To Find A Silver Lining

Coming up on August 10th... you can read my first ever post  here!  Trust me; nothing inspirational about that, but gave me room for improvement! Who'd have thought I could be this consistent for a whole year, if anything - my posts have not only increased in length, but in regularity also; something else which surprises me! I am normally a 'go hard and fizzle out' kind of person, so am quietly rather proud of myself ;-)! I am thinking up a 'Things I have learnt About Myself' post regarding my blogging... hopefully I'll have that written and ready to post on August 10th! Anyway, this is just a quick 'wow' post before heading off to bed! Elizabeth

FEAR I was struggling with anxiety when I wrote this - I had completed my year of counselling (working through the abuse), had applied for and been accepted into Waikato School of Education to complete my degree; so was in the process of moving again. This time, it scared me... I felt like a different person, but still didn't know who I was. But I was reminded, time and again, that I needed to learn to hang onto God through good and bad times.                          F            Is for frightened                                       Like a child, of the night                                       But then the morning comes                                       And dispels it with the light                         E              Is for enough                                        Enough of the game                                        For fear can eat us up                                        And knows us all by name                            A            Is for att

I wholeheartedly believe that no matter what is happening in your life, there is always something that you can be thankful for... no matter how simple it is.  Linking up with  PaisleyJade So many things to love... but there has been a few things I haven't been loving this week also; namely two tummy bugs (minor ones thankfully) which have swept through our small family (poor Button getting the worst of them both)! Two in one week feels a little unfair really - but never mind, we seem to have finally come out the other end now. So for what I am loving though: 1) Husbands who come home when asked... after waking up to another tummy bug on Monday (Button - not me this time), I got through the morning but then started feeling overwhelmed. Rang hubby at work, and instead of a 'harden up' lecture like I expected; he offered to come straight home. Awww - so sweet, and so appreciated (especially when he turned up with a chocolate bar for me . Hmmm - I sense a reoccurring  t

There has been a polar-blast today... even Auckland has felt it, not getting over 9.6oC ALL DAY! I don't think I have been SO grateful for our lovely warm fire as I am right now :-)! However, despite that - I braved the elements late this afternoon to take some photos of the gorgeous sky & cloud formations for your viewing pleasure (and for posterity of course)! They look like snow clouds to me (says she who has never seen 'snow clouds' in my life)! I needed something to cheer me up though, Button and I shared a tummy bug (just a slight one - hence why she was off-colour) last week... both managed to bounce back over the weekend. Then this morning I woke up to a diarrhea filled nappy, three times - urghhh! I know, I know - too much information; but that's what you get on blogs ;-)!!!! Anyway, hope these pictures take your breath away just like the gorgeous landscape (sky-scape?) did for me late this afternoon! Elizabeth

I have just spent TWO hours sorting Button's clothes... seriously, who knew it would take that long! It went from this (taking over the ENTIRE spare bed): To this: And now all the 'Too Small' clothes have also been sorted, boxed and stored (for maybe one day in the future): So - that was my Saturday evening... hoping yours was a lot more interesting :-)! Elizabeth!

Self-explanatory really :-)!  Although no music has ever been put to it again... Never-Ending Grace VERSE ONE I long to be better I long to be able to Run to You with everything And to trust You implicitly In every area of my life But I’ve been hurt bad Although I know You care And You long to heal me Still my heart refuses to accept What my head already knows CHORUS Thank You Lord for being patient I wanna Thank You Lord for Your love And when I feel the past Start once again To play with my soul I wanna Thank you Lord for Your never-ending grace VERSE TWO I stuff things up Again and again I fail miserably Over and over All the lessons You’re trying to teach And when I can’t go Any further alone You’re there to take my hand You’ve been there all along And I really should have known BRIDGE You’re my Saviour My Lord And even when I feel Like the whole world is against me I know I should... © 6th October 1998

SO much to be thankful for this week - so look out, it's gonna be a LONG post ;-)! I wholeheartedly believe that no matter what is happening in your life, there is always something that you can be thankful for... no matter how simple it is.  Linking up with  PaisleyJade 1) Free Healthcare for under 6 year olds! Button has not been herself this week, so I had her checked over this afternoon in case of ear infections etc! Thankfully she is all good... a big relief going into the weekend! Guess it's just teething again ;-)! 2) Birthday money that goes a LONG way - some fabulous books in this pile!  'Watch Over Me' by Christa Parrish is FANTASTIC, one of the best reads I have had for a long time! A 'bucket and towel' book as my Mum calls it (made me cry lots)!!!! 3) GORGEOUS weather... we had three-four beautiful days this week, and we went out and made the most of it (and loads of washing got dry on the line)! LOVED it! 4) And gorgeous days meant lo

Book Review: Jesus, My Father, The CIA, and Me A Memoir... of sorts. Written by: Ian Morgan Cron This book is a non-fiction work (a memoir of sorts) about a young boy growing up in a home with an alcoholic father. It is, at places, difficult to read due to some of the harrowing experiences Ian (and his family) go through at the hands of his father, but it is also refreshingly real, and at times, funny! I found the style of this book very easy to read - Ian allows it to flow, despite at times, back-tracking to go into more depth about a memory or a story. This, quite often, can make the storyline jerky and difficult to pick up and put down. The story is a story of hope - all the way through, you can see how God keeps intervening in Ian's life; despite Ian choosing to walk away from the church in his teenage years. I found it quite remarkable how there were so many God-moments orchestrated through-out his life even when he was at his lowest points... I also found it encouraging

Unrequited Love This was written after having 'fallen in-love' with a friend... unfortunately another friend was also besotted, and appeared to have gained the young man's interest! I am sure we have all 'been there and done that' at some stage or another; and the feelings can be related to!  You will see that as the poem goes on I am 'talking to God' (although He remains un-named)... you will actually find that in a lot of my poems from now on, as I use this as a way of working through issues. This is one of the reasons why I have not shared my poetry much in the past, or considered ever asking for advice - just too personal! I can’t help this pain My heart got carried away On a symphony of hope And sometimes I can still Hear that soft sweet sound As it glides gently past me But then the ugly noise comes A booming away in my ears And my head roars as that Little green eyed monster Comes charging back up Inside of me causing havoc And with the intensity