God is everywhere

A Rose for love

             From My Garden

Faith does not only believe that God can, but that God will.
And.... faith without works is dead.

Today is the first day of the rest of my life.
 I still have 100% of my life left to live.




I can't imagine life without God in it......
in the birth of a baby
in a child's smile
in the love of a Mother for her children
in the sincere love between husband and wife
in a beautiful sunrise or sunset
in the greeting from my dog/ cat when I come home from somewhere.
in a beautiful rose
in a sunshower
in the goodness and kindness within people.......
in the innocent eyes of my grandchildren
God is everywhere if I take the time to look.

Take time to look at all things beautiful and maybe you too will find God there. ..... and share your find. C.

Those precious Moments



An abundant crop of oranges. A reward
 like this makes gardening well worthwhile.



         From My Garden

Even if happiness forgets me sometimes I never give up .... I keep on keeping on.

I am responsible for making my own happiness.

Happiness is Not having things. It's inner peace, a spiritual glow, a reaching out to others, a love of self, and appreciation of the good things life has to offer.

Today is the first day of the rest of my life.
 I have 100% of the rest of my life to live.

To wake up to sunshine today was so uplifting. After a number of overcast, raining and gloomy days, and still suffering a little jet lag, was not very helpful to my spirits. But today is so much brighter. It was nice to get back to church and catch up.

Father John is in Vietnam for 5 weeks and we have been blessed with the prescence of Father Dan, who has such a sunny disposition. He makes any gloomy gospel reading seem bright and encouraging. Today he spoke about the disciples being sent out to preach wearing sandals and only having one tunic- to travel light. aand Father Dan said......" and when the washed their tunics they sat around in their underwear while their tunics dried"...... which made us all think about how difficult it must have been for the preachers to go out to spread God's word.

And afterwards a cuppa and scone and shared conversation with other parishioners we hadn't seen for 5 weeks. A bit of lightheartedness when, after about a half hour, Bob turned up looking a little flustered, saying that he and Father Dan had spent all that time trying to get out of the church. While he and Father Dan had been deep in conversation the church had been locked up with them still inside talking. Naturally everybody thought that was quite hilarious. But Bob wasn't impressed because he had to go back in and fix the door they had broken out of.
 Even going to church can be exciting as well as rewarding.

If I am going to continue to participate in the game of life I am going to need to continue to  appreciate each precious moment and most especially the lighthearted ones............. come join me in finding and appreciating those precious moments. C

Finding God

Tiny birdseye chillies always make a
lovely display. I use so few of them and
 the bush is always full.

              From My Garden 

                  Each time that I give love sincerely and

unselfishly, I give God, because.... God is love.

This is the first day of the rest of my life.

I still have 100% of the rest of my life to live.

I see God in the love I have for my family.

I see the goodness and kindness in people as the

God part of humankind.

 But most of all I find God in the pure innocence of a small child, and the trust and love

 they have in their parents.

It would be so good to be able to be childlike and trusting in love as little children are,

instead of growing up to be so mistrusting of everybody and everything.

If I am going to participate in the game of life, I will need to appreciate each precious moment that I have here on earth..... join me. C..

Another magic day.

From My Travels

Today is the first day of the rest of my life.
I have 100% of the rest of my life to live.

Today is a lovely sunny day - still not warm, but much more conducive to lifted spirits
We arrived in Dublin after a 31/2 journey in a really huge ferry boat.

Our first stop after leaving Wrexham in Wales was at Llangotten.
Everywhere we go it is 20p ...2p. One place it was50p.

a narrow boat travelling on a canal

Here we saw colourful narrow boats that travel on the canals in many areas of the UK.. We encountered rain here again.

We visited a pretty little village with the strange name of Betswy- Co-ed

We visited shops and a very pretty park.... and this was where the sun made an appearance. Nigel bought a raincoat. So we knew this would be the time when the rain would disappear.
On the next part of our journey we encountered bike riders, high mountains. deep valleys, hikers, slate mining, and a large lake.This was the Snowdonia region of Wales. Mt. Snowdon is the highest peak.

And on to that town with the very long name with the weirdest meaning. It was very pretty also.

The town with longest name and the weird meaning

We crossed the Menai Strait to the Isle of Anglesey where Prince William flies a rescue helicopter. He and Kate have a home here. And down to the Port of Holyhead to catch our ferry to Ireland.

 Tonight we are staying at Jurys Inn which is opposite Christchurch Cathedral -Anglican denomination. We have been out to look at the Cathedral (it is massive ) and post some postcards.

Our hotel room is very nice and inviting. We will be staying here for two nights, At 9pm. the sun is still shining brightly.

What was good today?

Visiting the place with the very long name and weird meaning.

What I was grateful for.

 That our journey so far has been a safe and interesting one.

God in my life

Sunshine, nice travelling companions, getting to visit the Cathedral, the man who told us where we could post our postcards.

So we have once again had a delightful day. It is great to be able to share with you Wish you were here to share it personally.

Christchurch Cathedral

God bless. c

A unique gift for special and unique you

A Shady retreat

      From My Garden

Today:
When the sun comes up and you wake for the day,
And the dew drops, and falls sparkling on the leaves so green ,
land the breeze sings its song and the wind chimes tinkle their joyful sounds,
and the clouds dance in the magnificent blue yonder....
and the mountains echo their wisdom and bird song resounds in the distance,
and the rivers and streams ripple along with merry mirth and tinkling laughter,
and the planets pirouette through space,

                                                                           and the stars tiptoe gently, softly round the moon.....

today is all yours......

made especially for you - to enjoy and admire,

because you are special and unique

 and deserve the vey best life can offer.

A winter's day

Today is the first day of the rest of my life.

There is no greater journey than to follow the path of my dreams, to create my destiny, to live my life fully, and experience all that life has to offer me.

I cannot choose all the experiences that will come into my life but I can choose how to handle them.

Well, after a lot of busy days I am at last finding time to blog again this week, and last week we celebrated two important times in our church season.

 Last week was Ascension when Jesus said goodbye to earth and moved permanently to heaven, leaving behind his legacy of love and caring for the apostles to share with the rest of the world.

 And this week is Pentecost when the Holy Spirit descended upon the Apostles to empower them  with the ability to speak in different languages so that the messages God wanted to convey could be understood by everybody.
And we here are also left with the same legacy of love and caring and peace to share with those we meet in our everday lives.

We have been lucky enough to share our home with our cousins this weekend. We have had an amazing time conversing and sharing our comings and goings and family experiences with each other.
 Yesterday we attended a thanksgiving day to show generous members of our community the appreciation of the citizens in our little town for good things they have done for people in need.  It was sponsored by local combined Christian Churches. We had a picnic lunch, shared some hilarious games. and some guessing competitions ( I won one of those), and children's races. It was a really good reason to get together to celebrate.

Today we said goodbye to our visitors. We are alone again.

We have had some lovely rain, some very cold weather, some gorgeous sunshine and fluffy white clouds in our region today. We have loved warming around our beautiful fire, eating lots of hot soup and stews and enjoying the change in our climate this week.

Sharing our toasty warm fire

What has been good  for me this week?Having our family visit with us, attending the thanksgiving picnic.

What I have been grateful for this week.
Being cared about, feeling well and having somewhere to feel warm and toasty.

God in my life
Attending church, having good and kind people in my life, daily prayer. I no longer have my little white book to read each night, so I am feeling a bit lost. Our next little book won't come out until Advent is on it's way, which is a long way away. I will have to find something else to fill that time.

If I am going to participate in the game of life I will need to appreciate each precious moment.

So till the next time we meet let happiness go with you as you go. And let that happiness grow.... and as it expands and grows within your heart.... pass it on. Peace be with you, C.

Expressions of love

From my succulent patch

        From My Garden

           A hug is worth a thousand words.
               A friend is worth even more.

    A loving family is priceless.

Connecting with the soul



A geranium in bloom



         From My Garden

           Relaxation time will get me in touch
        with the treasures within my inner being.

Love Is......

Morning Fog

          From My Garden

                            God is love.
                         I love my family.
           Love is the trust and innocence
             in the smiling eyes of a child. 

Mother's Day

                                                                                         

Today is the first day of the rest of my life.

  Changes can begin in a moment,and

I am willing to make changes right now.

Well, I have just spent two very great days. Yesterday, our second son and his beautiful partner came to visit us. We shared a meal- well two in fact-, lots of conversation, laughter, and companionship. I was so excited when I knew they were coming. By the time they arrived I was nearly bursting. I had four members of my family with me, which was the best present  I could receive.

Last night we went to vigil service. The congregation was small and there was no organist, but the people sang like angels and the service lacked for nothing. Our vigil service was for the 6th Sunday after Easter and the second Sunday of the calendar month. I was the second reader of the word. We spoke about how much God loves us, that God is love, and that Jesus said:

" Love one another as I have loved you". If we love each other with the same unconditional love  God gives to us, we will live in a wonderful world.We are asked to respond to this unique and unconditional love from God in words and in deeds.

As an example: a Mother's love....Mother takes care of us, loves us, journeys with us through life. Through childhood, adolescence, mature age, Mother is an important part of our life's journey. And so we respond in words and deeds to honour our Mother.

How will we honour God for His unconditional love?

Today is Mother's Day. It has been great today and yesterday. I have been hearing from my children, one by one. They are scattered in places far away. So it has been wonderful to have contact, making Mother's Day very special indeed. Thank you .

We mowed four lawns today. On Mother's Day......? Well, I quite enjoy lawn mowing. There's always the end result: a great looking lawn, a job well done, and a lovely warm shower to wash off the grime.

Today I wish you happy moments , space for peace and relaxation, and a time where dreams can come true. And.... pass it on. C 

Sunday- 5th one after Easter

Today is the first day of the rest of my life.

I allow change to occur without resistance or fear, I am free.

Sunday morning was our time for church and being with our like minded friends. This service was the first Sunday of the month. I shared special Eucharist Minister duties with Alena.

It was a very special service because Baptism was held for 3 very beautiful little girls- Loretta, Alice and Lauren.  The church was full. For lots of us with grown children it brought back memories of baptisms of our own children. The girls were dressed in white. They looked so angelic, with big beaming smiles and very excited about the ceremony. I think Father John was excited too. He said it was the first baptism he had officiated at during a service since he had been at our church. Children and teachers came to represent the school. Children presented the offertry gifts, and the bells were rung again at consecration, once again by children. It was a very special time.

Afterwards, we joined Parish friends for a cuppa and a chat. They were all talking about the service, Michael's birthday, and travels people have been on -all very positive conversation. When it was time to leave we offered Pam and Michael a lift home before we went to collect a script from the chemist.

Last night we watched "Dancing with the stars"

It was good to be part of the baptism of the little girls, to have children taking part in our service again, to spend time with like-minded people.

I was grateful the warehouse chemist was open so I could pick up my prescription. I had forgotten the day before and was clean out of my medication.

God in my Life
Being part of that special service with the children, being special minister, reading my " little white book I read for 6 minutes each day, and my own special prayers.


Let love go with you as you go, and let that love grow within, and.... pass it on. C.

ANZAC Day

Good morning!

Today is the first day of the rest of my life.

Each day is a new opportunity.

Yesterday is over and done.

Today is the first day of my future.

We attended the ANZAC march and wreath laying ceremony. A wonderful crowd attended and honoured our brave Defence Personnel.... people are honoured, not the glory of war. Yes Mrs. Clinton, not many Australians have been killed in Afghanistan, compared to USA Troops killed there.... but to we, who are waiting for our children, husbands, fathers, wives,friends, relatives to come home, one killed is too many. For a little town, our Defence Personnel  were done proud. The nicest part is the children who have not known the effects of war, but who  were so reverent and proud in honouring our fallen and veterans of all the wars that affected our Australian and New Zealand Defence Personnel. They will be the ones to continue to remember the courage of those brave people. The sun came out briefly during the wreath laying. I felt my heart lift with the brilliant light that shone for that short time.

The Airforce plane flew over as the march approached the cenotaph ...guess who cried!

 The vets marched past  proudly wearing their Service Medals..... guess who cried again!

The last post was played...... and yes I did it again! 

What a beautiful moving ceremony. The Baptist Minister gave the religious part of the ceremony.  How moving can the 23rd psalm and the Lord's prayer be when said so reverentlly..... two readings that all Christian denominations can be united in. How moving that we all celebrated those precious live

Last night I spoke to our son. It is always lovely to have a conversation. We do get along so well. It's just a shame we so often don't communicate. Our blogs are now linked ,and each morning  I can look out of his window with him, and hopefully soon, he will be able to share my garden with me in the same way. I love our garden. Gardening is so good for the soul. I try to spend some time there each day. Even if it is only on the deck amongst my pot plants and hanging baskets while I am drinking my chai latte.

And I spoke to my sister, who rings me every second week. We usually speak for an hour in her "my hour" which is free. I have that too on my mobile but for some reason I have this problem initiating a conversation. I'm fine if someone rings me or I pluck up the courage to make the first move. So I write letters, (which our children seem to hate. So they don't answer in any form at all eventhough they spend so much time on computers, mobiles, land lines).  And my sister always has news of the family which is so good. Sometimes the news is good and sometimes not so good. This week it was positive. So of course I am praying for that to continue. She has two beautiful, very young, Great Grand Children that she shares with me each time she rings, which I really appreciate.

So the world is alright. So full of kind caring, people. And that is God in our life! How lucky to be touched by God so many times in a day.  For that I say thank you God for touching my life so often.

So dear world, I hope your life is touched by God as many times as mine is each day. The world would be so much richer for having had that loving touch. Don't forget, that each time our children kiss us or tell us they love us.... That is God touching our lives...Pass it on! C.

The Defence Personnel in my life.


  


My Uncle Ernie Bemnnedick





My Uncle Frank Bennedick



My Dad James Bennedick



My husband Nigel Young











My Aunty Clarice