Category: emo/ thought provoking/ too much green tea

Place: In Bed

Poison: Pepsi Max

Favorite Things: fans on a summers day…

On the tenth day of Christmas my true love gave to me ten shouts of celebration, nine counts of silence, eight opportunities of trust, seven transformed lives, six dazzling light displays, five thrills of hope, four life traditions, three doses of patience, two random acts of kindness and a place to express my creativity.

One of my nearest and dearest got engaged last night and I couldn’t be happier. Celebrating the highs and lows with those who are closest is one of life’s true treasures.

At this time of year it’s so easy to compare and despair about our interests, but I believe when we truly engage in celebrating another we are all the richer.

I’m not known for my gift buying/giving ability and often a few days before Christmas, I start to panic that I haven’t bought enough for everyone.

It doesn’t matter how much I know, this little insecurity always seems to trip me up. I double guess and worry, what if someone spent more than me? What if they don’t like their presents? What if they think I am cheap?

The one thing I can’t be accused of is, not thinking about what I should give to those I love. I started back in October…

This year I did everything I could to have a homemade Christmas, starting really early, from knitting to scrapbooks, to cooking, to photo collage….but still my little worrying brain gives out on me.

The prospect of finishing up work in a month or so, in time for our new arrival has made us rethink our gift buying strategy, to be more wholesome than expensive.

People truly appreciate when we celebrate them, when we listen, when we cheer, when we encourage, when we shut our mouths, when we think of others more than ourselves, so much more than the temporary high of a expensive charm…

I know this…

So why do I still struggle?

I’m reminding myself with two days to go, that celebrating those closest, is so much more heartening than the 5 min high of extravagant presents.

I am going to do my best to worry less and celebrate others more.

Starting now.

With me?

A

Place: In Bed

Poison: Toothpaste

Favorite Things: connoisseur ice-cream

On the eighth day of Christmas my true love gave to me, eight opportunities of trust, seven transformed lives, six dazzling light displays, five thrills of hope, four life traditions, three doses of patience, two random acts of kindness and a place to express my creativity.

After a healthy dinner of Salmon and Salad, we tucked into some Belgium Chocolate ice-cream and watched The worlds strictest parents.Q

It was really interesting…The main teaching lesson for two stray kids was trust. The Father spoke over and over to them about trust and it really made an impact.

Trust is an underrated commodity in our society today. Children are not raised to see trust as a high achievement success ratio. I am intrigued though, when I think about what our world could look like, if trust was rated as highly as beauty, TER scores and friends count on facebook.

Imagine if we truly were who we said we are! Imagine if there was no lying at the dinner table this Christmas, imagine if we under promised an over delivered on what we committed too?

Imagine a trustworthy government?

Imagine trustworthy churches?

Imagine trustworthy families?

The world would be a very different place….

I do believe though, that it does begin with you and me. I do believe we need to be the change we want to see in the world.

Here’s a toast to raising the trust factor this christmas!

A

Place: At riverview

Poison: Pepsi Max

Favourite Things: Sitting next to Annie who has arrived from NZ this week.

On the fifth day of Christmas my true love gave to me a thrill of hope, four life traditions, three doses of patience, two random acts of kindness and a place to express my creativity.

All day today I am a part of our annual Christmas Production, which is entitled ‘A Thrill of Hope’ and it is an amazing way to spend my day.

The script is original written for this christmas season and it walks through the lives of a group of people in a town, guided by an older St nicolas and a hopeful young Father Christmas wanna be.

The stories of the towns folks are tough and desperate but peppered with hope.

In the midst of this service I had a call from my mum about a situation where a young girl is in a situation where she has lost hope. I had a quick chat with Donna Smith our head of community services and she said so many people have fronted up this weekend, in desperate circumstances asking for some help in some way.

Christmas is the best of times and the worst of times.

A world that longs for experiences that evoke hope and inspiration, trapped into a mindset that seems to prick any bubble of expectation with the reality of our everyday.

How do we remain hopeful, when everything seems so hopeless?

I believe that we need to rely on those around us to to breathe hope into a situation and spread a sense of confidence, that although it looks dim right now, there is always an opportunity to look up.

No matter where you find yourself this Christmas, My prayer is that hope would arise.

Sit and listen to the carols as they ring out, reflect upon the true message of Christmas.

Hopefully expectant

Love

A

Place: doctors surgery

Poison: water and soon to be glucose test!

Favorite Things: random old edition magazines.

One the third day of Christmas my true love gave to me, three rounds of patience, random acts of kindness and love and a place to express my creativity.

It is now 11.19am and I have been at the doctors surgery since 9.16am and in fact I am really enjoying myself. I knew it was going to be a long morning with some tests that need an hour of brew time, so I came prepared.

In a world of now, to be asked to wait three hours can be seen as frustrating, inconsiderate and downright annoying. I have come to realize though in second and third world contexts a three hour wait is in fact a normal part of everyday life.

We expect timeliness, but sometimes all we need to do is wait. Patience is considered an old fashioned virtue, especially as I watch people pace in supermarket queues or a doctors surgery waiting room. Imagine if we all took the forced space and quiet to reflect, write or think?

Thinking is so undervalued today, because I believe we hardly get an opportunity to reflect because our worlds are so noisy and overflowing. As I have waited, patience hasn’t come easily, but its rewards are endless.

To be able to pace ourselves in this season and enjoy whatever moments we find ourselves in, even if they are annoying, creates a much needed buffer zone. My husband is a big believer in deep breathing, and reflection. Maybe his years of intense training has helped him refine this skill of discipline and patience.

Deep breathing and rest, reflection and quiet don’t come that easy to me.

I am going to try to develop this virtue in these last days of Christmas and especially in the final days of my pregnancy, as I know the new season of motherhood is going to require it.

Slow down dear creative friend…

Find some space to reflect.

Even if its forced upon you.

Patiently

A