All About Nancy

Nancy is my closest spiritual friend.
We live miles apart yet I am forever mindful of her.
When we first met, we were both strangers to a new town.
Both nurses, both with European cultural backgrounds and both joining the same church.
Now all of that goes to make a great connection.
She, like I, is exuberant about life, she laughs till she cries, and sees beauty in everything.
Nancy, is so near to my heart.
We were very close, going out together, sharing all our inmost secrets...
And never, taking offense with the other. 
Nancy is a soul mate, someone with whom my soul connects.

You all know I have been unable to get around as freely as I did.
It's getting better and with Rays help, I attended church yesterday for the first time in two months.
But on friday a parcel was delivered to my door.
It took me ages to walk and collect it as Ray had gone out.
What a surprise!!
It was from Nancy...
I cried as I opened it and saw all the love in special gifts from her and other friends.
Wonderful notes expressing love and care were tenderly read.
Thank you my sweet sisters-in-Christ..
Just to be remembered~ ~ meant to much.
So on here I want to thank them all.
Thank you Nancy.
Thank you Sister Jean.
Thank you Sister Zena and Sister Prima..
I Love You All. You made my day!!

"Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourself. 

Don't only think about your own affairs, 

but be interested in others too, 

and what they are doing "

(Philippians 2:3-4 )

Pet Therapy - Animal Assisted Therapy

I am finally home from hospital after almost three weeks.

My last stage was in Rehabilitation.

Every day the hospital dog, a brown Labrador named Beau, came to visit.

What a joy to see and pet her.

Pet therapy does much to influence healing.

Without a word, they show unconditional love and acceptance.

"There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear."
1 John 4 :18

Lost but not forsaken.

I ask all my friends to forgive me at the moment, because I feel so lost.
I seem to forget much of what I am suppose to do.

My daughter Daniella and her daughter Shiarn have been staying over and keeping me company.

In Daniella's Bible she carries photos of her children.
It made me feel so sad to see a picture of her third son Matteo, who only lived nine days.
He died on  Christmas eve, 1998.
What a hard time, on a holiday season,  to say goodbye to a little one.
Today as we sat and talked I asked her what became of his ashes??
"They are in the top of my wardrobe mum," she told me.
"One day they'll be buried with me."

She spoke so naturally.... Oh how my heart went out to her.
As a mother, I want to protect her from hurts.
I think of the many times she has moved house, and how often she must lovingly secured those remains..
She always remembers him and keeps him close.
Just as our Heaven Father does with all of us.

^"For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, 

neither the present nor the future, nor any powers,  

neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, 

will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord."

Romans 8:38-39

Count Your Blessings

 Thank God for our food...Photo by Ray... 

This next is not mine, but I wanted to share it with all of you.

WHAT HAPPENS IN HEAVEN WHEN WE PRAY? I dreamt that I went to Heaven and an angel was showing me around. We walked side-by-side inside a large workroom filled with angels. 

My angel guide stopped in front of the first section and said,
"This is the Receiving Section. Here, all petitions to God said in prayer are received."

I looked around in this area, and it was terribly busy with so many angels sorting out petitions written on voluminous paper sheets and scraps from people all over the world. 

Then we moved on down a long corridor until we reached the second section.

The angel then said to me,
"This is the Packaging and Delivery Section.. Here, the graces and blessings the people asked for are processed and delivered to the living persons who asked for them." 
I noticed again how busy it was there. 
There were many angels working hard at that station, since so many blessings had been requested and were being packaged for delivery to Earth.
Finally at the farthest end of the long corridor we stopped at the door of a very small station. 
To my great surprise, only one angel was seated there, idly doing nothing. 
"This is the Acknowledgment Section, my angel friend quietly admitted to me. He seemed embarrassed." How is it that there is no work going on here? ' I asked. 

"So sad," the angel sighed. "After people receive the blessings that they asked for, very few send back acknowledgments"

"How does one acknowledge God's blessings? " I asked..

"Simple," the angel answered. Just say, "Thank you, Lord. "

Me:

Today I thank God for my family and friends.

I thank God for taking time to listen to my partitions.

I thank God that even though I am ill, I can still type this out.

And I thank Him, the lover and acceptor of my soul.

Who Am I ?

Do you ever wonder this?
Have you ever felt lost and think, what does my life mean?
If you knew the story of your life in advance, would you
 rush ahead or give up before you began?

Think about this, just for a moment.....

"For I know the plans I have for you declares the Lord,
Plans to prosper,
Not to harm you,
Plans to give you a hope and a future. "
Jeremiah 29:11

Now that's encouraging...
And yet, you may say while reading this, I can't see the light at the end of the tunnel.... its all just too hard..

Me at 3.

We were not a rich family, my father returned from the war, shell shocked.  I was born the second youngest of five children. My father became incapacitated when I was eight, my grandfather died not long after....
My mother went to work, and we learned from a young age, that life was tough.  The best part of all our hardships was belonging to a church family. The old tin Lizzie, driven by our minister, came regularly to pick up my younger brother and I each week for Sunday School.... 
What a joy that was. Riding down those dusty country roads singing chorus's at the top of our lungs, and learning the accepting love of Jesus Christ. 
I met and married my first husband when I was very young.
My mother was against it. We were unevenly yoken, she said...
And through much hurt and pain, I learnt she was right.

Pictured with my first child, daughter Femia.

When you are young you think you know it all.

I was no different.

I married into a different culture and to a man who I loved dearly, yet one who denied the Lord.

When I walked away over thirty years later, I was a broken mess.

Yet today in wisdom, I thank the Lord.

I know if my marriage had been different God would never have come first.

And in time, I was to come to realise how...

"He turned my mourning into dancing,

and my sorrow into joy."  Psalm 30:11

My younger daughter Daniella, with five of my grandchildren when small.

From left, Antonio, Luke, Kirra, Elyshah and Joel. 

 Today, Joel, Luke and Elyshah at Nanna's.

Because of what I have come through, and what I have come from,

I know first hand that God's promise above is true.

Today all of my children have a faith in God, and all of my grandchildren have grown up in Him.

My eldest granddaughter has married a Christian man.

They are both at Uni studying teaching and plan to be Missionaries.

My youngest granddaughter Shiarn.

My youngest grandson Izaiah with cousin Shiarn.

Their road to travel has just begun.

There will be good times and not so good. 

But if they acknowledge the Lord in all they do, the blessings will flow.

"Trust in the Lord with all thine heart,

And lean not on thine own understanding.

But in all thy ways acknowledge me.

And I will make straight, thy paths."

Proverbs 3: 5-6

                                                 SO TRUE !!!








 

Mille and Monty

Little Mille runs circles around Monty.....

"Who me?  I am innocent Mum."

"I am a picture of perfection."

"Why that old stuff shirt Monty doesn't know how to have fun?"

"Its not fair, that kid comes in and takes over.

A man gets no peace"

"Hey Monty, I just want to play."

                       "Listen Mille, only if you promise to play fair."

"Young Whippersnapper, I said fair, respect your elders"

"Your going too far...."

"Aw Monty, I love you. Lets kiss and make-up."

Love is Patient

Love is Kind.

1 Corinthians 13

                            

SERVICE AND SACRIFICE

John wrote the last of the four gospels, and was the favoured disciple.
Why was he the favoured??
Well, likely he and his cousin Jesus, played together as children.
Probably, their relationship was very close.

Imagine it, two little boys in different households living close to each other.
Cousins  and best friends.
John's mother Salome was Mary's sister.
Salome was the wife of Zebedee and the mother of James and John.
In all the Bible accounts of the life of Jesus, I have always prefered John's.

He had a knowing of the spirit of God within Jesus...
And His very first statement was....
"In the beginning was the WORD.
And the WORD was with God.
And the WORD was God."
John 1:1

John was the only person to relate how Jesus washed the feet of His disciples.

Why would he do this??

Washing His Disciples' Feet

"Just before the Passover Feast, (my cousin) Jesus knew that the time had come to leave this world and go back to the Father.
Having loved his dear companions, he continued to love them right to the end.
It was suppertime.
The Devil by now had Judas, son of Simon the Iscariot, firmly in his grip, all set for the betrayal.


Jesus knew that the Father had put him in complete charge of everything.
He knew he came from God and was on his way back to God.
So he got up from the supper table, set aside his robe, and put on an apron.
Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the feet of the disciples, drying them with his apron.

When he got to Simon Peter, Peter said, "Master, you wash my feet?"
Jesus answered, "You don't understand now what I'm doing, but it will be clear enough to you later."
John 13

So why did John relate this happening??
I would love to hear your thoughts on this??
Mine is, he was in awe, that his cousin showed such humility!
Most kings sit on a throne and are served.
Jesus, prostrated himself in a lowly position.

Who are we to ever consider ourselves as better than someone else??  The example of Jesus was the opposite.



When someone is in need we are to help them.
When someone is hungry we are to feed them.
Or thirsty, give them something to drink..

Share with others.
Laugh with them.
Cry with them...
And, carry them.
Service and Sacrifice is the story of Easter.

Believe and share in ETERNAL LIFE.

Floods In My Town

Rain fall continues heavy with over 2ooml over 24 hrs.
Highway is cutting off. Semi's can't get through.

Huge shopping center back view.

Shops

The Soccer Oval with club house.

'Albert' Town Park and Skate Park 

And its still rising.

Hubby Ray ventured out to take these this morning.

The main street of town is expecting to go under by this afternoon.

As yet the river at the side of the town has not peeked. 

Everyone is safe.

Psalm 91

Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High
will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
I will say of the LORD, “He is my refuge and my fortress,
my God, in whom I trust.”

Glorious New Year 'Beach Wedding'

Happy New Year to all my beloved brothers and sisters in-Christ.

A beautiful sister, who has overcome much adversity from the enemy
has been lifted higher by the Lord. HALLELUJAH!!

She has a new spiritual head in a new husband......(so perfect)
We were thrilled to attend their wedding in northern New South Wales on New Year's Eve... 
The weather rained all that week,
then dawned fine for the day before, and the day.
We journeyed seven hours to arrive at Nambucca.
Unsure if we'd have to turn back due to floods.
But God led the way.

C wasn't sure if this was a dream or real.  

Yes Princess C, daughter of the Most High King!

It is Real.

Your Prince H, has come.

Riding on the wings of God's love.. 

To sustain you both.

For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh. Genesis 2:2

All others in their life up until this time, are placed second, compared to each other.

The Word of God plainly speaks....

And so a covenant with God has been made.

Now for the Blessing. 

“The LORD bless you and keep you;
the LORD make his face shine on you
and be gracious to you;
the LORD turn his face toward you
and give you peace.” Numbers 6:24-26

And for Us....we also experienced the joy of seeing daughter Daniella in the same area, visiting with her childhood best friend Nicala.
Pictured with their chicks.

 The car is an Australian Holden Classic from the 1960's.

       "Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice."
         Phillipians 4:4

 

"I will sing of the mercies of the Lord forever,
I will sing, I will sing.....! "