Tag: Faith

Thanking God for …

This has been a difficult week but like all weeks, one in which God has given me much to be thankful for. The unexpected sunshine for a start! Something September does not guarantee to deliver so each additional day of it, is a treat to be savoured. For me this meant the joy and freedom of cycling to my health club instead of driving. And even eating meals outside – I love to be outside without being rained/snowed on, or frozen.

On Tuesday I took delivery of a stunning, red leather settee and chaise. Wow! I didn’t even know I needed these until I walked in to the charity shop that was selling them! I’ve been reclaiming my house throughout this year, when health has allowed. In addition to increasing comfort levels wherever and however possible, I am increasing colour levels!  Out with the beige and in with the bold, bright and beautiful colours!  I love these. And I had the privilege of praying the life and love of Jesus over the delivery driver.

On Wednesday night when I joined the local Menopause café, I got to see the beautiful, beaming smile of a good friend, have a hug and learn some new facts. A hattrick of things that I love.

Yesterday, while making the most of the sunshine, I took myself out in to the green open spaces that I am surrounded by. Here I bumped in to some members of my Christian family who I was able to pray with. Further along on my walk, I was greeted by the stunning sight of the last of the sunflowers. Beautiful!

Last night, I did a radio interview with a fabulous neighbour of almost thirty years ago and friend ever since! I asked Jesus to help us flow and … we flowed! I was able to share the learning from my 50thspeech as to how a strong faith in Jesus combined with a loving family, helps us to turn all crap in to fertiliser for growth! This week has offered a steep learning curve accompanied by some growing pains and powerful learning to carry forward.

I’ve been a member of my health club for four weeks now. Each week when I step on the body mass measuring machine, it tells me what my percentage of muscle mass and fat mass are. The muscle has been on a consistent upward trajectory, where the fat mass has been on a consistent downward trajectory. I have been hugely encouraged to see that my efforts have been paying off here.

However, today when I stepped on the machine, my muscle mass was back down to my original start point and my body fat has increased. I was disappointed by this but not entirely surprised given the volume of stress and subsequent struggle to stomach food that this week has involved.

Oh well, I consoled myself with the knowledge that what I have lost in physical muscle mass, I have gained in spiritual muscle!!

And the biggest gift of the week to thank God for is the huge, loving, wise, truthful family who have loved, supported, prayed for me and confirmed God’s directive to me throughout the whole week – that’s pure gold right there.

I am thanking God for the opportunity to consolidate the learning of the past three years/a lifetime, by applying it to the recent challenge. There is always a gift of growth in every stinking, steaming pile of crap!

The Queen

What a shock this past week has been.

Of course on a purely intellectual level, it is not really surprising that a woman of ninety six who is grieving the loss of a husband of seventy years, as well as the grief of other family issues, has now died.

And yet, this was no ordinary woman in any ordinary position. 

This was a woman who impacted the masses and who was known the world over as simply ‘the Queen’.

Those who met her were struck by her radiance, smile, humour and humanity.

As one of the masses who never saw or met her, I was surprised by my own sadness.  Whilst I didn’t follow her every move, I realise now that I had internalised something of the constancy, steadfastness and calm that her presence provided.  I found myself feeling that we have lost a layer of protection somehow through her death.

I can’t fully profess to understand my grief but know only that it is part of the collective grief that we will all experience slightly differently dependent upon our own personal history around loss.

I have nothing but respect and admiration for the way in which the Queen whole heartedly walked the talk of her first speech in committing her life to serving us.  I am pretty sure we will never realise the true cost to her or her loved ones of such an unwavering dedication to the world beyond her own.

Whilst she was a woman in what was and still is in many ways, a man’s world, men in power, the world over, sought an audience with her.

Personally, I respected her open acknowledgement of her own faith whilst equally respecting people of all faiths or none.

And I find it inspiring to hear how she impacted people of all ages and stages of life.

What a woman. 

What a gift. 

What a loss.

I pray now that the God of all comfort will comfort all of us who mourn her death, especially her own family.

And I hope that Charles knows that the God who strengthened and sustained his mother can do the same with him.