Category: 366 days of novice motherhood

Place: woodman point youth camp

Poison: coke zero

Favorite things: portable air con device

It has reached 42 degree’s in Perth, I am nearly 8 months pregnant and I am at a youth camp with 250 kids celebrating Australia day.

This morning as I reflected on Australia day, whilst eating Vegemite on toast, I celebrated silently the immigrants and people groups who truly make up this great nation.

Recently the media has been whipping up a frenzy about racism and Australian pride, but I personally don’t get my values from popular culture.

I love the shades and hues of Australia, I love that my husbands groomsmen were from 6 different nations. His closest friends are Cambodian, Thai, Burmese, Russian, Maori, Afrikaans an the list goes on and on.

We are richer for living our lives deeply with these friends. The culture we share, the experiences we model, the life that is enriched from our differences.

I love a cultured, colored country. I love noodles and bubble tea, souvalaki’s and sushi. I adore Nasi goreng and Pad ra Prik, I would fly around the world for Roti, tandoori chicken and some dr pepper. I don’t need too though because it’s a part of my everyday, just like taco’s, fish and chips and guacamole.

Australia I love you just the way you are…every color under the sun, hands joined together, hearts celebrating in unity.

True blue

A

Place: home

Poison: coffee

Favorite things: the potential of a new day.

The one thing about summer that I hate and love with the equal ferocity, is the early morning wake ups.

I am a snoozer, sleep in-er, laze about, just five more minutes please type of girl. Someone who getting up early to watch the sunrise, who needs to be awake from the night before.

Summer sun brings early morning clarity.

The heat brings a discomfort to lying in.

So the love hate relationship burgeoned over the years.

Early mornings have a hue of expectation and perspective that can only be described I believe by the divine. There is a numinous sense of mercy that awakens each morning. If you’re in a place of question or delay, it comforts.

If you are confused and have questions push back the covers and awaken to the perspective of the morning.

A cup of tea in hand, a walk around the block, find a place of inspiration and wait.

It will not tarry, it’s like it can’t wait to appear, because you created the expectation for it.

Early morning expectation.

Early morning comfort is often found outside the doona.

Early morning awaken me.

A

Place: home

Poison: water

Favorite things: late night swims

After dinner my husband looked at my state of swolleness and said were going for a swim in the ocean.

I was full of delight and fear yet I was up for the adventure.

As we stepped out into the ocean, the cool humid waves lapped and we longingly looked into the sky feeling small amidst the blanket of stars.

Whilst looking up we realized we were wading through a fresh batch of seaweed that was floating carelessly.

The seaweed was annoying and scary but It made me think of our everyday.

We have opportunities to delight in the spontaneous, we are often distracted by the delightful and then occasionally those moments of beauty are interrupted by shadows that try to create fear and intimidation.

I actually feel like that’s my today, I have such hope for the future, am stunned by the reality of our new baby and it’s presence in our lives, yet there are parts of today’s shadow that I long to disappear and never return again.

Friend, stay focused on the spontaneous moonlit beach swims and the starry sparkly promise of the canopy above and do your best to let the darkness of the seaweedy, murky moments fade away.

A

Place: church

Poison: water

Favorite things: my husband

Sitting in church listening to a message about position. I am reflecting upon the position that we place ourselves in life and culture.

Where do we position ourselves?

Often when I speak to people they act like the circumstances they find themselves in is everyone else’s fault but their own.

Granted there accidents in our world, where stuff happens that is out of our control, but realistically the percentage of that happening is very small.

Most of the culture we experience in our everyday moments, the circumstances we hate in our today, are results of decisions we made yesterday.

My question to myself and any of my random readers, is this…

What are you positioning yourself today for your tomorrow?

What decisions are you making today that will adversely affect your tomorrow?

Who are you spending time with in your today, that are changing the culture of your tomorrow?

Just like the simple positioning of furniture in your house, you can relocate the position of your everyday to bring change in your tomorrow.

Hmmm.

I want to think on that a little more…

How about you?

A