…but he’s already got the key to the door 🙂
Biggest Boy turned 21 today… kept it low key – presents in the morning, nachos for his birthday dinner and toffee pecan roulade as his cake.
Nice!
(and very sugary…)
I’m so proud of my sweet boy ❤
Looking forward to what the next 21 years will bring!
In this time of coronavirus fear and “social distancing“, we are renegotiating contact with others… the basic handshake is avoided, and other greetings put in its place. For our church, as for other places of worship, that means using the Vulcan salute.
A good choice, I think!
Quite apart from the geek factor, the hand gesture is derived from a Jewish symbol, used during a priestly blessing. Leonard Nimoy (Spock in the original Star Trek) remembered seeing it as part of a service in the synagogue in his childhood, and when faced with coming up with a Vulcan greeting, modified what he had seen.
The original blessing is done with two hands, arms held out and hands touching to form the Hebrew letter “shin”, which stands for “Shaddai”, or “Almighty God”. In this form there are restrictions on who can perform the gesture and the accompanying blessing, but as the Vulcan salute is modified, it is available for anyone to use.
Tomorrow we’ll be telling each other to “Live long, and prosper”, to which the proper response is “Peace and long life”.
And we’ll be extending a blessing to each other as we do it!
Having just spent the last few days without internet, it’s been fun catching up with everything!
Something went wrong sometime Friday, and the technician couldn’t come out until yesterday (Tuesday). Thankfully, it all got fixed fairly easily, and we have a new modem now.
I don’t think I’m online too much (although I could cut down), but I had to stop myself going to Google something quite a few times! It felt quite freeing, though, not having the possibility of frittering away my time. I spent time studying and really taking the time to notice things…
Coincidentally, we’ve been doing the Red Letter Challenge – following the “red letters” of Jesus’ words – and last week was “being”, which included various disciplines. The last day was about having a Sabbath (basically, a day of rest)… I feel like I’ve just had a mini Sabbath season. There’s a website called Sabbath Manifesto, which has some ideas on how to unplug for at least a day a week.
Stand outs for me these last few days?
Using all my Bible translations (NIV, Message, Passion Translation, Amplified) to do some study.
Enjoying a leisurely egg on toast – there wasn’t anything to rush off to. The eggs seemed a bit worried about it, though…
Having a coffee at the library cafe, while writing and watching the world go by.
Earth Hour will be coming up soon – another chance to unplug and take things a bit slower 🙂
Behold our loo roll substitutes!
As we shop fortnightly, and generally only get what we need for each fortnight, we have been faced with the empty toilet paper aisles Australia seems to be afflicted with at the moment. We do still have some rolls left, but we won’t have enough for a full week – we’re caught short, as it were…
These are obviously not the best alternative, but it will have to do for now.
Good thing we don’t use hand sanitiser!
I’ve been reading again!
Over the holidays I binged on cozy mysteries, so now it’s time for more educational and inspiring books (not that I’ll give up on my mysteries!). I have lots of books in my bookcases that I haven’t read, and I’m working my way through those.
Our library also has new books coming all the time – I can usually go in each week and find something I haven’t seen before.
I’ve just finished a book called “Bare”, by Susan Hyatt. It’s got a lot about weight loss, but coming from the perspective of loving yourself where you’re at, and finding out what you’re actually feeding when you binge eat (or over work, over exercise… add your particular excess here…) One section is about what to do with the hectoring voices in your head. There are a few different options; this is one of my favourites.
Another that I quite liked has to do with reacting to the rogue thought as a bouncer would –
(Scenario)
Thought – “You’re useless/ugly/horrible” etc…
Mental “bouncer” – “What!! You again! Trying to sneak past me – get out of here!”
What else have I been reading?
My devotional reading this morning lead me to John Donne’s Holy Sonnet XIV –
“Batter my heart, three person’d God; for, you
As yet but knocke, breathe, shine, and seeke to mend,
That I may rise, and stand, o’erthrow mee,’and bend
Your force, to breake, blowe, burn and make me new
I, like an usurpt towne, to’another due,
Labour to’admit you, but Oh, to no end,
Reason your viceroy in mee, mee should defend,
But is captiv’d, and proves weake or untrue.
Yet dearely’I love you,’and would be loved faine,
But am bethroth’d unto your enemie:
Divorce mee,’untie or breake that knot againe,
Take mee to you, imprison mee, for I
Except you’enthrall mee, never shall be free,
Nor ever chast, except you ravish mee.”
I haven’t read much of Donne. There are nineteen Holy Sonnets in all – take a look!
Here’s two songs to finish the day.
😀
Just the peace of a big cup of coffee, after assisting (again!) at a science experiment for Sweet Bean – the first time didn’t yield enough data. Both times triggered panic (so much else to do!), but we knuckled down and Got It Done.
Just been admiring my random succulent type plant outside… still growing away in the heat, retaining what water it can, and peacefully enduring.
Perhaps there’s a lesson in there somewhere…
I’ve been reading again!
A quote from the book caught my eye and made me think…
Turning the story around –
“Government/corporations/the wealthy/the political parties are too strong weak. There is nothing anyone they can do to change them themselves, and if there is going to be change, they have to initiate it we have to help them, so all of our individual efforts are irrelevant crucial.”
What do I think about this?
In a week that has brought about injustices and tragedies, seen and unseen, it’s easy to feel like giving up on everything as hopeless and unchangeable, and seeing ourselves as powerless. And, truly, sometimes we are in situations where the outcome bulldozes us down… a failure of society to engage and protect the individual? A long timeline of little adjustments and concessions leading to a tunnel we didn’t know we were heading for? A bit of both? I don’t know.
Governments and the societies that elect them need to change in a lot of ways, but that starts with an individual. It starts with each of us.
I’m feeling like I’m getting preachy – I don’t want that 🙂
Getting back to the quote!
How do I change myself, and influence the world around me? I haven’t finished the book yet, so not sure what that answer will be! One obvious thing is to look squarely at who I am…
What do I believe? Why? Am I willing to question things, in order to more clearly understand?
I come from a Christian understanding of the world. In a lot of ways (globally) that can be seen to be unyielding, rigid, unwilling to look at other points of view… I don’t agree that that’s the way to see things. An unchallenged faith is a weak faith – if God is real (as I believe He is) then He is big enough and strong enough to walk with us through the questions and disappointments. Also, deep enough to encompass differences of opinion!
So – am I willing to confront myself when I am triggered or made uncomfortable by events/circumstances/points of view? Am I willing to Change My Mind?! On that note, I find it interesting to read books by people who have completely different understandings of the world to me. It can be amazing to see where we agree!
I have not a lot to offer, in the big scheme of things. I have some influence in some spheres… but nothing major. I am quiet, not very energetic, often not well. I often feel useless. But I am still not lacking in responsibility to know who I should be and my place in this community…
One thing I can do?
I can welcome whoever needs or wants friendship. I can hold out hope where it’s needed – there are endless cups of tea here, and spare beds/sofas are available! I can brighten someone’s day, even if it’s only in a small way.
And I can guarantee that, whoever you are reading this, YOU are important. You are significant. You are meant to be here, and you have a part to play in this world. Even if it doesn’t feel like it right this second.
❤
It’s been great to see the regeneration of plant life after the rains lately – most of us will have seen the photos of splashes of green in the burnt out areas, if not seen it for ourselves.
Our garden has not been doing well – even with watering, the sudden dry heat from time to time has killed off some plants, and severely weakened others. Nevertheless, there is still life!
This should be watercress, so I’m expecting it to grow into bigger watercress… we shall see.
This geranium has been struggling, but I saw it had sprouted a flower unexpectedly.
😀
The aloe vera is having lots of little babies at the moment – even popping up in the roots of our old rosemary.
“Perseverance” is defined as to try to do or continue doing something in a determined way, despite difficulties. My poor little plants are trying their best to follow this!
I wonder what will grow next?
It’s Valentine’s Day!
Hearts, flowers, chocolate…
I enjoy all that – I know some people think it’s an over-priced excuse to indulge, and that it undervalues everyday, long-lasting, persevering love. There is that element, of course. I think we have to make that choice to mark the day, while remembering the sentiment for the rest of the year.
But do we celebrate only a narrow definition of love?
Romantic love is pretty well covered. What about families – parent/child, siblings? Love between friends – that uplifted feeling you get when a beloved friend drops by unexpectedly, or you’re sitting down over a cuppa just nattering away. Love for the furry members of the family, who tend to adore unconditionally, and help to calm and lower blood pressure…
And above that, love for God, and His for you.
Today can commemorate sad memories and loneliness for many people. I don’t want to minimise the pain of that, but I do wonder if we, as a society, elevate romance too much at the expense of the rich diversity and fulfillment of other relationships…
Happy Valentine’s Day!
❤
May you be able to look around you and see (and be) the love!
Here’s a snippet of a training manual 🙂
“Love is large and incredibly patient. Love is gentle and consistently kind to all. It refuses to be jealous when blessing comes to someone else. Love does not brag about one’s achievements nor inflate its own importance. Love does not traffic in shame and disrespect, nor selfishly seek its own honour. Love is not easily irritated or quick to take offense. Love joyfully celebrates honesty and finds no delight in what is wrong. Love is a safe place of shelter, for it never stops believing the best for others. Love never takes failure as defeat, for it never gives up.”
1 Corinthians 13:4-7 (Passion Translation)
…and of course – there’s always Twoo Wuv!
a bit of creativity, a bit of eco consciousness, a bit of inspiration.... hopefully not a lot of pompousness and blathering :D
i'm not entirely sure what's going on here... let's travel along and see...
