Yesterday...cleaning car day!!!

Hey what do you think? Doesn´t it look nice and clean! No 3 and I did the one over to it yesterday and I put the little teddy in for fun.....to add that special touch!

As I was driving it this morning to do that all wonderful grocery shopping that I love, I couldn´t help but enjoy how clean my windshield was! I could see so clearly now.... I realized just how quickly I had gotten used to the rain stained windscreen even though it didn´t give me very clear vison...

Oh yes I could see, but once the window was really clean it dawned on me just how dirty it had become! How easy it was to just live with the dirt, to adjust and accept this blurred view of the road.

Aren´t we like that in how we view life sometimes? We just accept the dirt... You could liken it to those unforgiven offenses, our pride, our sins and even our dreams can become responsible of misting up our vision of God, others and ourselves.

It reminds me of those verses ,now we seem dimly through a stained glass...one day we shall see Him as he truly is...

1 Cor 13:12Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.

Even so, God does show us glimpses of his truth and glory through our dirty windshields. He does promise us a good cleaning ( cleanse us from all sin..) and leave us sparkling clean like my lovely Citroen ZX!!!! then we start to see things as God sees them!!!!!

On Sunday the speaker in church shared from Rom12: v2

Then you will be able to test and approve what God´s will is... his good, pleasing and perfect will.

I felt like God was saying to me that this was what I needed to do to keep my spiritual windshield clean... to renew my mind in His Word and then I will be able to "see" and know what God´s will is.....

The way will be clear...just as clear as my car windscreen is today!!!!!!

The Cracked Water Pot

A water bearer in India had two large pots, each hung on each end of a pole which he carried across his neck.

One of the pots had a crack in it, and while the other pot was perfect and always delivered a full portion of water at the end of the long walk from the stream to the master's house, the cracked pot arrived only half full.

For a full two years this went on daily, with the bearer delivering only one and a half pots full of water in his master's house.

Of course, the perfect pot was proud of its accomplishments, perfect to the end for which it was made. But the poor cracked pot was ashamed of its own imperfection, and miserable that it was able to accomplish only half of what it had been made to do.

After two years of what it perceived to be a bitter failure, it spoke to the water bearer one day by the stream. "I am ashamed of myself, and I want to apologize to you."

"Why?" asked the bearer. "What are you ashamed of?"

"I have been able, for these past two years, to deliver only half my load because this crack in my side causes water to leak out all the way back to your master's house. Because of my flaws, you have to do all of this work, and you don't get full value from your efforts," the pot said.

The water bearer felt sorry for the old cracked pot, and in his compassion he said, "As we return to the master's house, I want you to notice the beautiful flowers along the path."

Indeed, as they went up the hill, the old cracked pot took notice of the sun warming the beautiful wild flowers on the side of the path, and this cheered it some.

But at the end of the trail, it still felt bad because it had leaked out half its load, and so again it apologized to the bearer for its failure.

The bearer said to the pot, "Did you notice that there were flowers only on your side of your path, but not on the other pot's side? That's because I have always known about your flaw, and

I took advantage of it. I planted flower seeds on your side of the path, and every day while we walk back from the stream, you've watered them. For two years I have been able to pick these beautiful flowers to decorate my master's table. Without you being just the way you are, he would not have this beauty to grace his house."

The moral of this story is:
Each of us has our own unique flaws.

We're all cracked pots. But it's the cracks and flaws we each have that make our lives together so very interesting and rewarding.

You've just got to take each person for what they are, and look for the good in them.

There is a lot of good out there.

There is a lot of good in you! Blessed are the flexible, for they shall not be bent out of shape.

Remember to appreciate all the different people in your life!

When what kids say hits the nail on the head!!!

I had these sent to me by email and I just HAD to share them with you. I love how honest kids are I, and I do believe they say things that we would WISH we could say... hahaha.... enjoy!

Hey I was tagged....

My cousin Karen has tagged me with a meme ... here it is:

Accent....

My accent is no longer the pure Guernsey English accent I once owned! I left home when I was 17yrs and have since been surrounded by Americans and other foreigners and my accent has become a melting pot of the above influences..... I must point out thought, that as soon as I am with my fellow country men I rediscover my accent and language roots, in some sort of adaptation metamorphosis, magically resorts to the "original settings!!!"

I don´t drink.....

Alcohol either.... just don´t like the taste of wine or beer or the like.... except for a Baileys or Sheridans.. oh actually come to think of it ...I do indulge in cider too... hmmm... but I am really more of a tea drinker... that´s what hits it for me!!!!



Chore I hate...

lots! I especially dislike window cleaning...that has got to be the most boring of tasks and in my house rarely gets done....

Pets

Yes! I adore cats...have 4 females including grandma, mum and 2 daughters... 1 fox terrier called Lady.. an extremely nervous creature... and 2 gold fish...

Essential Electronics

I have to agree that that would be the computer without too much thought... closely followed by the phone and now that my hair is longer.... my hair curler!!!!!!

Perfume

My favourite at present is Jean Paul Gaultier...had it passed on from a good friend... sadly very expensive.... a close runner up is Anaïs, Anaïs by cacharel and the 3rd winner is Hugo Boss woman....

Gold or Silver

Hmm I don´t really know... I have both...but I do tend to wear more "fashion jewelry".

Insomnia

Hardly ever. I thank God that I almost never have problems sleeping...it´s a real blessing... In fact before I had kids I worried if I would even HEAR them because I sleep so deep. But as any mother knows... the mother hearing sense is well alert once your womb starts producing!

Job Title

I am proud to be a Mum which includes: Psychology, Psychiatry, counselling, culinary excellence, interior decorating profie, sports specialist, teacher, arts and crafts connoisseur...hmmm list is endless...

Most admired Trait

Some of the traits I most admire in others are consistency, steadfastness and loyalty.

Phobia

I don´t really have anything in particular... but I am not a big fan of being in big crowds....

Religion
christian


Siblings

I am the last born of 3.... (girl, boy, girl) I think by the time my parents got to me, they got the mix just right....hahahahah!

Time I wake up
During school (I am on summer vacation right now!!) it´s 6:45....am . Now on the holidays it´s usually around 9:00am... I get to stay in bed and read!!!love it!!!


Unusual talent or skill
None really... I can´t think of anything unusual.

Vegetable I refuse to eat
That´s easy.... brussel sprouts! I will eat them if I have to... but they are mega yuk.

Worst habit
Answering before I hear the whole story... or judging before I get all the info. usually with my kids...

Xrays
None.... never broken a bone....


Favourite Meal

I love Indian stuff......

I tag the following people:

spookie
Bunny girl
Karolee
Demara
Debra

A day in the life of my kiddies

Big kiddie nº1 posing with his guitar...looking cool!

Kiddie Nº3 was all of creative today and made her own version of my 1920´s telephone....not bad eh....

This is a day in the life of my son nº2!! Doesn´t it look nasty???? he slipped by the side of the pool and this was the result! Poor guy.... luckily it didn´t hurt as bad as it looked..sting yes it did....

Oh look what the wind blew in!

I don´t know if you can recognize these objects on my kitchen floor...I am sure most mums do...but just in case the photo isn´t to clear I will let you know that they are: cheerios!



Yes that is right, the cheerio cereals. By now you are wondering what is going on in this scattered brain of mine. What would push me to take pictures of old cereals on my kitchen floor.?????

Well when I was cleaning the kitchen yesterday these cereals were nowhere to be found. But they did appear when I "swooshed" my mop underneath the fridge...Seeing those cheerios made my mind go back in time... I remember there had been an accident.



(Yeah right!!!!)

I ,very dumbly I might add, keep my cereals in one of my higher cupboards because it´s a small kitchen and that is the only cupboard that the cereal boxes fit it!!!!( yeah, why don´t they make them short and fat rather that tall and skinny???)

Well it doesn´t take too long to figure out what happened. You mix a child, standing on a stool and a box of open cereal.... what do you get???????? A cereal bath on the kitchen floor.

Naturally, time has passed on since that culinary tragedy, and just the other day while I was doing my cleaning bit, I rediscovered some of the remains of the cheerio mass. They had "snuck" underneath the fridge not to be seen! How sneaky can you get???



As I gazed at these remnant cheerios I was reminded at how there are issues in our lives that "sneak away" back into the archives of our hearts, but that come up again for round 2 as it were.

Not that they weren´t dealt with back then, but that through the swooshing of God´s heavenly mop, God brings to light remnants of a past hurt, struggle , injustice or temptation (fill in the blank!) because He wants to do round 2 of the healing process... Yes God´s got a spiritual cleaning company with the Holy Spirit as his CEO!



In the last couple of days, I have been struggling with issues of injustice that have happened in the past and God was bringing them up for round 2. Reading proverbs has served to bring great comfort during this spiritual cleaning session and I am giving God these left over cheerios and accepting his 2nd time around healing !!!! I am sure there will be round 3, 4 and 5 and 6 ...till infinity..or better said...heaven!

Even though God will continually be working on us... we know that:

Math911

This is just toooooo funny

Who is in your front row?

I visited this blog the other day and was really challenged by this article. Just click on the title and you will be linked to Dianne´s blog and read a very interesting post about who is in your front row.

I found it both challenging and eye opening and it´s a good reminder to evaluate our lives. I hope it is a blessing!

Back to Basics!

You know, we may run around all over the world, meet a universe full of new people, have a milky way of experience but in the end when the rubber meets the road; it´s those faithful basics in God´s word that help us through. I received this in an email and thought it was worth reminding ourselves of these truths....

HANDY LITTLE CHART

God has a positive answer:

YOU SAY .............GOD SAYS

"It's impossible" ------All things are possible Luke 18:27)

"I'm too tired" ------I will give you rest (Matthew 11:28-30)

"Nobody really loves me" -----I love you (John 3:1 6 & John 3:34)

"I can't go on" ------My grace is sufficient(II Corinthians 12:9 & Psalm 91:15)

"I can't figure things out"----- I will direct your steps (Proverbs 3:5- 6)

"I can't do it" ------You can do all things(Philippians 4:13)

"I'm not able" ------I am able (II Corinthians 9:8)

"It's not worth it"------- It will be worth it (Roman 8:28 )

"I can't forgive myself"------ I Forgive you (I John 1:9 & Romans 8:1)

"I can't manage"------- I will supply all your needs (Philippians 4:19)

"I'm afraid" -------I have not given you a spirit of fear (II Timothy 1:7)

"I'm always worried and frustrated" -----Cast all your cares on ME (I Peter 5:7)

"I'm not smart enough" ------I give you wisdom (I Corinthians 1:30)

"I feel all alone"------ I will never leave you or forsake you (Hebrews 13:5)


Now isn´t that a great reminder for whatever "ails" you?????

Nice Matters Award

"This award is for those bloggers who are nice people; good blog friends and those who inspire good feelings and inspiration. Also for those who are a positive influence on our blogging world. Once you've been awarded please pass it on to others who you feel are deserving of this award."

I am blessed when I get a recognition like this, who wouldn´t be? Then I get panicky and think who should I pass this onto...quickly!

I don´t know many people in blog land so giving the award to the same people seems kinda of repetitive and the award then somehow looses it´s value. So I thought I would nominate a person I have just visited once and where I .. really felt welcome. Someone who is a nice person. The kind of person I would like to get to know better.

She is demara http://demarablog.com/.

Thanks Cos Karen for always thinking about me...I am honoured...

The Proverbs Challenge - Notes

As I started this morning to catch up on my 9 chapters, I felt an sense of anticipation and excitement. I am encouraged by the fact that many of you have joined "The Proverbs Challenge" and feel a kind of "brotherhood (maybe sisterhood would be more appropriate!!)and connection, in spite the miles and cultures, in discovering God´s word together. It´s such a neat idea and I am thankful for a new "ump" in my bible reading... Lord knows I needed it!

As I read these verses, I am reminded that man is the same all over the world, country to country, culture to culture and from age to age. Yes, the heart of man is still confronted with the same temptations as in the beginning of time, which can be summed up into what I like to call the the basic 3: Power, Sex and Money.




In proverbs we are situated in where these 3 areas are exactly what Solomon is warning against.... , stealing from others, the wayward wife/prostitute and challenging the reader to be humble.

I discovered in Cap 3:27 a verse that really echoed in my spirit. "Do not withhold good from those who deserve it, when it is your power to act."

I feel like this is my life´s motto ... my statement of faith if you wish. I have always had this drive, and now I realize that it is something that God has placed in me. I am glad to rediscover this verse and claim it as my own.

Do you not think that it is interesting that in Chap 6:16, Solomon says there are 6 things that the Lord hates and seven that are detestable to him... why is there a distinction between 6 and 7? Why does he not just write 7 and that´s it? I wanted to throw out that question!

Proverbs is the Holy Spirit constantly warning us to avoid roads that will lead us into sin.... and roads that lead to a depth of sin that means death in this life and the next.

But God will never leave us without His help. Wisdom is crying out in the streets so it is not hard to find if we really care about pleasing God. It´s not hidden or outside the realm of the possible. It is like God, in his love, sets up spiritual "traffic lights" to help us on our way.

Proverbs are the Bible´s version of traffic lights in our Christian walk.

This is Stop. Obvious. The Holy Spirit is saying don´t got there... don´t even think about it!

... orange for...watch out that might not be your best move...proceed with caution... have you spiritual senses on alert...

and then Green is: this is the way, walk ye in it. Full steam ahead.

With all this help we still have that still, small voice from behind whispering directions and truth like the entrusted coach, ever present, ever wise and ever faithful.

"But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin." I John 1:7

The Proverbs Challenge

I just wanted to encourage you guys to jump on the bandwagon with this terrific initiative! Even though I just found out about this today...I thought I would catch up with the rest. Click on the title for info on how to get involved!

Something you didn't know about me!

I wanted to do a "tag" thing out there to all my friends in blogville... I don´t really know how to do that ... I guess it´s just a matter that if you are up to the challenge you can write a post answering this question!

Sometimes you can know someone for a long time and still be caught by surprise on discovering something you didn´t know about them. While I was visiting Bunnygirl's blog http://razors-edge-of-insanity.blogspot.com/ blog I was amazed to discover that she had a close encounter with death at the age of 7 ! This reminded me that I too had a close encounter with death at the age of 4 under completely different circumstances. This in turn surprised, my cousin who immediately wanted to know more about this experience...

So hence, the decision to write about a post about my encounter and encourage you to think about sharing something about yourself that most people don´t know about you...I think it could be fun! I am always amazed by the fact that there is so much more to everyone than meets the eye. Like God, we should be quicker to look at the heart and not on the surface.......

To begin my story, I must go back to when I was born. (oh no you cry...this is going to be a loooooooooooooooooong story!! take heart... it's not going to be that bad!!!! But it is necessary to bring understanding later!!!

Just 6 weeks after giving birth to me, my mother came down with a very mysterious illness that rendered her paralyzed from the neck down. Due to her obvious handicaps, my brother(4yrs at the the time) and I were given over to relatives to be taken care of. As I was such a difficult and inconsolable baby, my Auntie and Uncle couldn't´t handle me and handed me back to be taken care of by my older sister (who was 13yrs old and remained home with my Dad) and my Grandma.

As you can imagine it was a very difficult time for all concerned. My Dad was working 2 jobs and my sister was thrown into the role of motherhood and it´s consequent responsibilities together with my gran. All the time each one having to deal with the fear for my mother´s life, who at this point had been sent to a hospital in England for special care and tests. In the light of these circumstances, it is not hard to understand that I developed a symbiotic relationship to my sister in the absence of my mother.

It´s a long story, but one filled with hope, because the Lord began a work of healing in my mother and within that same year she came back home, began to walk and experienced complete healing. It was also during this time that my parents committed their lives to the Lord.

When I was 5 years old, my sister now at the tender age of 17yrs, left home to go to university and I suddenly became very ill. I can recall the feeling that a single sheet on me weighed as if it were a 1000 tons. Naturally I couldn't´t attend school and I remember crying because I missed the school Christmas party! I don´t know how long I was ill, but I do remember that my parents were so worried that I was in danger that they sent for a doctor to come to the house. (in those days that was only done in very dire circumstances!) Apparently the doctor could not find any physical reason for my sickness. My mum though, was convinced that I was pinning for my sister.

It was only years later that both my sister and I understood this to be true. Obviously the Lord touched both my body and my soul, because I recovered and am here today to tell the story!!! I am a walking example that God can heal those inner wounds!

What is it about you that I don´t know?