Thinking…. | 1000 Fields of Roses

Peter, Paul Or Mary?

Sunday’s sermon asked which Biblical character we most relate to. It was also asking us not to “do a Peter” – becoming overconfident in our understanding of God and our relationship with Him, then eventually trusting in our own ability to withstand fear and temptation without His help.
Peter was given great insights (You are the Son of the Living God!) and walked on water, but he also denied Christ when it came to the crisis…
In this crisis year it’s a good reminder to stay close to God, especially when it all seems too hard!

I’ve met many people over the years who have identified with Peter. It’s the “ordinary person” part of his personality – the foot often in his mouth, and the big feet galumphing in to situations before thought catches up.
I don’t, particularly, but I’m not sure I identify with any other character in the Bible…
Paul – a bit cranky, loves writing 🙂
or Mary – sitting at the feet of Jesus?

Of course, the Biblical figure we are meant to identify with most is Jesus…

In this season when all sorts of things have changed and schedules have disintegrated, it’s good to remember who (and Whose) we are!

As Christmas is galloping closer, and because of the title of this post, here’s a song 🙂

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on October 28, 2020 at 7:25 pm Leave a Comment
Tags: Peter Paul and Mary

Blue

Last night we had some lovely rain, and it seems to have cleared out the sky a bit today! It was so blue – that deep, bright, joyous blue.

Everything is bursting out in the gardens here, from the frangipanis near the pool

to the zinnias outside my door!

Look at how delicate the petals are before they spread out 🙂
I thought there’d been a mistake at the shop when the petals first started appearing – they look like they’ll be creamy yellow before they finally open out into a bright pink.
Even my lavender has a tiny little bud (sorry it’s out of focus…)

Blue is a cheerful colour, but it also means feeling “down”, just not quite right in your skin. There are many songs along these lines, and of course there’s the Blues!
Here’s a couple of songs I think of when I think “blue”.

Today I am a happy blue. There’ll be days I’m a small blue thing, sitting in a corner being silent (and curious!).
The world will still keep growing…

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on October 19, 2020 at 5:19 pm Leave a Comment
Tags: Joni Mitchell, Suzanne Vega

Open The Windows

This appeared in my messages today…
Life can be hard, can’t it?
Even when it’s wonderful, too.
Sometimes the temptation to give up, just for a bit, overwhelms. Take the time, rest, do the thing you’ve been putting off because there’s no time or you don’t feel you deserve it
And remember that life is big, there’s more to find, and we’re not alone in this big wide universe.

This reminds me of a quote by Martin Luther King –
“…the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.”

That’s not to say that we don’t do all we can to promote justice and bring about change, nor did he mean it as such. With everything that has been going on this year, and before, it’s good to remember that God is still in control, and that evil will ultimately not triumph… even though it looks like that’s what’s happening.

“Little children, you can be certain that you belong to God and have conquered them,for the One who is living in you is far greater than the one who is in the world.”
– 1 John 4:4

It’s not magical thinking, or giving up the responsibility of fighting for good. I’m not going to tell you that everything will go right and nothing bad will ever touch you. I’m just saying that you don’t have to do it all alone, and everything is not on your shoulders.

Open the windows.
Let light in!

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on October 17, 2020 at 1:03 pm Leave a Comment

A Story In A Handbag

I was reading a column in the Sunday paper this morning, and got to thinking about its premise that you can tell what someone’s like by the contents of their handbag. Do you remember those articles in old women’s magazines, where celebrities emptied out their handbags to show what they carried around? I don’t seem to remember much in the way of old receipts and clutter in those…

Mine was pretty much due for a clean out, so I thought I’d have a look…
This is the “before” – lots of scraps of paper and old receipts. It didn’t seem that long since the last clean out, but I had receipts from January in there. This year seems to have gone by fast!
I chucked out the bits, and tidied up the rest.

There still seems to be too much, but it all fits better.
There’s an element of wanting to hide the mess and put the best face on things (did those people in the old magazines really walk around with such curated bags?) but whatever I do, there just seems to be clutter…
I’m not sure what this collection says about me. Anyone who’s been to our house knows I accumulate clutter. There’s the emergency mask, just in case. Cloth bags for unexpected purchases. I like to have pens and something to write on. A bag of bits and pieces. A shawl/scarf, because I still don’t trust the weather to be consistently hot. And I still have my clear result from my first COVID test, even though that’ll probably be well out of date! One thing I hadn’t realised was how much plastic I carry around, although it’s reusable.
I’m not really sure what the upshot of all this is 😀
Perhaps that I’m not likely to be the the subject of a magazine article?
At least I have a tidier, easier to use handbag!

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Thinking....

on October 6, 2020 at 12:07 am Leave a Comment

Rising Above

Most mornings I sit on my patio with my coffee and whatever I have to do.
The view doesn’t change particularly, although it’s generally quiet and calming. This morning I was looking up to the top of the trees and noticed a splash of pink.

Allow me to share a blurry photo… 😀
Hopefully you can just make out a pink splodge!

I don’t know what flower that is. It could belong to one of the trees, but I think it might be on a vine that gallops up the nearby vegetation. It stands out for me at the moment because it seems to have just popped out of nowhere, rising high above, shining its light even without back up from other flowers. It’s just beaming out there in its monochromatic background, regardless of circumstance.

A metaphor for life goals today?
Draw your own conclusions…

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Thinking....

on September 30, 2020 at 7:06 pm Leave a Comment

The Sun Also Sets

…only to rise again – and who knows what the morning will bring?

Yesterday I was waiting for someone, and thought the sun set was beautiful. We’ve been enjoying the advent of summer weather – going to the pool, dispensing with jackets, bringing in the washing on the same day as putting it out…
And then, this morning, it was freezing again! Probably not “winter” cold, but enough to rethink putting the duvet back in the cupboard. Decided to stay in the warmth of my bed for the day, which felt like a decadent waste of time but, paradoxically, allowed me to finish things I’d not had time for recently 😀
It’s calming to get stuff done, especially when you’ve forgotten it needs doing. Not sure if I’ll be “chilling” tomorrow!

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Thinking....

on September 26, 2020 at 4:40 pm Leave a Comment

Topsy Turvy

Enjoying the school holidays at the moment, but Babe and Biggest Boy are both at Uni. They’re a few weeks in, but we’re still trying to figure out who’s where and when… just when I think I know what’s going on, something else crops up!
I’ve been out and about this week, keeping appointments and enjoying the sun 🙂 Spring is showing itself in the garden – little bits of green popping up here and there.

I’m not sure what’s a weed and what’s not, so I’ll enjoy each new flower and leaf as it appears…

I’ve also been out for coffee a bit more than during term time – no need to rush home for school supervision, and time for a bit of a pick-me-up after running around here and there. I usually take photos of food (and have done this week as well), but I’ve also been trying to notice different textures and compositions…

I’ve spent time contemplating a bike going nowhere…

…and shared coffee with a cranky looking bird.

This week has had a lot in it, for a week with nothing much scheduled, and what has been scheduled feeling a bit more fluid than I’d like!
I wonder what next week will bring?

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Thinking....

on September 24, 2020 at 3:55 pm Leave a Comment
Tags: rafter and rose

Roses, Coffee, Books

…and love ❤
Our anniversary was during the week, so we decided to celebrate with a day out today. Nothing too strenuous – went in to New Farm to get some lunch (and coffee 🙂 ) at the Deli there, then off to New Farm Park to eat it.

Last time I was there it was summer, and the rose bushes were dry and bereft of flowers. Today they were a bit blowsy and tired, but still beautiful. The bees were having a grand old time!

We looked round an Op Shop near the park before lunch, and bought some books and bits and bobs. I found a new friend just as I came through the door. I thought he was a dragon but he has some griffin-like qualities – although probably not enough eagle.

Stopped at Koorong on the way back for some more books.
We’ve got an inspection coming up, so with a marathon of cleaning yesterday and walking all over the place today, I’m glad to be sitting down resting now.
Think I’ll have enough energy to finish off the sour cherry pie from lunch, though 🙂

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Thinking....

on September 19, 2020 at 5:40 pm Leave a Comment
Tags: anniversary, Koorong, New Farm Deli, New Farm Park

Springing Forth

…from (almost) nothing.
My frangipani tree has suddenly sprouted leaves, even though it’s been bare for a long time and I was a bit worried it was dying.

A bit like life at the moment?
A whole lot of dormancy, with new growth at the end…
Maybe even flowers! 🙂

The garden is wild and overgrown here. There are a lot of weeds around, but I don’t begrudge the dandelions their place in our yard. I quite enjoy their fluffy, glowing heads just waiting to drift off to newer pastures.

Spring has sprung.
Time to wake up!

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Thinking....

on September 18, 2020 at 10:13 pm Leave a Comment

Standing Together In The Off Years

…or at least sitting together!

Today we’ve been 26 years married – not one of the “big” years, but still worthy of celebration.
Last year we celebrated Silver, and went away for the weekend. This year we were going to go away, but it hasn’t worked out. We’ll probably go out on Saturday.
As the years have gone by we’ve celebrated more quietly. Landmark anniversaries mean bigger plans, but why not think big for the years in between? We’ve been side by side through hard years as well as good, and we love (and like) each other more all the time. That should be a reason to throw a party!
Today we went out for breakfast. Nothing too exciting; just a chance to sit back, talk, and spend time together. I usually take a photo of the food, but forgot to this morning. We took the selfie instead 🙂 I did take a photo of my caramel latte, which came as a latte with what tasted like home made caramel sauce. Yum!