Friends

Sometimes in life, you find a special friend;

Someone who changes your life just by being part of it.

Someone who makes you laugh until you can't stop;

Someone who makes you believe that there really is good in the world

Someone who convinces you that there really is an unlocked door

just waiting for you to open it.

Nothing Stays the Same

I was rather dramatically reminded of this when I recently visited the town of my birth.

Of the shops and businesses that I remember there were only about 4 in the same place as they were before. Most were gone, and others had moved. Road layouts had changed. The house where I lived for 12 years was nearly unrecognisable! All the large bushes and trees from the front were gone. The house had been painted a rather bright yellow, instead of the white or cream I remembered. The cyprus trees in the farm block nest door had all been removed, and where we once had a view of the hills to the front, there was a line of trees - none of which were there when we moved out 13 years ago.

Even the Baptist church we attended had changed. The big holly tree out the front was gone - not even the stup remained. It too, had been painted.

The only things that were the same was the public library, the train station, and a friend's house (although even their garden was a little different - tidier).

I think if I had been there, living through the changes it would not have been as much of a shock. But I saw all the changes in less than an hour. I knew it would have changed, but I didn't expect things to have changed as much as they had.

Whatever happened to the simple country life where things go relatively unchanged for generations?

It makes me think of a line in the hymn 'Abide With Me' by Henry F Lyte, which says "Change and decay in all around I see;O Thou who changest not, abide with me."

My Country

My Country
byDorothea Mackellar
(1885 - 1968)

The love of field and coppice,
Of green and shaded lanes.
Of ordered woods and gardens
Is running in your veins,
Strong love of grey-blue distance
Brown streams and soft dim skies
I know but cannot share it,
My love is otherwise.

I love a sunburnt country,
A land of sweeping plains,
Of ragged mountain ranges,
Of droughts and flooding rains.
I love her far horizons,
I love her jewel-sea,
Her beauty and her terror -
The wide brown land for me!

A stark white ring-barked forest
All tragic to the moon,
The sapphire-misted mountains,
The hot gold hush of noon.
Green tangle of the brushes,
Where lithe lianas coil,
And orchids deck the tree-tops
And ferns the warm dark soil.

Core of my heart, my country!
Her pitiless blue sky,
When sick at heart, around us,
We see the cattle die-
But then the grey clouds gather,
And we can bless again
The drumming of an army,
The steady, soaking rain.

Core of my heart, my country!
Land of the Rainbow Gold,
For flood and fire and famine,
She pays us back threefold-
Over the thirsty paddocks,
Watch, after many days,
The filmy veil of greenness
That thickens as we gaze.

An opal-hearted country,
A wilful, lavish land-
All you who have not loved her,
You will not understand-
Though earth holds many splendours,
Wherever I may die,
I know to what brown country
My homing thoughts will fly.
Dorothea Mackellar

Sometimes when a light goes out of our lives
and we are left in darkness
and we do not know which way to go,
we must put our hand into the hand of God
and ask Him to lead us.

-Helen Steiner Rice

Teach Me

Teach me to give of myself in whatever way I can,

Of whatever I have to give.

Teach me to value myself -

my time, my talents, my purose, my life,

my meaning in Your world.

-Helen Steiner Rice

THE POSTAL SERVICE NO ONE HEARS ABOUT

THE POSTAL SERVICE NO ONE HEARS ABOUT Our 14 year old dog, Abbey, died last month. The day after he died, my 4 year old daughter Meredith was crying and talking about how much she missed Abbey. She asked if we could write a letter to God so that when Abbey got to Heaven, God would recognize her. She dictated and I wrote: Dear God, Will you please take special care of our dog, Abbey? She died yesterday and is in heaven. We miss her very much. We are happy that you let us have her as our dog even though she got sick. I hope that you will play with her. She liked to play with balls and swim before she got sick. I am sending some pictures of her so that when you see her in heaven you will know she is our special dog. But I really do miss her. Love, Meredith Claire P.S. Mommy wrote the words after I told them to her. We put that in an envelope with two pictures of Abbey, and addressed it to God in Heaven. We put our return address on it. Then Meredith stuck some stamps on the front (because, as she said, it may take lots of stamps to get a letter all the way to Heaven) and that afternoon I let her drop it into the letter box at the post office. For a few days, she would ask if God had gotten the letter yet. I told her that I thought He had. Yesterday there was a package wrapped in gold paper on our front porch. Curious, I went to look at it. It had a gold star card on the front and said "To Meredith" in an unfamiliar hand. Meredith took it in and opened it. Inside was a book by Mr. Rogers, "When a Pet Dies". Taped to the inside front cover was the letter we had written to God, in its opened envelope (which was marked Return to Sender: Insufficient address). On the opposite page, one of the pictures of Abbey was taped under the words "For Meredith". We turned to the back cover, and there was the other picture of Abbey, and this handwritten note on pink paper: *************************************************************************************************************************** Dear Meredith, I know that you will be happy to know that Abbey arrived safely and soundly in Heaven! Having the pictures you sent to me was such a big help. I recognized Abbey right away. You know, Meredith, she isn't sick anymore. Her spirit is here with me-- just like she stays in your heart--young and running and playing. Abbey loved being your dog, you know. Since we don't need our bodies in heaven, I don't have any pockets!-- so I can't keep your beautiful letter. I am sending it to you with the pictures so that you will have this book to keep and remember Abbey. One of my angels is taking care of this for me. I hope the little book helps. Thank you for the beautiful letter. Thank your mother for sending it. What a wonderful mother you have! I picked her especially for you. I send my blessings every day and remember that I love you very much. By the way, I am in heaven but wherever there is love, I am there also. Love, God and the special angel who wrote this after God told her the words. As a parent and a pet lover, this is one of the kindest things that I've ever experienced. I have no way to know who sent it, but there is some very kind soul working in the dead letter office. Just wanted to share this act of compassion. Blessings of love, peace, health & happiness. -Author Unknown

Forget Diamonds

Forget diamonds ... we all know that a good bag is really a girl's best friend!
Patchwork & Stitching magazine (2007 Annual)


So that's why I design and make my own handbags.
The first time I made one was way back in 1995, when I made a pattern from a bag that a friend gave me. Since then that pattern has been modified 3 times.

I now no longer use those bags, and although I still have the pattern, I haven't used it in a long time.

In the past 3 years I have borrowed books on how to make bags from the local library and taken ideas I like plus some of my own to come up with a unique bag, that is very functional for me. I'm currently on the second version, with more ideas for an improved model. Different fabric, different closures, extra pockets (my current bag has a specific pocket for my mobile phone), and different embellishments. Of course changes mean different ways and orders of sewing the parts together, but that's all part of the fun of creating your own designs.

No photos, but maybe that will come later.

Silver Lining

Every cloud has a silver lining ...

If you can't find the silver lining you're just looking at the cloud from the wrong direction.

(Author Unknown)

Teach Me

God, teach me to be patient,

Teach me to go slow,

Teach me to wait on You

When my way I do not know.

-Helen Steiner Rice

Some Pretty Glittery Pictures

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