Growth has to be Intentional

Gardening is therapeutic and full of lessons. Does that word "gardening" make you think of people kneeling on the earth, doing weeding? Or perhaps holding some electric shears and making shapes out of full bushes. Whatever your take on that word is, the same is true - there are lessons to be learned!

Take this pot of mint for instance. Together with a few other herbs, it was gifted by a friend, and came with instructions on the care needed. Needless to say, I have worked to ensure they are followed! Not being green fingered, I didn't want to report any deaths, so I was diligent. I even enlisted my husband in the care! As he is semi-retired, he ended up doing a much better job of making sure they thrive than I ever could. He is even able to cultivate and grow more shoots with the roots.

I am reminded Colossians 2:6,7 “As you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, rooted and built and built up in Him, established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding with thanksgiving”. 

One has to be intentional in growing. And passing on the information. I think they use the fancy word "mentoring" now. 

Soapy Solution

What do you during Controlled Movement Order and you are not part of the essential services?

Hubby is always creative, and a whizz at trying out new things. One thing he does is make soap. Yes, you read it - soap. Apt at this time! Mostly fragrance-free which is what our son prefers. But this time I have three bars for myself with which I experimented by adding different fragrances... They take a month to cure but I am looking forward to it already!

 What are YOU doing at this time?

Eventful Week

What an eventful week. From examination, to appointment, to more divine appointments and then to admission for surgery, the Lord obviously had a hand in the care of Arrow #3.

Somehow having the minor surgery felt right. So we went ahead. 

Amazingly everything was sorted out in less than a week and she was discharged into my care the very same day. Thankful indeed.

Special Message from a Special Person

A series of amazing events led to Arrow #3 and I making a special trip to see this special person. His message was simple but came from a life fraught with challenges. What an inspiration!

Born limbless, he says there are no limits. His faith in God was what keeps him going and he has such hope! Wow! A privilege to have seen him closeup indeed.

The Dawn Awakening Prayer

We are in the midst of 40 days of prayer and fasting.

On top of that, we are also doing a 21 day early morning prayer. Young and old alike, we gather from 5.30am and pray. The children also come. They stay till around 6.30am and then they are blessed before they leave for their school.

On any morn, we can have 40-60 people coming to pray. Some morns see even more.
Lord, we hunger for more of You.

Making Macau Mission

Arrow #2 feels that he should go on a mission.

This would be his second overseas one.

Thankful that he has the burden.

So glad that he has the ability to write so well. Like this old article before.
Makes you want to do something!

Oh wait, you can't read it well? Go check this place out then.

A New Toy

I have a new toy.

Hubby bought it for me.

And I love it.

It's a music player that plugs into a car, reading from a USB thumb drive.

I forgot to take a photo of it. But I have been enjoying it so much that I just had to blog about it.

I can choose my own music and let it play randomly, selecting from many songs that I like. What joy. I don't have to listen to some of the trash on the radio!

Just to Say for Fathers Day

Infertiltiy and Mothers Day

I haven't forgotten how it was. My oldest Arrow is going to turn 21 years old and I have been married for over 27 years. But I have not forgotten the difficult times, the awkward years, the months of disappointment.

I was diagnosed with primary infertility with no known cause. How difficult it was to see one of my best friends being pregnant. In her graciousness she asked me to attend the birth of her baby but I found at that time, it seemed like even looking at her caused me to struggle with emotions I never knew existed within me. To say that I didn't like her for being pregnant when I couldn't is putting it mildly.

These years of being barren, empty and feeling of incomplete helps me to understand and empathize those who go through this. I KNOW how they feel.

Of course, the Lord knows best.

But perhaps that is why He let people like me go through that too. So we can be a little extension of Him here. Especially on a day like this one coming up.

The Family

Parents arrived today.

Second arrow will be back in a few weeks time.

First arrow who is assisting at a camp will be around from the weekend.

All the family together.

For Christmas.

It could be a busy time. But it can also be a fun time.

It's what you make of it.

But whatever it is, we do it as a family.

My Best Friends

So my parents will be married for half a century in less than two months time.

Hubby and I would be married for twenty-eight years next year.

It strikes me that unless you are best friends with the person you married, growing old together can be pretty awful.

Hubby and I have always endeavoured to send our children to school together. Then we would go for breakfast together. That was our special time. It was not always easy. One time, we had three children in three different locations. Ah, those were the days.

Later as the children grew older and started having more of their own activities which didnt involve us, we settled to doing things together, just like the days before the children came along.

And we find that we are enjoying it again.

I told him the other day, "Apart from Jesus, you are my best friend," and meant it.
*Best friends always wish the best of you, and he has done so.
*Best friends always look out for you, and he often does.
*Best friends give you the benefit of the doubt, and he gives that a plenty!

I have also told him too, "I feel incomplete without you," and meant it. There are times when I dread having to do something or go somewhere without him beside me. He complements me even as I hope do him. He's my best friend, even as HE's my best FRIEND.

Long Days But!

Many long days. But they are investments. For time ahead.

For when my parents come. Really looking forward to it too.

Some time ago I gave them a gift to say how much I appreciated them being my parents. I had a simple frame done up and they were thrilled to bits.

I was delighted that they were delighted. This amazing couple have stayed married for nearly 50 years! More posts on them when they get here....!

Hearing Right

For days on and off Hubby and I had been thinking through when was a good time to bring my parents over for a visit. The time span moved from Christmas to new year to after Chinese New Year ... you get the picture. The price of the air tickets kept escalating too. It was rather distressing to keep changing because we couldnt decide.

Then today, I suddenly felt the need to make a decision - for Christmas!

But the house internet was down.

So we decided to take a short trip to the coffeeshop nearby, ordered some snacks and logged on.

To my absolute delight, there were cheap fares!

Not only that, they were for a better airline!

So a quick call to the pater and mater and voila! All done!

Which leads me to my posting now, still at the coffeeshop - I am so glad that I obeyed what the Lord dropped into me.

Thank You LORD!

The Two B's

Yesterday my youngest was baptised. It was a delight to witness and it certainly struck a chord for me.

Today my oldest turns twenty. Well, technically speaking because he was born in England, he turns twenty tomorrow. But who's counting the hours !

We celebrated with dinner last night.Melted choc with vanilla ice cream topped with a cherry.
Called Fantasia de Maria - speciality of the chef's wife!

I miss my second one in that he missed these occasions.

And my foster son.

But it has been a good two days.

Praise God!

Distance No More

Even now as I write this post, I am multi-tasking. That's one thing that women are better doing than men!

I am also chatting with my Arrow in Singapore!

Such then, are the wonders of modern science.

Chatting so easily with him makes the distance seem so much shorter.

He'll be back for hols in just over a month's time. Looking forward to that!

My Observation

Don't you agree?