Hunt".... we can't go over it, we can't go under it .. oh no, we have to go through it!! Sometimes we do have to go through things, but if we make provision for ourselves , put one foot in front of the other and just keep going, we CAN reach the summit of whatever life throws at us.
I found I was very enthusiastic at the beginning but as the miles went on I was grouchy and whingy and not very nice at all! I made it to the summit, but I also learned a lot about myself and of ways to change.
The experience taught me that,if possible, I should pick my mountains carefully so I didn't overwhelm myself. Just as in life, we should learn to say no sometimes to situations and people who want something from us.
As for those mountains that we can't avoid or say no to - we should pace ourselves, take enough liquid and food with us on the journey and persevere until the end - hopefully without whinging!
I'm also reminded of the children's story book, "We're Going On A Bear Hunt".... we can't go over it, we can't go under it .. oh no, we have to go through it!! Sometimes we do have to go through things, but if we make provision for ourselves , put one foot in front of the other and just keep going, we CAN reach the summit of whatever life throws at us.
Saturday 11 July 2009
Gran Torino
Just watched the movie Gran Torino starring Clint Eastwood and cried buckets! Why is it that some films do that to us? My theory is that the film taps into something in our unconcious that
we have experienced and opens up that emotion. What do you think?
I've always loved films and the cinema and my favourite films always have a message or move me in some way. I like to go out of the cinema changed for the better in some way.
Films also have the power to inform us and to encourage discussions. I recently watched The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas with my granddaughter and we were able to discuss what happened to Jewish people, among others, in Nazi Germany. It was a subject she didn't know about and one which wouldn't have naturally come up in conversation.
we have experienced and opens up that emotion. What do you think?
I've always loved films and the cinema and my favourite films always have a message or move me in some way. I like to go out of the cinema changed for the better in some way.
Films also have the power to inform us and to encourage discussions. I recently watched The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas with my granddaughter and we were able to discuss what happened to Jewish people, among others, in Nazi Germany. It was a subject she didn't know about and one which wouldn't have naturally come up in conversation.
Friday 10 July 2009
Blossom
While I was walking the dog one day I noticed a hawthorn tree. It was unusual because the blossom was only in full flower on one side of the tree. I was praying at the time and asked God why this would be and I felt he said that, just as the tree has to turn towards the sun for the blossom to come out - so it is with me/us, we have to turn our eyes on God so we can blossom into the person He wants us to be.
Thursday 9 July 2009
Hello!
The beginning of a journey....
I recently returned from a holiday in Scotland and thought I would share an experience I had whilst returning from Iona. I took the title picture from the boat and it has inspired me ever since. I felt that there was a lesson to be learned from this.
As I was taking the picture it struck me how beautiful the image was - the sparkling water, the wind in the sails and just the peacefulness of the whole scene. In contrast, the boat I was on had an engine, was very noisy and definitely not peaceful!!
As we go through life we are sometimes like the boat with the engine - we are noisy i.e. complaining, whinging, moaning sometimes screaming in our lives. And just as the boat churned up the water, we let life churn us up and it takes away our peace.
I felt God was saying to me/us that we should be like the sail boat - set our sails toward Him and let the breath of the Holy Spirit guide us. Do you agree?
I recently returned from a holiday in Scotland and thought I would share an experience I had whilst returning from Iona. I took the title picture from the boat and it has inspired me ever since. I felt that there was a lesson to be learned from this.
As I was taking the picture it struck me how beautiful the image was - the sparkling water, the wind in the sails and just the peacefulness of the whole scene. In contrast, the boat I was on had an engine, was very noisy and definitely not peaceful!!
As we go through life we are sometimes like the boat with the engine - we are noisy i.e. complaining, whinging, moaning sometimes screaming in our lives. And just as the boat churned up the water, we let life churn us up and it takes away our peace.
I felt God was saying to me/us that we should be like the sail boat - set our sails toward Him and let the breath of the Holy Spirit guide us. Do you agree?
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