Mr Delivery

Although I know my grief will go through many phases I can rejoice in one good thing, I can truly tell that my Gran is ecstatically happy to be in heaven with her Tommy.  Part of this whole process is remembering all the wonderful stories that people tell. 

One of my Gran's favourite stories of my dad was about the times that he would go to Durban on business trips.  Whenever possible he loved to surprise Gran with a take away meal and would always ring the doorbell and say "Hello, Mr Delivery!" 

Well I can only imagine the party that broke out in heaven when Baby Smith crossed heaven's threshold.  I know there would have been mad kisses between her and Tom and I can almost imagine Tom saying, "See I told you it won't be long."  Thereafter when seeing my dad, I'm almost certain he would have been greeted with, "Ding dong, Mr Delivery!"

It is the small moments and surprises in life that make life memorable, so remember to grab every opportunity to give love and surprises to your family and loved ones.  

House and home

On Saturday I had the maintenance guys come to do the final repairs after the last bout of water damage and in order for them to paint the downstairs bathroom ceiling I had to empty it of all loose items. Seeing the raw shell of the bathroom reminded me immediately of the time my friends and I came to the house to clean it before I moved in.  A house is not a home until we fill it with things that are personal to us.

In the same way our physical bodies and earth are only our temporary building, they are here to allow us to live out God's plan for us while on earth, but heaven is our permanent home.  Today my beloved Gran Baby Smith went home to be with the Lord and her wonderful husband.  Though I am sad and devastated, I know she is rejoicing to be reunited with her beloved Tom. 

Earth is our house but heaven is our home and we can all look forward to a wonderful time of being reunited with those we have loved and miss so dearly.  For those of us left behind the journey of grief is difficult but the Holy Spirit is there to comfort us in our time of loss!

Straight talk

Today on the way home it was time for some straight talk with God. There were some things I just needed to get off my chest and tell him how I feel.  There are some things about my life that just do not make sense and it is very frustrating. 

Now I wish it had happened but there was no voice from heaven or a golden white light from above but I know God heard me and at some moment when I least expect it I'll get my answer.  That is what faith is all about, it's about believing that God hears our prayers and then having the patience to get the answer. 

So if you're feeling like your prayers are hitting a brick wall, you're not alone.  Take heart, God truly desires to meet our deepest needs and He will answer when the time is right. 

Hair hair

So the story goes that young baby Ronwyn was once removed from church for causing a disturbance.  Ja I know, hard to believe, right?  Wink wink...giggle!  Well the trouble all began when a lady with really long hair sat in the pew in front of us.  Little one, got all excited and shouted out loud in afrikaans, "Hair hair" and then proceeded to rub her little face in the ladies hair.  My poor mom didn't know where to hide. 

You see for some unknown reason I just love the feel of hair on my face, hence the reason I have locks now.  If you catch me in traffic you'll often see me rubbing my hair against my cheeks.....sorry I know it sounds funny, but I just love it!  It is soft, tickles in a nice way and is very soothing. 

The Holy Spirit is a truly powerful person  and His touch upon our lives can at times be very over powering, but more often than not, He is just gentle, soft and comforting.  He helps us to find peace and sanity at times when life is crazy busy and brings our soul to rest. 

So if you've been stressed out lately, how about asking the Holy Spirit to bring your soul some soothing peace and rest. 

From scratch

Well we still haven't had much rain, although a bit has come so more prayer about that is certainly necessary.  The temperatures did however cool enough for me to feel safe to do some gardening again.  This time I managed to pull out the lavender's and tried again to clear out the unwanted mint.  With this done I now have a blank canvas on which to restart my front garden.  The aim this time is to go for fewer but larger plants. 

The only part of this process I am not looking forward to is all the digging.  I need to reshape the garden beds and then I can start planting.  I'm still in split minds about some of the plants but I suppose I need to go with my gut feel and work from there.  Gardening has been a trial and error journey for me but one that I thoroughly enjoy.  The best part right now is being able to start using my herbs again. 

The big thing of it is that I have had to push myself with it.  I knew absolutely nothing about gardening when I started and have learned along the way.  I have worked hard to study my plants and find out what works for me.  At times it has really taken back breaking work with lots of sweat....Lol! but I have loved every second of it. 

The things in life that's the important to remember that we may have many false starts before we get to where we want to go to.  The trick is to keep at it and while you are doing so, trust God, rely on His leading and do the best you can do. 

Seeing in colour

I've always been the type to stop and pay attention to the rays of light as they pour through the clouds or the colours of the sunset on a slightly cloudy day, but since I've been painting all of a sudden I see the colours in more vivid clarity.  When you look closely you can see the the depth and light of the colours and often how many shades of orange are present in a sunset. 

We may often think of that our lives are a bit dull or dreary but that is most certainly not the case.  When we look at our lives through God's eyes we see the multiple shades of grace, mercy, forgiveness and courage that God has so majestically painted into our canvas. 

It is only when we accept the beauty of God's love present in our own lives that we can start to see the love of God for others.  When we do we will be more willing to show them grace, knowing how much grace and love God has poured out on us. 

Anything that moves

I was making coffee in our break area the other day when I spotted a fighter jet on the TV that I just couldn't take my eyes off.  The thing was a piece of beauty and looked like a cross between a Mig and Stealth fighter and was truly spectacular.  One of my male colleagues was trying talk to me but I was pretty much ignoring him while I drooled.  He was surprised at my interest and asked if I liked planes, to which I responded that I liked anything that moved.  Planes, trains, automobiles, boats, you name it, if it moves I like it! 

It was his next question that amused me most....what car do you drive?  Lol!  Response, Hyundai Atos.  Now I had some explaining to do..... I noted that my decision to buy a car with a smaller engine was precisely a result of having a slightly heavy foot...teehee!  Well you know what the bible says, if your hand causes you to sin, cut it off.   But that's not what interests me most.

First boats: Since prehistoric times
First train - primitive moving machine 600BC but first locomotive: +- 1550
First automobile: 1885

First plane: 1903

Mankind was made to move yet look how far apart these discoveries and developments in human mechanical movement have taken place.  How impatient don't we become in life when we expect change and development to come at a moments notice.  God progresses things in our lives at His pace and at His will not ours and that is very hard to accept.  I know I become easily frustrated but that is why I write to remind myself that God is in no hurry.