In Memory of Nana

Olive Beatrice Mae King

17 August 1927 - 21 June 2012

You slipped away that night

beneath the moon, twas but a sliver

painted in the sky

a message you wanted to deliver

as I drove away

it was the sight I saw

a last glimpse of you

before you knocked at heaven's door

while I didn't want to go

I had done my part

in writing your last chapter

it will remain forever in my heart

though the bindings cracked

and the favourite pages seem to bend

your life tells a story

worth reading to the end

as the memories overflow

what first comes to mind

was the times spent as a family

these days that's something that is very hard to find

we would pile round to your place

whatever the occasion

for wonderful food and staying up late

seemed it never took much persuasion

there was cotton reels to play with

and sliding down the stairs with cousins

board games and hide & seek

fun and laughter by the dozen

BBQ's a plenty

and fishing at the beach

then of course a fry up

at a level the shops just couldn't reach

Christmas was the best

with presents and food piled high

the chance to share this last with you

something we couldn't let go by

who can forget the hours

we put in at the farm we called our second home

there were carrots, parsnips and pumpkins

all scrubbed and tossed until they shone

I've never come across a strawberry

that is quite the same

countless dagwood sandwiches

with a cuppa for smoko to keep up our game

every school holiday

after grocery shopping with our Mum

we'd end up at your place with a donut

after hot chicken and coleslaw on our bun

the times when we were sick

it seemed we always knew

we could make a bed on your couch

and watch you sew as your pile of curtains grew

each time I went to brownies

you were always there

my proudly sewn on badges

a tribute to your hard work and care

you were always so proud

of the young ones as you called us

you were always the first I called to share results

a hearty congratulations was the chorus

and so the tale is almost told

this life we are passing through

the memories are so very near

of special times with you

but, the stars and moon are gone

seems all that's left to do

is take my rest

and the time to cry over losing you

Yet they are tears of joy

though not without its trials

we celebrate a life well lived

saved by grace you wear a smile

And know that God works it all for good

It's part of his amazing plan

so for now it is goodbye

till we meet again

By Colleen

Taking time to remember a loved Nana and Great Nana

A time to pull weeds

I have been putting it off.  The wet cold weather a very good excuse for not getting into the garden which so badly needs weeding.  Funny enough it actually looked like rain on Saturday when I donned a coat and beanie and headed out thinking I might get a bit done before it starts.  As it happened the rain never came, it was the lack of light and a need to cook dinner that called me in.

We had harvested the pumpkins and tidied the herbs and then life took over as it does and the garden was left.  As I weeded I found myself thinking how often I have had to weed this garden and vowed that I wouldn't let it get so bad again.  How much I actually enjoy growing things and how great it would be to make use of the garden that we have.  But, with the everyday, full on life of raising four boys and running a household the addition of two acres of land gets to be too much {even just this little patch of garden on the driveway}.

I wonder just what I signed up for and how great it would be to have a little quarter acre section.  Just for a minute.  I only have to look around and realise just how good we have got it and what lies ahead if I just keep moving forward. Our piece of the country right in town.  Because amongst the weeds there is goodness.  Plants have held on and are pushing through.  It just takes the time to clear away the things that hold them back.  We have done a lot in the five years that we have been here.

So it is with me. I have many seeds of thought that I have planted but they struggle through trying to grow amongst the noise that is my life.  The more often I weed the things that hold me back from doing what I should be, the more I grow.  As I caught up with blogs that I read I came across this post.  While the content caught my eye as I had recently written a similar post it was the quote in the picture that held me for longer -  'she loved life and it loved her right back'

To love life is a choice not a reaction to the circumstances I find myself in.  Time to pull weeds.

I choose - June

I choose

Only half way through the month.  I realised as I reflect on last month and look ahead to what I wanted to focus on this month, I have unintentionally achieved what I wanted to look at for this month.  It just goes to show that when you place things visibly before you they are more obvious.

My intentions from One Little Word for June is 'enough faith'. So many self help books and goal setting advice strives for a balanced life.  It was life changing when I came to the knowledge that to live fully I need to embrace the different elements of my life, not try and fit them into a certain time slot in my day or week.  In Stephen Covey's book 7 Habits of Highly Effective People he highlights the 4th Habit - Put First Things first as setting what is most important and putting it first.  To know what is important we need to look at what we centre our life on.  In this post from my series enough I touched on what that looks like for me.  Not Christ first - but Christ centred.

So I look back to look forward.  Last month's intentions will filter through to now as I continue with what enough faith looks like for me.

Choices for June

 Take part in study groups at church
Take Hello Mornings to the next level
Pray like I mean it

 Worship more than just on Sunday

I choose - May

I Choose

A change of season and I need to remember just what the cooler weather brings.  I can see why animals go into hibernation.  I have struggled to be motivated towards doing much of anything.  Combined with weekend's taken up with conferences, starting soccer and sickness I just haven't gotten to it.

I have found setting my goals each month really worth while.  I have had in mind the focus that I want to work towards.  This blog is certainly a great tool in keeping me on track..... when I write.  As I look back at April's intentions I see that one of my choices was to write the blog posts that have been waiting to be written.  I have so many ideas that I want to put here.  I need to take my own advice.  Instead of looking at all of it and doing nothing I need to look at one thing I can do and just start.  One of the best pieces of advice that I have taken from this class is the beauty in setting new choices each month.  You can look at what you put and discard it or move forward with it.  No sense beating yourself up about not achieving what you wanted.

I was able to pack away the summer things, reorganise and mostly clean the house.  I set up things for the school holidays.  They turned out quite differently though.  I have been thinking more about the plans for the studio.  It seems to be quite far down on the list.  As for setting some dates for more social events I have ideas in the pipleline.  The next thing is to actually book them in.

My intentions from One Little Word for May was 'enough play'.  I wanted to focus on having fun and enjoying time with my boys.  To do this I can see that I need to look at my fitness and am wanting to get moving more so I have the energy to keep up with the boys.  I also want to be sure that I am doing something for me.  I know that when I do it re-energises me.

Choices for May

Make dates for social events

Buy shoes suitable for walking

Use opportunities for playtime with the boys

Organise the big things so I can do the little things that matter

Get crafting at least once a week

One Little Word - May

One Little Word

For May the prompt was about little and big messages. Putting together the words that you hear, the things that you want to listen to.

Seems like I need to listen to these words more often.  I get bogged down with all the things I want to do.  Most of the time I need to just start. I find that I feel good when I do one thing towards what I want to achieve.  It gets me one step closer to completing the task.  While I would love to have big chunks of time to get things done it isn't my reality.  So I do one thing.

One Little Word - April

One Little Word

 I went to post the prompt for May and realised that I never posted my prompt for April.  I didn't do March as it was looking at setting goals and didn't need to be posted.

So here it is.  April saw us putting together photos to represent and connect with our word

I enjoyed finding photos of our life that connected with my word - enough.  I can see how I am using it in the everyday.

Okay with the messy

At any given time my bench is filled with produce from the garden

As much as I would like at least the beds made I still walk out without them done

There was more to do on this day than wipe the crumbs from the table before I went out.  They stayed till the end of the day when I came home.

There's always gonna be another mountain.  I'm always gonna want to make it move.

Always gonna be an uphill battle,  sometimes I'm gonna have to lose

It ain't about how fast I get there, ain't about what's waiting on the other side. 

It's the climb

The climb - Miley Cyrus. 

The last month has been quite a climb. I have been here there and everywhere; for everyone and it's been messy. Finding yourself again in the messy is a good thing. It makes you more aware of what is good and what is right. So I didn't finish some of the things I wanted to, there is always tomorrow. What counts is how I spend my day and where I am headed, who I am doing all this for. I may get distracted by all the social media, but it leads me home to what I need to hear. While I haven't been writing here I've been listening and lived and learned. The little things have made big differences.

I read this post by Ann at A Holy Experience and this one at Allume and another at to Overflowing.  No matter what you see of others or read or think, we are all messy and in need of grace.  No matter how much you seek what is perfect you will always come up short.

So what if I was to look at all of this from a different view?

In the devotion for her book 1000 gifts, Ann Voskamp describes well how 'we elevate what we deem beautiful, endeavour to create spheres of pristine beauty and perhaps rightly so, for "what ever is good, pure, lovely, think on these things" But I wonder if maybe in the upside-down kingdom of God, what we regard as unlovely is, in Jesus, lovely.  Because somewhere, underneath the grime of this broken world, everything has the radiant fingerprints of God on it.  Seeing the world with Jesus' eyes, we have the astonishing opportunity to daily love the unlovely into loveliness.'

So my bench covered in food to be sorted - a blessing of what has been provided and what I can share

My unmade beds - extra sleep after a later night with lots of fun and laughter

The crumbs and mess on the table - a meal together and memories of treasures collected and still to be sorted

How about you?  Do you find yourself at the end of the day wondering just what you got done and was it worth it?  Are you waiting for things to be perfect before you do that thing that you have been wanting to?  What about stopping and looking at the messy and seeing it for what it really is.