Thinking…. | 1000 Fields of Roses

Roses & Dancing

Still spending a fair proportion of my day in bed, coughing… it’s over three weeks now 😦 No doctors’ appointments available till late next week.
There comes a time (and I can’t believe I’m saying this…) when reading starts to get a little same-y. Hopefully that won’t last long… but in the meantime, here’s some roses!

😀

I’ve also been whiling away some time on YouTube, with songs old and new.
In my dreams, I’m an amazing dancer. Strong, agile – flowing gowns and graceful poses. This has never been my reality.
Nevertheless, I can enjoy seeing other people dancing, even if my bones ache just watching…

This is probably more my style…

Definitely better footwear!

Keep on dancing ❤
Even if it's only in your dreams…

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on April 27, 2018 at 4:41 pm Leave a Comment
Tags: Mamma Mia, roses, Thinking Out Loud

Drifting, Ready To Land

Lovely and sunny today, after grey skies and rain yesterday. I enjoy both, and have been taking it easy lately with some sort of virus – thankfully not too bad, but lots of coughing leading to muscle pain in places I’d forgotten I had… More chances to chill out on the patio with coffee/tea in my new cup.

I’ve not been getting much work done, but have been sorting out some loose ends. There are decisions to be made, which will be hard to make but hopefully lead to peace. Nothing too drastic – just one of those necessary changes life brings.
I’ve been reading a lot. A couple of my recent books come from a series I enjoy – the Sisterchick books – about women around middlish age, faced with various decisions and changes, travelling together and learning about themselves and others. It’s a Christian series, but not “preachy” – I’ve tried a few Christian books in other genres (mysteries etc), and have not really enjoyed them. They often seem to be mediocre stories with a bit of “God” attached. The mysteries are often too mixed with romance, and I don’t like “Christian” romance books at all… The Sisterchick books are gentle but funny and thoughtful.

My favourite is the one set in Venice – it spoke to me as I am right now, and provided encouragement.
Life changes with each new season – sun or rain.
There’s always good – and always hope.
Live.
It’s worth it!
❤

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on April 21, 2018 at 3:58 pm Leave a Comment
Tags: Sisterchicks

Dance!

“Could it be any clearer? Our old way of life was nailed to the cross with Christ, a decisive end to that sin-miserable life—no longer at sin’s every beck and call! What we believe is this: If we get included in Christ’s sin-conquering death, we also get included in his life-saving resurrection. We know that when Jesus was raised from the dead it was a signal of the end of death-as-the-end. Never again will death have the last word. When Jesus died, he took sin down with him, but alive he brings God down to us. From now on, think of it this way: Sin speaks a dead language that means nothing to you; God speaks your mother tongue, and you hang on every word. You are dead to sin and alive to God. That’s what Jesus did.” Romans 6:8-11 (The Message)

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on April 1, 2018 at 8:37 pm Leave a Comment
Tags: Easter Sunday, My Lighthouse, rend collective, Resurrection, Undignified

Stand…

“The Spirit of God is arousing us within. We’re also feeling the birth pangs. These sterile and barren bodies of ours are yearning for full deliverance. That is why waiting does not diminish us, any more than waiting diminishes a pregnant mother. We are enlarged in the waiting. We, of course, don’t see what is enlarging us. But the longer we wait, the larger we become, and the more joyful our expectancy.” Romans 8:23-25 (The Message)

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on March 31, 2018 at 5:37 pm Leave a Comment
Tags: Marching On, rend collective

Real

Today is Good Friday, a day to remember Jesus’ sacrifice for us.
We have no trouble visualising the “Jesus as God” part of the equation – there are so many paintings across the ages that give an ethereal depiction – but we sometimes find it harder to remember the human side of Jesus. He was fully God, but also fully Man, able to identify with us and reconcile us to God. He is not remote – He knows our weaknesses, and has compassion for our frailties.
I came across this song recently, and thought it was a reminder of the man Jesus – the one who had a real, flesh and blood body, who lived a real life and took on real suffering for us, bled real blood for us, who had a real mother he loved as a son.
Real pain.
Real blood.
Real love.

For us.

Perhaps we gloss over the real story because it’s easier to distance ourselves; to not have to engage our emotions or think about what it really means for us.
If tradition is right, both about Mary’s age when Jesus was born, and Jesus’ age at his crucifixion, I am now about the same age she would have been when she watched her little boy die, in blood and pain.
I don’t know how I could have handled that. But it makes it seem more real. And it compels a response, one way or another.

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on March 30, 2018 at 9:52 pm Leave a Comment
Tags: Good Friday, JJ Heller, Still My Little Boy

Taking The Day

“Groovy” may be a bit of a stretch, but I’m enjoying a day off.
Had a procedure yesterday – an endoscopy – one of the least of the hospital type things, but still requiring sedation. I don’t like sedation…
Yesterday went a lot easier than previous times. The waiting was probably the worst part. Otherwise, it all went quite quickly. The anaesthetist who inserted the needle for the sedative seemed quite young, and a little tentative. She did an amazing job, though – no bruising at all today, and can hardly see the puncture mark.

There were about four or five layers of tape to hold it all down, though. The nurse had some difficulty later getting it off without hurting. The anaesthetist also explained a lot more of the possible complications to me than I remember from previous times, including heart/lung complications or infections, and possible forced intubation and stronger anaesthetic in case of emergency (the doctor hurriedly said that those were very rare events…) None of that happened. I actually walked out of the procedure room to recovery, and ate pretty much right away. Last time I was wheeled in and it took longer to wake up. All in all, a successful day.

I had planned to catch up on some work, but woke up this morning thinking “Nahhh….” 🙂 So I’m spending the day reading and binge watching TV. I’m allowed – look, I have a certificate!

I am officially unfit for study today!
Let the sun shine, and the chocolate keep flowing… 🙂

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on March 28, 2018 at 1:36 pm Leave a Comment

World Happy Day!

Apparently today is the International Day of Happiness 🙂
It’s the first time I’ve heard of it… have to admit, I’ve had a happy enough day, though!

I’ve been meaning to share some images from a magazine I’ve been reading (Wellbeing Magazine) and today seems an appropriate day to do it…

Joy – a deep feeling or condition of happiness or contentment.
Something causing such a feeling.
This is my favourite! Joy, to me, is not quite the same as happiness (joy seems a deeper feeling to me – not so dependent on circumstance). I love this photo – kids just abandon themselves to the moment, with no thought of what others are thinking of them.

Simplicity – freedom from complexity, intricacy or division into parts.
The state, quality or instance of being simple.
Not ornate or luxurious, unadorned.
Life often needs to be simpler, but we feel guilty about slowing down. Don’t! You’re worth it. And it’s essential to life.

Beauty – the quality present in a thing or person that gives intense pleasure or deep satisfaction to the mind.
A meaningful design or pattern.
Beauty is also essential to life, and can be found in unexpected places… look for it, in all the corners!

Community – the people living in one particular area or people who are considered as a unit because of their common interests, social group or nationality.
Communities can be a mixture of all sorts of people in all sorts of places. They can blend with other communities, and take over the world! Or not…
Whichever the case, find your community. There’s one (or more) out there for you.

Freedom – the power or right to act, speak or think as one wants.
What lifts your heart and makes it sing? What did you love to do as a child? Find it, or remember it. Pass it on.

Friendship – the emotions or conduct of friends; the state of being friends.
Yay for friends! 😀 The quirky, the kind… the ones you just feel comfortable with. Also found in odd places and at unexpected times.

Vitality – the state of being strong and active; energy.
Mostly thought of as a physical thing, but can be mental and emotional too. It’s great when they all revitalise together, but work with what you have – be strong!

Balance – a state of equilibrium or equipoise; equal distribution of weight or amount.
A mental steadiness or emotional stability; habit of calm behaviour or judgement.
Including all the others in your life can lead to this. It will look different in everybody’s life, though.
Step by step – one foot after the other – walk towards the good life. You’ll get there eventually…

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on March 20, 2018 at 10:16 pm Leave a Comment
Tags: wellbeing magazine

Just A Snippet…

…of what I saw on my walk this morning –

A spider’s web at a garage sale I went to.

Gumnut flowers, just opened up, on the way home.

I don’t know what this is, but it called to me…

There were also a lot of feathers, of varying sizes, in various places. I picked up a couple and brought them home. Such a lovely morning for a walk!

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on March 17, 2018 at 5:32 pm Leave a Comment
Tags: flowers, walking

Colours Flying

Last night I relaxed in a bath, with epsom salts and a scented candle (vanilla and jasmine, I think) It had been a strenuous afternoon – an inspection today, so cleaning to be done… the notification gave a more exhaustive checklist than usual, so I was scrubbing things I wouldn’t normally remember to scrub…
Hubby is on light duties at the moment,after a back injury at work. Normally he would do the heavy cleaning, but at the moment I’m the muscle in the family (yes, I can hear you sniggering…) I got things done yesterday, and settled in for a soak. Lovely.
Yes, we passed 🙂
Rock on!

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Thinking....

on March 12, 2018 at 9:55 pm Leave a Comment

Tell A Better Story

The clock is ticking down on my studies, and I feel the pressure of getting finished when I still don’t have a supervisor in place. Makes it hard to remember what I was excited about when I first started the course…
Then I came across this song, and it reminded me of what I want to bring to the world – to add beauty to lives, and help people to see their story in a better light.
I still don’t know how my story will unfold, and still feel I won’t get to the finish of this section, but the core motivation remains 🙂
Be beautiful ❤

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on March 10, 2018 at 10:18 pm Leave a Comment
Tags: add to the beauty, Sara Groves