Tag: emotional

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#blogjune Blogging challenges

Sipping from the saucer #11

I work at a Christian school. The pastor of the church which established our school has a saying: “The LORD has blessed me so much, my cup is overflowing (taken from Psalm 23) and I’m sipping from the saucer.”

I like the visual, so I’m using it here, in this month-long blogging challenge focusing on the blessings God has poured out on me.

Today: blessing #11.

I logged into Facebook on Sunday night , for the first time since early Thursday morning last week. Thursday was my birthday, and it had slipped my mind that I might be getting birthday wishes on social media.

So my surprise was quite great indeed, at seeing so many notifications due to birthday well-wishes from friends and family near and far.

Youz guyz are AWESOME!!!

Which is why you’re my overflowing blessing today. Thanks, my friends, for being you. I love you all to bits!

And here’s praying that you, too, have blessing-filled days today 🙂

-KRidwyn

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#blogjune Blogging challenges Christianity family anecdotes Life More about me

Sipping from the saucer #6

I work at a Christian school. The pastor of the church which established our school has a saying: “The LORD has blessed me so much, my cup is overflowing (taken from Psalm 23) and I’m sipping from the saucer.”

I like the visual, so I’m using it here, in this month-long blogging challenge focusing on the blessings God has poured out on me.

Today, blessing #6.

It’s my birthday today. I love that I’ve managed to make it to 44 without too much damage, physically or emotionally, to myself… and hopefully also, to those I’ve interacted with over the past 40-something years!

Anyway, yesterday after work, I arrived home with my cherubs remembering what state I’d left the house in, that morning. Knowing that Hubby would be leaving during the day for a three day conference, I’d done only the ‘most-urgent’ of the housework that morning (plates into the sink, not even rinsed) because I’d be able to complete the rest of it in the afternoon, at a more leisurely pace, without feeling as though I was a ‘bad housewife’ – because of the lack of a Hubby to witness just how lazy I could be! (And how slowly I could get it done…)

So I unlocked the house and walked in – and found the kitchen and dining room clean, a HUGE bunch of flowers on the table, and a box of chocolates and note with them!

“Happy birthday my love!!! Sorry I’m away. See you soon. Love Ian.”

I must admit, I found it difficult to read through the tears in my eyes. What a sweetheart!

And if Hubby isn’t a blessing from the One who created me, I don’t know what is.

I hope you have an awesome day today too, dear Reader!

– KRidwyn

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#blogjune Blogging challenges

Sipping from the saucer #5

I work at a Christian school. The pastor of the church which established our school has a saying: “The LORD has blessed me so much, my cup is overflowing (taken from Psalm 23) and I’m sipping from the saucer.”

I like the visual, so I’m using it here, in this month-long blogging challenge focusing on the blessings God has poured out on me.

Today, blessing #5.

Decades ago, I remember Hubby and I listening to a tape (yes, tape – I *did* just say ‘decades ago!’) by Christian speaker Chuck Missler, on the Old Testament passage where the Israelites were in a battle against their enemies, and God was fighting alongside them with hailstones. And more were killed by hailstones than by the Israelites. Chuck Missler made the point that God must have a pretty amazing aim! To be able to set into motion the hail – in exactly the right places so that only Israel’s enemies were killed, and not the Israelites themselves! (Whoever heard of hail discriminating before?)

Anyway, knowing about that story makes mine own tale of blessing seem like child’s play. And yet to me, it was miraculous. You see, it was just about to start POURING down as I was leaving a late-night church meeting, and the car park was pitch black and not covered. So I ran towards the driver’s door, thinking ‘how on earth am I going to be able to see the lock to open the door, and get inside before the rain starts?’

I arrived at my door, key at the ready, about to start fumbling when ‘flash’  the sky lit up, the instant I had my key near where I thought the lock would be. Lightning had streaked across the sky, making the car door as distinct as if it had been broad daylight. The key went straight in, and I was able to slide into the driver’s seat, close the door and even turn the engine on before the thunder rumbled.

How cool was THAT?!!!

God is truly an awesome God, don’t you think?

Anyway, that’s my ‘blessing’ for today. Have a great one, dear Reader – and I’ll see you tomorrow for blessing #6!

KRidwyn

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#blogjune Blogging challenges Christianity

Sipping from the saucer #4

I work at a Christian school. The pastor of the church which established our school has a saying: “The LORD has blessed me so much, my cup is overflowing (taken from Psalm 23) and I’m sipping from the saucer.”

I like the visual, so I’m using it here, in this month-long blogging challenge focusing on the blessings God has poured out on me.

Today, blessing #4.

When I was 17, I started dating a guy who smoked. Being from a family of non-smokers, he was my first introduction to cigarettes. After a little while, I too started the habit.

We broke up, the boy and I, and a little while later (and with the help of more than a few Snickers bars!) I quit too. And haven’t touched them since.

Nor do I like the smell of smoke, be it from cigarettes, cigars, wood smoke or traffic fumes. So when I was clearing up our backyard after a storm recently, burning off all the fallen branches (we live on acreage, with significant numbers of branch-dropping gum trees) I was raking up around the bonfire, and was finishing up the last section that wasn’t smoke covered. All that was left was to rake the small section that was currently covered by the smoke from the fire.

I figured I’d need to wait, and rake that section when the wind changed direction. The thought crossed my mind that it’d be really cool if the wind could swing just at that moment, so I wouldn’t have to wait, but I mentally laughed at myself and started walking away.

Then the smoke cleared. The wind had dropped, meaning that all the smoke rose skyward, straight up, and the area that I hadn’t yet raked was smoke-free! I guffawed – how awesome is my God, huh?! So I raked it, praising God, and then the wind returned and smoke covered that area again when I’d finished.

That had me smiling for the rest of the day. In fact, I’m smiling now, recounting the story to you.

What a great God He is!

Here’s praying that you have an amazing day, dear Reader 🙂

– KRidwyn

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#blogjune Blogging challenges Christianity

Sipping from the saucer #3

I work at a Christian school. The pastor of the church which established our school has a saying: “The LORD has blessed me so much, my cup is overflowing (taken from Psalm 23) and I’m sipping from the saucer.”

I like the visual, so I’m using it here, in this month-long blogging challenge focusing on the blessings God has poured out on me.

Today, blessing #3.

As some of you know, I’m one of those crazy people who drives to the gym for an early-morning session before the rest of the world gets up.

Well, I was driving home after my session recently when I noticed a car behind me was driving with no lights on. We were in an 80-kilometre-an-hour section of road, heading quickly toward the 110-kilometre-an-hour section, and when I say the car had no lights on, that’s what I meant. Zero lights – and the stretch of road wasn’t the safest. And it was super-dark, so I was worried for the driver’s safety. Very worried.

My first thought was, ‘How can I get the driver’s attention, to let him know?’ But there was no way I could, of course. So I turned to prayer.

“Please Lord, please let the driver of the car know that they haven’t yet turned on their lights…” and then I watched, anxiously.

Maybe five seconds passed. Literally – only five. Then their lights turned on.

How awesome is God, huh?

I mean yes, that *could* have been co-incidence… but then again, how much of ‘God-incidences- are explained away by such a ‘reason’. Me? I prefer to believe that God is involved.

Have a great day, dear Reader!-

– KRidwyn

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#blogjune Blogging challenges Christianity family anecdotes

Sipping from the saucer #1

I work at a Christian school. The pastor of the church which established our school has a saying: “The LORD has blessed me so much, my cup is overflowing (taken from Psalm 23) and I’m sipping from the saucer.”

I like the visual, so I’m using it here, in this month-long blogging challenge focusing on the blessings God has poured out on me.

Today, blessing #1.

I’m claustrophobic – so much so, that I never drive other people’s cars, and driving through roadworks, and parking in crowded car parks, unnerves me.

Well, I was having one of those days when you visit several different places in the space of just a couple of hours, with different things to do in each location, and with different children each time. The final place I wanted to get to was a shop on a main road, which offered only reverse parking, and it was 4.45pm (and the place was due to close at 5pm).

Did I mention it was school holidays? So not only was it the main road, but it was busier than normal. And I was in a rush. And this road is well known for the fact that every car park fills up within seconds of being vacated.

Miss12, sitting in the front seat, was asking me where we were going next and why I was stressing. I told her that I was going to need two car parks, one in front of the other, just to park. A statistical improbability – however, God knew what I needed.

I drove along the road. It was now 4.48pm. No sign of crowds diminishing. Then I saw it. Right out the front of the shop I was heading to: not one, but two car park spaces, one behind the other, so no reversing required.

Praise God!

Suffice to say, I had shopped and was walking out of the shop by 5pm.

Because God’s awesome like that.

Have a great day, dear Reader – and see you tomorrow!

— KRidwyn

 

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#blogjune Blogging challenges Christianity family anecdotes

Introducing #blogJune 2018

So I’ve been doing this #blogJune thing for a while now; since its commencement in 2011, as a matter of fact. Each year is different, depending on my mood and where I’m ‘at’ in life, as a wife / Mum and an employee (or lack thereof) mainly.

As the years pass, I’m noticing that age is wearying me more than I’d care to admit. And as I was reading my Bible recently, Psalm 71:18-19 jumped out at me. It reads, “So now that I’m old, and my hair is gray, don’t abandon me, God, till I have proclaimed your strength to the next generation, your power to all who will come, your righteousness too, God, which reaches to the heights. God, you have done great things; who is there like you?” and then again in verse 24a:

“All day long my tongue will speak of your righteousness.”

And the thought appeared: why not #blogJune about God’s greatness to me?

Stay tuned – if you’re interested, that is 🙂

Because coming up this month are the stories of how God has blessed me – some of them huge, some of them miniscule – but all of them unexpected, smile-making, and praise-worthy.

So, till tomorrow, have a great day, dear Reader!

— KRidwyn

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family anecdotes Random thoughts

Turn around twice…

The other evening I looked across my dining table at my Miss10 and noticed her elbows were resting as wide apart as my own. It startled me; the revelation that she wasn’t a ‘little kid’ anymore.

I shook my head, and said, “Do you know, it wasn’t that long ago when you [Miss10] were on a booster seat; you [Master9] were in a high chair; and you [Miss VERY MUCH 13, JUDGING BY THE ATTITUDE] were seated on a normal chair, with your chin just past the height of the table.”

The cherubs looked at me quizzically. “What’s a booster seat?” asked Miss10.

I sighed. Those memories, all seemingly so recent in my own mind, I had assumed were all-pervasive in my children’s too, but no. I shook my head again, then answered.

But in the back of my mind, the realisation that they were growing up, far more quickly than I had given them credit for, petrified me. My own Dad has always said, “Turn around twice and they’ll be grown” and I’d laughed and nodded indulgently. But suddenly I understood.

You get busy, life happens, and then suddenly, when you stop and notice, they’re grown and their elbows on the dining table are the same distance apart as your own. And you were so busy ‘doing’ the journey that you didn’t realise that the journey WAS happening! And yes, by ‘you’ I definitely mean ‘me’.

So I’ve decided that, like I tell my students all the time, to ‘wake up to yourself’ – I need to do this. I need to ‘wake up’ and take notice that, while all this life is happening, it REALLY IS HAPPENING and I would do well to pay attention and enjoy it while I have the opportunity!

How about you, dear Reader? Had any startling revelations lately?

And have a great week!
–KRidwyn

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momentous events Random thoughts

Getting older…

My eldest child became a teenager on the weekend. My second eldest had reached double digits 5 days earlier. Hubby had turned 46 the day before that.

Yup. Third week of January. Birthday week.

The difference, this year, was that for the first time ever, Hubby and I have more children in double digits than in single.

That made us feel old.

Then, just two days ago, when Miss12 became Miss13? Surreal doesn’t even begin to describe it.

How can I be a mother of a teenager? Seriously? Am I old enough? Responsible enough? Where’s the training manual for this section of my parenting life?!!

We spent the day together, doing things that would make memories for the two of us. She’s an awesome kid. So gentle, so caring. Love her to bits.

Not entirely appreciating though, how her milestone forces me to attain one as well.

Never mind. It was bound to happen eventually, I guess.

Have a great week, dear Reader!

– KRidwyn

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family anecdotes Life momentous events places to visit Uncategorized

Of beachworms and psychology

Fraser Island, in Queensland. One of my favouritest spots in the world.

Hubby and I have visited dozens of times, and explored pretty much everywhere, however we’ve never managed to get past Ngkala Rocks, and so have missed out on the view from the northernmost tip of the largest sand island in the world.

Not so on our most recent holiday. There with close friends, we made it past Ngkala Rocks, and kept on driving.

And made it! Photo below as proof!


On the return journey, we stopped to catch some beachworms for bait. Miss12, who’d been snarky all day because she’d wanted to go south to Eli Creek, instead of north to Sandy Cape, was surprised to see the length of the first worm Hubby caught – 80cm, at least.

She and I were sitting in the car, with everyone else outside, when I thought I’d try a psychological trick.

“I reckon you’d be good at that,” says I. “You’re good at catching lizards – catching beachworms is kinda the same thing.”

Cogs whirred. The arguments poured out ‘they’ll bite me instead of the pipi’ ‘it’s cold’ ‘I don’t want to get my feet wet’ but meanwhile we watched Hubby catching more – all a similar size. The focus of the arguments changed. ‘There’s no point now; there’s not much time left’ ‘I don’t have a pipi’ and then I let loose with the clincher.

“I’ve only ever caught maybe one or two beachworms in my life. I’m not very good at it. Oh well.”

I know my kid well. There was nothing for it but Miss12 was out of the car and into it. She even let me teach her how to get a pipi out of its shell!

Close on an hour later, the beachworm hunters returned; Miss12’s face wreathed with smiles.

Clever Mummy, says I. Perfect day indeed.

Have a great week yourself, dear Reader!

– KRidwyn