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 🙂
So it’s October (already!?) and once again breast cancer awareness month. There are a lot of ads about, and the mobile screening buses are at a couple of shopping centres near here. Everything’s pink… I don’t really go for the “buy pink for breast cancer” thing – I don’t trust that all that merchandise is raising money for charity, and if it is, what does that money/charity do with it? Much better to give directly to somewhere that you know is legitimate! Whether you buy pink stuff or not isn’t really important – what is important is that you go for regular breast screening, especially as you get older. I don’t like getting lots of tests just for the sake of it, but some things need to be done (this includes bowel and prostate checks). Don’t wait until you have symptoms! Yesterday I went for my mammogram. I hadn’t realised it had been two years since the last one, but they rang me to book me in as their systems showed I was overdue… I understand that it can seem a bit daunting if you’ve never done it before, but the whole process doesn’t take long, and it’s done sympathetically and professionally. Sat next to a pink-lighted flowering tree while I waited… it cast interesting shadows.
I always try to schedule in a coffee/cake time, and some time shopping or otherwise enjoying myself for afterwards. 🙂 Just a short break makes a difference! I had my coffee and cheesecake at a cafe I don’t frequent much, since the one I generally go to at the big shopping centre here seems to have closed… still was a nice time out, and included my serendipitous heart.
I had to catch my bus fairly soon after, but still had time to pick up some little pots, which I will fill with succulents.
😀
So – all done for another couple of years!
Just to stay with the theme… here’s P!nk. Let’s get this party started!
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…
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.
At least it seemed like it at the time. Yesterday I was in for an endoscopy, a procedure I have done every couple of years or so. It requires fasting from food and drink for a period of time, so this was a feast by the time I got to see it. Everything went smoothly – the procedure itself apparently takes about ten minutes, but there’s the waiting around and the prep and recovery time. For some reason, in the last year or so, I’ve had trouble having blood taken/drips put in. My veins seem to hide or disappear, and even when they get a line in the blood doesn’t always come out… the anaesthetist had trouble yesterday and had to use an ultrasound machine to find a vein. She got the line in but it only drew blood sporadically, so she had to use the other arm, and eventually put it into my hand. I find that very painful, but you have to go with what works… Apparently as you age your veins can get a bit “valve-y” (obviously a medical term) and the valves resist the needle. At least it worked in the end, and the sedation went quickly.
I can’t remember how many endoscopies I’ve had, but I know they’ve changed a lot since my first one. The first time I don’t remember as much talking, although the procedure was explained to me. This time I had a good old chat with the nurse, the anaesthetist, the orderly who wheeled me in, and a little bit with the doctor. This was mostly about procedures and any fears I might have, but also about our families and whatever else. These days I believe the sedatives are a lot lighter – just enough to keep you under. My first time I had to be wheeled in to recovery on the bed and then come to at some point. I don’t remember a lot of that, as I was unconscious. Eventually I was able to get off the bed onto a chair, then try to eat something. This time (and last time) I woke up in the procedure room, walked to the recovery area, and had my gourmet meal straight away. I hate the process of going under sedation, and always feel a bit panicky at that point. It’s quick, though, so I don’t have time for too much panic! There’s also the memories of earlier times, when I would feel a bit sick and scarily disorientated after. It would also take three or more days to get over the sedatives. Thankfully it’s different now! I was having a lovely dream when I woke up. Something about books, but I can’t remember what… I still feel groggy today (I feel like I’ve been in a fight…), and will probably take it easy, but it’s a lot different to earlier times. I still have to have a “responsible adult” around for 24 hours after the procedure, so if you want me to sign anything or operate heavy machinery, you’ll have to wait 😀
That was a lot more writing than I thought I was going to do! Long story short, hospital procedures don’t need to be scary, at least the planned ones – I’ve not had emergency surgery before, so I can’t speak to that. I do know that whatever I’ve had done lately, I’ve come across competent, professional people who know what they need to do but also understand that we might be a bit worried and need reassurance.
I also have another source of comfort…I knew on Monday that I might be a bit out of it yesterday, so I did my Bible readings for both days. Here’s my verse for yesterday –
“So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” – Isaiah 41:10
😀
What other procedures yesterday? More like “procedurals”, and murder mysteries. Since I knew I wasn’t going to be good for much in the way of deep thinking, I decided to just read and sleep yesterday. I went with the classics (Ngaio Marsh, Agatha Christie, P.D.James) Also – zinnias! ❤ They’re Mambo Pink, and are bright enough for this greyish day.
Generally, we only go out for coffee or a meal to celebrate something special. The other day we went for breakfast, just because we could… It wasn’t for a particular reason, but it was still a chance to celebrate just having the opportunity.
And with food like this, why not? Also the accompanying drinks – chai tea and caramel latte, with separate components to combine as we wished.
There was a time when we had no spare money to go anywhere, and family holidays were out of the question. We told ourselves that they weren’t necessary, and we were happy without. Then some friends found they weren’t able to use their timeshare on the Gold Coast, so they gave their time slot to us. It was wonderful! We hadn’t realised how stressed and worn out we were, and it gave us the chance to have some peace for a bit. Holidays aren’t necessary – there are many people who don’t have the luxury of time off – but we realised that we wanted to at least try to go away as a family whenever we could. We haven’t been able to for a few years now, but we still see the value of time away.
My garden is still alive (yay!) and has been enlarged by some plants from a friend. They’re looking a bit sad at the moment, but I’ve been watering, so hopefully they’ll settle in soon.
These are at the back, and don’t look too great, but are bouncing back!
This popped up sometime today 😀
These are at the front. I chose the ones that seemed sturdiest for this garden. Also – more flowers!
I’ll keep watering, and probably keep peering out the window each morning to see what’s new…
My good life doesn’t really have to do with expensive things (although they’re OK 🙂 ) It’s enjoying what’s living and growing, and experiencing the beautiful in everyday. ❤
My new garden is three days old, and seems to be doing fine 🙂 My little Pig Faces are growing lots of flowers!
These were taken in the morning – sunny little faces smiling at me, making it hard to resist smiling back. Unfortunately a little neighbour thought the same thing this afternoon, and a couple of flowers were picked… I gather a little chat with Mummy will prevent further issues, though. It seemed a shame to waste the flower that was dropped, even though it was already closing for the day…
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!
I’m not a natural gardener. Every so often I decide to fill some pots with herbs, or vegetables, or sometimes flowers. None of these have survived. I have some pots full of succulents, but they seem fairly indestructible. The aloe vera is spreading across the front garden. And I do have a large rosemary bush that just keeps hanging on. I just can’t get things to grow in pots. I had decided to give up, after getting tired of seeing the array of dead, dry dirt and sticks in the line of pots out the back. I emptied them out yesterday and swept away the spilled dirt, along with my high hopes for a lovely garden… This morning, though, we got some more plants. I’m going to try just planting in the garden outside the front window – this is where the rosemary and aloe vera is, and seems to be the best bet for survival. We bought a new hose as well, so it’ll be easier to water regularly 🙂
Not an especially inspiring image so far, but we’ll see… There are sunflowers in the back, zinnias dotted about the middle, and that biggish bush is lavender.
It’s bigger to start with, which hopefully will give it a better chance.
My final choice was a flower I’ve seen in other gardens, but didn’t know its name. I looked round the garden centre and eventually found some. I think it’s a lovely flower – bright, cheerful, just the right size. It also, for some reason, is called “Pig Face”.
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...
