I meant to write this a couple of weeks back. We "saw" the new year in with some special friends. Well, we hugged at about 11.30 and all fell into bed so "saw" is a bit figurative. How-sum-ev-r!
On the first we all sat around their table sharing breakfast and everyone had to give examples of things that had happened in 2017:
- something funny
- anything difficult
- something you started doing
- best book you had read
- one thing God taught you
- the most fun thing you and your family did together
and lastly,
- one prayer for 2018.
Lots of laughs and chuckles. I want to share the prayers though.
C: a dearly loved but very ill child would go home to heaven
C: business would multiply
S & J: school would go well this year
L: to excel at tennis
A: the drought would end
J: dad would be able to come home and work from home
K: community
And just twelve days after praying these prayers, the first was answered. The dearly loved child breathed out peacefully HERE and stood up there and can run and talk and laugh and sing and play and jump and worship THERE!
I am still in awe of this first answer. 17 years here and an eternity whole and healed there. Those years were not wasted, I learnt. That child brought love and healing to many people. Our minds are offended at the level of trauma and disability... and then our hearts are operated on to expose and remove anger, frustration, hurt, bitterness, disassociation, impatience and more. Ouch. Freedom always comes with a price, Jesus shows us. How vast.
How inspiring.
How hard.
Thank you God for this answered prayer. For eternal life. For the light of Your presence in days that were dark. For moments of warmth in a seventeen year journey that ended/began in freedom.
2017 to 2018. You, God, are the lifter of my head.
Monday, 19 February 2018
Monday, 5 February 2018
Of horn sharks, drills, cake, the agonies of bin day and, er, I think I have dirty feet
Monday arrived unexpectedly. It had such a mish mash of things crammed into just however many hours we have got too (it's just after 9pm).
Let's see. Small girl went on her first school camp. Great excitement, lots of prep, everything in plus brownies. And then as we waited to get on the bus, it all started to unravel with hugs, whispers of "but I can't phone you to say goodnight" and some hard blinking. And then sitting alone at her windowseat on the bus, outright tears. My mommy heart is completely wrung out for this bright but fragile child of mine. Praying for friends AT camp and lots of fun. And that she will find her place in this Grade for this season of her life.
Small boy rejoicing in single childhood, but rather subdued and missing his sister by supper time. We researched horn sharks for his oral, tried cold pizza as a test run for another school lunch alternative he might just eat and procrastinated through homework until the offer of minecraft was held out. Amazing how much faster you can get things done when there is a 20 minute session in your possible future! Still chuckling over his song of yesterday:
Dumb ways to die-iii-iii (duh-duh-da-duh) - Homework!
Dumb ways to die-iii-iii (duh-duh-da-duh) - Homework!
Dumb ways to die-iii-iii (duh-duh-da-duh)... Tidying up my roo-oomm!
Dumb ways to die-iii-iii (duh-duh-da-duh)... Tidying up my roo-oomm!
Ah, what's next? I'll skip over the stomach-clenching whine of the hygienist's polish drill and the "eerrccckkk" scrape of her torture tines, the sucking sound of the pump and the final relieved spit of pink water while wondering if you are actually covered in bits of your mouth (ick, so not-my-favourite-thing).
Bin Day! The jigsaw puzzle of who gets what bin back after the truck has come through. 3 goes to 7 and 7 goes to 3 but 3 calls me... you get the memo. Quite fun. I got to haul 3 back to 7 and 7 back to 3 and catch up with the neighbours along the way.
Ah, that leave cake and dirty feet. Not related, happy to say. Monica, our char, politely reminded me as she was leaving last week that it's her birthday tomorrow, JUST in case I forget. Hence cake.
And hey, it's the water crisis. I am sure I can hop into bed with less than pristine feet? Er. Hmm, they might dirty the sheet. And darn it, that brings me back to the recollection that I forgot to wash Luke's school shirt, so the boy is without for tomorrow. Argh. Back to the water (washing) crisis. Hmm. Not much option of hanging it out to air these days - ha ha ha!
I should end with something spiritual. I think I can come up with something.
Contentment. It's all a bit nuts around here, but I am so glad to be where I am, with the people I have as friends, the school moms I do life with. My man. My kiddies. Rather rich. I used to always offer God my day back as a bouquet at the end of a day.
This is one weird bouquet. But I think He'll appreciate it. Although, I think I'd better wash those feet in the bucket after I get round to washing a small boy's shirt!
Let's see. Small girl went on her first school camp. Great excitement, lots of prep, everything in plus brownies. And then as we waited to get on the bus, it all started to unravel with hugs, whispers of "but I can't phone you to say goodnight" and some hard blinking. And then sitting alone at her windowseat on the bus, outright tears. My mommy heart is completely wrung out for this bright but fragile child of mine. Praying for friends AT camp and lots of fun. And that she will find her place in this Grade for this season of her life.
Small boy rejoicing in single childhood, but rather subdued and missing his sister by supper time. We researched horn sharks for his oral, tried cold pizza as a test run for another school lunch alternative he might just eat and procrastinated through homework until the offer of minecraft was held out. Amazing how much faster you can get things done when there is a 20 minute session in your possible future! Still chuckling over his song of yesterday:
Dumb ways to die-iii-iii (duh-duh-da-duh) - Homework!
Dumb ways to die-iii-iii (duh-duh-da-duh) - Homework!
Dumb ways to die-iii-iii (duh-duh-da-duh)... Tidying up my roo-oomm!
Dumb ways to die-iii-iii (duh-duh-da-duh)... Tidying up my roo-oomm!
Ah, what's next? I'll skip over the stomach-clenching whine of the hygienist's polish drill and the "eerrccckkk" scrape of her torture tines, the sucking sound of the pump and the final relieved spit of pink water while wondering if you are actually covered in bits of your mouth (ick, so not-my-favourite-thing).
Bin Day! The jigsaw puzzle of who gets what bin back after the truck has come through. 3 goes to 7 and 7 goes to 3 but 3 calls me... you get the memo. Quite fun. I got to haul 3 back to 7 and 7 back to 3 and catch up with the neighbours along the way.
Ah, that leave cake and dirty feet. Not related, happy to say. Monica, our char, politely reminded me as she was leaving last week that it's her birthday tomorrow, JUST in case I forget. Hence cake.
And hey, it's the water crisis. I am sure I can hop into bed with less than pristine feet? Er. Hmm, they might dirty the sheet. And darn it, that brings me back to the recollection that I forgot to wash Luke's school shirt, so the boy is without for tomorrow. Argh. Back to the water (washing) crisis. Hmm. Not much option of hanging it out to air these days - ha ha ha!
I should end with something spiritual. I think I can come up with something.
Contentment. It's all a bit nuts around here, but I am so glad to be where I am, with the people I have as friends, the school moms I do life with. My man. My kiddies. Rather rich. I used to always offer God my day back as a bouquet at the end of a day.
This is one weird bouquet. But I think He'll appreciate it. Although, I think I'd better wash those feet in the bucket after I get round to washing a small boy's shirt!
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