Christmas

Well, Christmas has come and gone...
I am happy to say that Melbourne's "Carols by Candlelight" was much better than Sydney's carols!:) 
We had a wonderful Christmas eve with the empty nesters - all the kids came home for Christmas eve;) That's always my favourite part of Christmas...going home to mum and dad... having a Christ-centred celebration and just enjoying each other's company. Of course I love giving out gifts to my family too!! 


Next Christmas I'll be a doting aunty! I'm so excited! This baby is going to be one good looking kid! & soooo loved! Already his/her grandmothers are doting and spoiling the child with Christmas gifts even though it's still not born. I've seen a different side of my dad...a softer side. It's beautiful to see how a baby shows people in a new light...I love it! 


After a lovely church service, we had Christmas day with mum's extended family...and David and I played chocolate Trivial Pursuit at home afterwards...his aunty dropped it at the door early in the morning before knocking and disappearing before we could even hear a car.  Very kind of her to think of us:)


Well, I got my Christmas spirit in the end. Had a great time in our new church. ...& David added to my butterfly collection! A new pendant with various coloured stones. Now I have a butterfly for almost every outfit! haha! (4 different styles & colours).


It was a nice Christmas overall:)

Christmas...where is The Spirit!

After watching half of Sydney's  "Carols in the Domain" on tv last night, I was disappointed that the Christmas spirit is only lingering for those who still believe in it... all these celebrities singing words they obviously don't feel... the songs that should bring joy and happiness...and awe - are just songs being sung in the spotlight to millions of people live and on tv. Except for the santa ones, of course... 


I'm amused that Twisted Sister have been stuck in my head the last 2 days! Their version of "Oh Come all ye Faithful" - it's twisted, but it has FEELING! These men sing about "Christ the Lord" with no hesitation. I have no idea where they stand in terms on religion and God...but they can sing about Christmas in a much better manner than these "amazing celebrities". 


THEN....I arrive at church this morning...Wow! The singers brought to life many of the songs that had no life on the tv last night. A feeling I haven't experienced in years when I hear these Christmas carols. 


Our church is so awesome! The people are so real...they don't necessarily go out of their way to make things awesome - it is natural to them to bring out the feeling in all they do. This morning the music was just so special. It evoked the old Christmas feeling of when this was all normal to society. It was all about Jesus. It was pure and humble. 


I hope Melbourne's version of "Carols By Candlelight" on tv evokes more Christmas spirit than Sydney's concert. I also really want Ray Martin back! He actually cared about the real Christmas spirit. One of the co-hosts that replaced him really disappoints me. There is something about her that makes me unable to look at her without feeling a darkness about her. My spirit wants to scream at her - "How dare you present Christmas when you heart isn't even right!" But I can't do that. I just hope her darkness doesn't spread. 


Well, I guess I can say the Christmas bug has taken a bigger bite. It's finally beginning to feel like Christmas:)

The Christmas bug has begun to bite...

Well, almost...a little...I've been Christmas (& Birthday) shopping every night after work this week... I've been to  a few Christmas functions (family friends annual catch ups)...and work has the Christmas trees up...and the radio is playing nice songs... but I still feel I'm working and too busy to let the bug bite work properly.


Today was our first final day of  'official' programs. Thursday and Friday are the final Thur & Fri for the year...next Wednesday we hold our Christmas party for our clients, and then they go home for their holidays...then Thursday is MY final day before holidays! Friday is Christmas eve... 


I need to make time to spend with my husband and enjoy this season...we've hardly had ANY time to spend TOGETHER in the Christmas lead up. I feel if we don't stop and make time, it will soon pass us by... 


We put up our tree...but couldn't find the decorations!! I know where they should be...but moving house seemed to lose them amongst other packed things!


I think the next few days will be much more Christmassy... :)

Christmas is fast approaching!

Every time I hear the song, "It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas..." I feel as if the music is jerking out of the world I'm living in and making me realise it's ALMOST Christmas! Yikes! 

It feels most media have left it late to mention Christmas... the 2 radio stations I listen to most have only just begun to play Christmas music... I think maybe the Christmas bug has not bitten me yet because I haven't had time to stop and think about it! It's hard to get into the spirit when you are working and hardly have any shopping time...and then realise you are quickly running out of time! I don't finish work until 23rd Dec....I used to always finish the week before Christmas when I was casual. I loved the lead up week...now I feel I don't have enough time to enjoy it...


I'm also widely aware of the fact society is trying to rob us of our Christmas and turn it into something pagan... As far as I'm concerned, I am a Christian and I celebrate Christmas. I will NOT say "Happy Holidays" or "Greetings of the season" or anything that strips away the true meaning of this time.


At least we have that right! We have the freedom to choose what we believe and nobody can strip that from us:)


So, in conclusion:

Merry Christmas!!! 


What an exciting time for us Christians!:)


N.B. The green and red colours are not deliberately scattered;) I tried to make each line alternate, but the final product was different to the draft!

Don't live in the past!

One thing I want to say today.... Don't live in the past.
You need to move on. Let go. Forgive and forget.
If you stay stuck in the past, YOU are the only person who gets hurt. You will end up a sad, lonely, person who has pushed everybody away with your bitterness. 


In particular I want one person to remember that you have a wife! She needs you!
Stop wasting your time trying to manipulate others and send abusive messages when you have a wife who needs your unconditional love and attention! 

Every moment you spend in bitterness and resentment is another moment wasted which could be better spent in joy with your wife. 

Put her first - love and respect her the way she needs and the way God desires!

Be the Godly man of the house. That is your mission. Take your role seriously and be the man God called you to be! Take that gorgeous girl and enjoy the moments! Live in the present! 

Set up by God!

Something unusual happened to me after work... I drove to the shops, parked in one of my usual spots...then decided to park on the other side because I didn't really need to go to the shops in the middle of the centre...just Safeway (supermarket).


So...after doing my shopping, then sneaking a peek at some windows (sales!), I headed back to my car... as I began to walk through the exit, this older lady stopped me and asked if I knew where she could catch a taxi... She seemed desperate for help and a bit distressed. So, I tried to figure out what to do to help...we started walking, and we decided that she would wait for me to walk all the way to the concierge desk to ask for the taxi rank. What I discovered was the taxi rank was a long walk from where she met me at the exit/entrance, and the taxis don't just come and wait. They need to be called. So the lovely staff at the concierge desk told me they could call her a taxi if she came to them... so I had a good workout walking back to her, then walking with her all the way back to the concierge....and as we arrived, the staff smiled and immediately helped the lady with the taxi, as if she'd been waiting for her. It was so nice to see them interacting. She was Greek and the staff was Italian. They sounded like friends, even though they'd just met!


It was also nice to see the lady lose her distress and regain her joy. The sad part was that she told us she had asked many others for help, but nobody helped except me. They said they didn't understand... It took a bit of my time, but I didn't have anywhere better to be. 


As I was walking back to my car...I suddenly realised that if I had parked in my usual place, I never would have used that exit...I never use that exit. I also usually go to the other supermarket at the opposite end of the centre...I felt like God had set me up! He set it all up so this lady could get home with a smile on her face...

Crazy Melbourne weather

"I'm melting! I'm meeeeltiing!!" 
Ok, I'm not.but it's SO HOT in Melbourne right now it's crazy!
I just made a short black coffee and added some ice cream just to make it a bit more 'hot day' style... but it just melted! I thought an affogato was a little less insane than a long black in a 30degree (celsius) house!! I guess any hot coffee is insane in this weather....haha! I did put the coolers on in the lounge when I got home, so at least that room will be nice:)


I like spring....but I'm not happy about 30+ degree days most of the week! I wonder if I could live like an eskimo... but I'd hate snow... 


Oh well...I'll get over it :) At least I can relax at home tonight:)

November...Already???

Wow...in October I don't want to think about Christmas....now it's suddenly November!!!

Where did the time go??? I've already taken 2 lots of clients Christmas shopping...and I have no intention of buying any gifts YET...I'm been too busy keeping on top of my bills... I've been a debt-hater with a larger than usual credit card debt...talk about tough... I HATE debt!

Thankfully a tax cheque (which was supposed to cover the debt but didn't arrive for ages!) came through last week so I have one free credit card! Just the way I like it:) Now I have a small, manageable bit left on the other one, then I'll be much happier:)

New houses can cost a bit to start out....we needed a fridge/freezer (the old one was about 40yrs old and was dying. We were so glad it survived til we moved!), driveway and blinds... just a few necessities that added up.

Things are looking good now:)

I guess it's time to allow myself to get into the Christmas mood... we'll be celebrating Christmas in our brand new church building! It is almost complete:) This has been a good year of new beginnings!

New church....new house... new ministries...new friends...all good :)

'Evil' Reporters

This might sound a bit ...well, not sure actually...

I just want to write about Aussie media and how evil reporters are....and they get away with ridiculing Christian groups and individuals....and act as if they're saving the world from evil... and if you didn't know any better, your emotional response to them would put you on their bandwagon to 'rid the world of evil'.... when in reality, they're picking out individual groups and people and Stamping "Evil" to their foreheads with Absolutely NO idea what they Really stand for!

I was watching a show on tv on Sunday night...they 'exposed' a 'cult'. My first emotional response was, "That's such and such?!? Ok, what are they going to accuse them of?"

Of course, they were accused of being an evil cult, manipulating and dictating their women...

Well, MY experience of this couple is completely different to that shown on tv.

I've been on women's retreats and have known about her ministry since I was a child.

All I can say, is no matter what the media tells you....You can't fake Gods' presence!

I don't care what the media says about this lady, I refuse to believe she is what they perceive her to be. I have experienced her love and motherly wisdom, and I never once felt dictated or oppressed for being a woman!

I refuse to accept anything this particular reporter says about any 'religious' group without knowing the facts. I believe he is a tool of the devil. Most likely unwittingly, but a tool nonetheless. He has a huge influence in the way society thinks. It's sad...

I'm no target!

I was awoken to the realisation that I've had a "target" on my forehead this week... so I ripped it up and threw it away... so many things have been 'attacking' me...

...people on the roads think they're indestructible, so obviously I and my passengers are too.... a man literally stole my petrol pump on Monday! I parked the van at the pump- there was hardly anybody around so plenty of free pumps... I got out of the van and saw him filling up his jerry can with MY pump!! Then he had the cheek to say incredulously, 'You want this petrol IN THAT van?!" What a moron!! I didn't have the courage to fight back... I stood next to him with my arms crossed, wondering what to do...then he walked in to pay and I opened the door and told my client what was going on...he said, "Just drive off. Go to [usual place]". In the end I did. I later realised that the staff inside should have seen what was happening too, so they didn't deserve my client's money!

Lots of little things that make you wonder what's going on!

NOW I know what's going on and I am alert! (Even though right now I could easily fall asleep!)

Be on Guard! Put on the WHOLE armour of God and be reading to STAND!

October Update

July.....was quite a few weeks ago.... I didn't realise how long it has been since I've posted! (again!)

Well, we moved into our 'hotel' and it's awesome! It felt like a hotel because everything was new, clean and modern. Everything WORKS and there is no age-damage like our old place we rented - which was almost 40yrs old.

Our backyard was sludge for a while, so we didn't venture out til about a week ago... it has been raining so much this year!!!! People have been praying for the drought to break for about 10years, and we have finally begun to receive our rain! It's also now spring, the our backyard mud has had some TLC from the sun, and the mud had turned into dried up cracks...so it's easy to walk outside now... but we still need to figure out what to do with the yard.

I was disappointed after we finally had our driveway done...and it was so steep my car didn't want to reverse up....I'm a reverse parker so I was annoyed at the prospect of always reversing out....UNTIL I got a new clutch for my car....now I'm back to reversing, but still perfecting my angle. I drive in forwards when I'm tired or it's raining. There's no point reversing up when you're not thinking clearly!

I baked a cake...and burnt it slightly! YAY for a PERFECT oven! The door stays closed...it's clean...it heats up much quicker...it's awesome! I am slowly breaking myself out of the habit of cooking things for about 20mins longer than usually required! It's a good change!

We got a great deal on blinds...now we need to think about air conditioning and extra fencing... all requiring money!!!! It's nice to know there is no rush....we just do things as we can afford to.

Next projects might be an herb and veggie garden....and some kind of decking or path....

Well, that's all I can think to say about the house for the moment.

Church is going great! We love our new church (and still love the old one, but its no longer our home). I went to a 5.30am prayer meeting yesterday...it was AWESOME!!! I didn't mind getting up at 4.30am on a Saturday... things are really happening in our church!!

It's so good to be in a church where the sense of freedom is so real. Freedom and passion:)

Ok, that's all for now:)

The pot of gold is within reach!!

After a horrid bit of drama from the bank....we are FINALLY moving into our new house!!!

It's been almost a year since they began building, and we've been paying off the mortgage for some time, but when the house was finally completed...the bank turned around and said they would not do what they previously said they would do....which left us paying off a house we could not 'have'.

So of course, this is God's house, so He made a way for us to receive our property:)
We kept it quiet until we had given notice to our landlady. David did that yesterday. We didn't know when we would move, we just knew it would be soon.

It's a bit weird...it has felt like our pot of gold at the end of the rainbow has been out of reach for so long, then suddenly it is almost in reach! The enemy tried to steal from us, but he never wins!
Our pot of gold will be handed over on Tuesday:)

We went to IKEA today... for inspiration....and came out without any...
Actually, any time I go there, I get a sick feeling inside when we walk around certain areas. But it's not the whole shop...I always forget until the next time I go, when I get the same feeling... (I've only been about 3 times in a few years!)
Interesting stuff... it's not easy walking around people whose negative spirits you pick up on...we need to always be on guard...and remember to love...especially when it's not your first instinct!
There are a lot of sad people in this world...but they don't need to be...

The sweetness of innocence

After a negative post about work, I have a positive one!
Today I was with my nice group of 4 clients with mild intellectual disabilities...they are just gorgeous... 3 ladies and 1 man. He took one lady aside (his girlfriend) and asked us to wait while they went back into a shop, and said "It's a secret" and left the rest of us waiting while they completed their 'secret mission'.

At lunch time, they called me into the room they were in and presented me with an early birthday card and a box of Roses chocolates. I opened the envelope to see the word "Grandpa" on the cover- then a verse they obviously wouldn't have read... it was so sweet! They chose a card together and wrote in it for me. The grandpa bit just made it all the more sweeter! They chose the card and gift with no assistance. It was so kind of them :)

The man is the one who has taken the death of our other client hard, but he is coping much better now. I'm pleased to say that he is returning to his old self...a little at a time :)

Work Rubbish

I got really angry today... and a few weeks ago... and a few weeks before that... all about one particular client... I'm so fed up with being disrespected for doing my job to the best of my ability... like being told in a client's diary that (they didn't know it was me) the staff obviously doesn't care about the client because they didn't bother cleaning her up after having diarrhoea.... talk about a load of rubbish!!! I was alone with 2 clients in the bus... one had diarrhoea...I had to find a public toilet block where I could clean her up and not leave the other client for too long... and I spent a good 20 or more minutes cleaning her up! AND to make it worse, she didn't have any spare clothes in her bag...just one piece of clothing which had to make do...then they have the nerve to say I don't care! If I didn't care, I wouldn't have bothered stopping at a toilet block...which didn't even have rubbish bins!!!

But having said that...all I can say is that I know I did the best under the circumstances, and I explained it all to the staff when I dropped her home (late), and they obviously didn't communicate the explanation very well to the other staff... who wrote the offensive note.

At least my conscience is clear.
I'm wondering if this is some kind of spiritual attack... the people seem to be targeting me without knowing it's me... it's always something I've done that gets a note in the diary... and it's never as bad as they make out... sometimes I wonder if some people only know how to stir up trouble... so I refuse to add fuel to the fire. If they want a fight, they will not get one under these circumstances.

Ok, that's out. Time to enjoy the rest of the night :)

He's gone...

My client passed away over a week ago... I'm glad I saw him when I did.
I wanted to visit him again a week later, but my spirit said "No". Something didn't feel right...the next day he was gone. I believe God prevented me from a difficult experience if I did visit. Nobody expected it so soon.

We're still all waiting to hear funeral details...we've gone from expecting a quick funeral (within 2-3days), to hearing it may be 2 weeks after his death. So many variables I didn't realise existed... eg, family needs to release the body, notices cannot be printed in the paper until a family has placed one first... and other things I don't really understand... 'red tape' in some ways, 'just life' in other ways.

It's harder on our clients than our staff...it must be harder to understand and accept when you have an intellectual disability. Some of our guys don't even seem to care that he's gone, but I know they do. They just don't understand as much. That's not a bad thing. They deal with it differently.

I had to explain to one client that he shouldn't get upset when others don't get upset like he does - because they don't understand the way he does. He seemed ok with that. It was a good small chat. He has taken it hard. The deceased man and he had known each other 15years. Then suddenly he's gone. We can understand, and we know it seems unfair that people get sick and die suddenly... but these guys don't seem to be able to accept the unfairness of life as easily. It has definitely been an interesting, and at times, stressful time.

In the end, I know God has His plans, and we don't need to know the details...but yes, it does seem unfair that people with intellectual disabilities have to go through the same sicknesses as others... even if it's not fair that anybody gets sick, these people don't have the intellectual capacity to understand what's going on....so it must be far more scary for them.... It just seems cruel...but when you put them in the same box as the rest of humanity... no labels, no differences... then it makes sense... they too have family medical histories and are more susceptible to various conditions... so in the end, they're not being singled out or protected. "Nature" shows no favourites... that's just life.

This man did have the capacity to understand the sickness etc, but he didn't necessarily understand why the doctors and nurses did/didn't do things... one reason is some apparently didn't even try to explain the procedures...they just treated him as they would any patient...which is also not a bad thing in general, but it's horrible when you know a person doesn't understand like the average patient.

I just hope his last days were less stressful and he died peacefully...

A sad visit

I went to visit one if my clients today... he is dying of heart failure and has been in hospital for over a week... we were expecting him to be able to stay home and receive palliative care... now we don't know if he'll be able to go home or spend his last days in the hospital. It's so sad... he looks awful compared to the man I knew a few months ago. He's on constant oxygen... and he's so tired... He has a mild intellectual disability, but you wouldn't know just seeing him in his hospital bed...

It's just so sad to see somebody who was so fiercely independent suffer like this...
But that's life...it doesn't seem fair... but that's the way it is... It's times like these you realise how much prayer makes a difference...especially when you have no idea what else to do...

There was a lady in a bed opposite him who watched us...I just smiled at her... that seemed to make her happy :) Hopefully the small things make their lives better...

White tail spider bite!

Something else that has happened in the last 2 weeks was that I was bitten by a spider (right arm).
I have no idea when or where, I just know the bite marks didn't heal for over a week, so I saw the doctor who suspected it was a white tail spider...yuck! They like to hide in warm material like curtains or sheets. There are many places I could have met him...no way to determine...

I was led to believe that white tails are so full of bacteria, they cause huge, dark swelling of the affected limb, sometimes leading to amputation. If I had seen a white tail, I wouldn't have gone near it! (without insect spray). If I knew it was that, I would've gone to the doctor straight away!

The doctor used words like, "aggressive" and "angry" to describe the bite site. It was nasty, like a big scab, surrounded by swollen skin and bumps like hives.

Well, I'm happy to say that after a week of antibiotics, the skin is mostly healed. Now it's just a bit of dermatitis...reaction to the bite maybe.

What shocks me the most is how many people don't know what a white tail looks like! Maybe I just presumed everybody knows because of growing up in the country....where white tails were so common, we just killed them when we saw them. Every kid knew not to go near them. But as I said, I grew up in the country, so maybe in the city less people are exposed to them as often.

I have no pictures...the antibiotics moved into action quickly :)

Easter ponderings

Happy Easter!

I managed not to blog for the whole of March...

Something interesting happened this week...a girl from another country asked why Aussies celebrate Easter and Christmas...like she was surprised at how little 'spiritual' holidays we get, but didn't know the reason for the holidays anyway.

When you grow up in a supposedly "Christian country", it's presumed everybody knows what Easter and Christmas are about...even if they don't believe it. At least, that's how it felt in the 80's and 90's... So at worst the atheists get a day off thanks to the Christians...

These days, it isn't so... people from all over the world are immigrating here, bringing with them their cultures and beliefs... and now we're seeing the reasons for the holidays are no longer obvious and an 'everybody knows' topic. Many kids don't even know what the cross on a hot cross bus is... when I was a kid, you were considered dumb if you didn't know that!

When I mentioned a story about a little kid telling my friend while she was teaching RE (Religious Education), that the cross is to tell you where to cut it...another person said she didn't even know that! She was brought up in Australia and is older than me...

Those are the things that make you ponder.... it's one thing to grow up in a Christian country, and another thing to actually live as a Christian in that country that no longer embraces that foundation. Life has definitely changed in the last 30years!

Surprise interview and new permanent day! :)

Talk about fast! I was in the staffroom yesterday morning, about to make a cup of tea after my early morning bus run (as a staff escort), when my manager asked what I was supposed to be doing in the next few minutes....then asked me to go into her office for my interview!

She told me to make my tea and bring it in. So I did :) I was starving and just needed something to get me by... then I had my short interview.

At the end of the day I was told I have my 4th permanent day I applied for! :) So now I have 4 permanent days, and am trialing my half-day Mondays. If it all goes well I'll be working 4.5days a week :)

So...this week I was sprung... 3 times! One was my offer for Mondays, 2, the surprise interview, and 3, ending the week with a new permanent day :)

It's been a good week :)

New Year, New Journey

I think this year is "The Year of Change" for me.
Moving on, moving up, moving away... MOVING!

My job is already creating change...I've applied to keep my one contract day, so I'll have 4 permanent days....and I've been given a Monday position in an alternate setting... same job, different method/location....it's actually like a completely different role. 1:1 with a man in an electric wheelchair for 4 hours, just generally socialising and getting him out of his environment to have a bit of fun. I start my trial period this coming Monday. I met him yesterday and I think we'll get along fine :) He seems fun, so hopefully it will all work out and we'll have a good time together.

I've stepped down from my ministry roles...and it feels like the door is closed, and I have a new-found freedom that is "for such a time as this" (Esther 4:14). I loved my ministry, but there comes a time when you know God is telling you it's time to move on. Now I've begun moving on, I know I can't go back. I don't have the grace to go back. It's time to move on to new pastures...
a new journey with my husband... we hardly ever spent time together in church while I was leading the ministry. Now we can be in church together.

It's a new day! Lots of new things this year....more than I will write about now, but in the right time I'll write about our other exciting changes! But for now, just know that all things are working together for these 2 children of God! :)

Life is great....it has it's challenges and joys, but I wouldn't want anything different right now :)

Happy New Year 2010

Hello! Happy New Year!
I obviously haven't been here for a long time...seems to be the trend lately.
Life tends to give us more important things to do than to blog...we all go through phases and changes.

2009 went so fast!
So much happened... I wouldn't know where to begin with a summary. I might try another day.
I always have so much on my mind, but when I eventually sit down and start typing, I forget most of the thoughts....it's like speaking to somebody on the phone...you both have a dozen things to talk about, but once you ARE talking, you both forget what you had to say - but you have so many things to say anyway...

There are a few things I'd like to do in the last 2 weeks of my holidays, but the first thing I need to do is get my car serviced. That was already a plan, but the car has decided it wants a service too! It's just idling a bit rough. Money, money, money... I can't do some things until I know my car will take me there safely.

Christmas has come and gone....New Year's eve also... do you ever feel as though these significant events come and go before you have even caught up with it all? We didn't even decorate our house this year. We put up a tree, but couldn't find the usual decorations....but it did look alright. I sent some Christmas cards on Boxing Day! Just all in the timing this year....I worked up to the 23rd, which wasn't bad. It just feels like I had minimal time to prepare for Christmas. Hopefully next Christmas will be easier to grab onto! ;)

This year is going to be a good one! Lots of good changes:)
I have the impression God is telling many of us to put on our seatbelts, because 2010 is going to be a great ride!