Family Photos x 2
Here are a couple of visual representations showing one half of my beautiful family. I've yet to get any good ones of May & co. so til then, I'll post these ones up first and more will progressively -& randomly- follow.
Bugger!! Just lost a pic- *fumes* Well anyway .. [from left to right]
Photo 1: me holding Josephine, John holding Nathaniel, Rachel & Barbara
Photo 2: the adorable kids from church - Anna, Emily, Fraser, Nathaniel
So now you can put a face to the names I mention so frequently. They're such a huge part of my life & have taught me so much that, I dunno where I'll be without em' (same goes for May & co. but again, pics have yet to present themselves!!).
The power of words
How early is too early when you choose a ground and stick to it? And how late is too late when you decide to leave it?
Here are some words which I have never forgotten from various special people whom I've been given the privilege of meeting.. truly you never know what someone might mean to you until later but not a moment before- and you never know how a few simple words can mean the difference between life and death..
A friend of mine once
said.. "I'd rather invest more into my relationships than my friendships because a relationship has marriage potential, and friends do not always stick around."
reasoned.. "You know how you have to choose a side and stick to it? well that's why i like Holdens .. and Fords suck."
claimed.. "You're a lot like a butterfly. Alighting where you choose and we never know when you might fly."
comforted.. ".. you'll find the right one some day. But for now, perhaps you're simply rushing ahead of God."
A relation of mine once
affirmed.. "A real mother wouldn't say who she is to you. You know her, without ever needing to be told, reminded or asked"
confessed.. "The reason I never asked you about what you were going through was because I didn't want to intrude. I could see you needed space. But you must know that I love you and always have.
asked.. "Why did Jesus die on the cross?"
rebuked.. "Stop being so immature. Pouting doesn't get you very far."
A teacher of mine once
addressed.. "hello sugarplum/how's my sweetpea?/oh you're a honeycup" Lol
asked.. "Why are you leaving us?"
taught.. "It's not so much what you stand for but how well you can convince me to feel the same."
surprised.. "Whatever you do, I know you'll do well in."
What are the power of words you wonder? Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof - Proverbs 18:21
2nd semester uni
I bought boots today. My first pair:) Significant stuff.
Uni has been a real treat. First week back and all, 'n' everything is flowing so smooth. As I've liberated the 2nd half of my degree from the 'hard' sciences that riddled the first, I no longer need to go grey buying wallet-wrecking textbooks from one semester to the next. No, from now on, I'm happy to assert my status as a Liberal
Arts student. I wonder why they don't just call it that on the UAC guide seeing it's administered under the arts faculty & Liberal Studies sound pretty misleading, judging from the assortment of bemused looks i get when i tell ppl what my degree is. At any rate, the flexibility offered via L.Studies has been tops. Not that I've managed to pull my oscillating interests together into a very coherent pattern - but that's the beauty of it. I get to blend the best of my favourite worlds (arts/science/languages) over a spaced out 4 yr period.
Plus, taking up Chinese is one of the best things i could've done as part of my course. I know it's testy, saying this after only 1 semester of it but there are experiences that carve such an impression as to impart service of the meaningful sort for a lifetime. Initially i was worried about a whole lotta stuff that gradually reduced itself into hovering specks of significance as the course flowed on. I plan to focus on learning Spanish & Japanese once I'm confident in Chinese. But these contingents will have to tango with my travel plans. How unspeakably precious, my dreams are to me! ~~ I love this verse whenever i slip into a reverie about the future:
"Trust in the Lord with all thine heart: and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths" - Proverbs 3: 5 & 6. This never fails to come to my aid when i get bitten by the worry bug. I know my God will never fail me.
Holiday wrap up
So far these holidays, about the only worthwhile things I've done are reading, creating a term's worth of program activities for outside school hours with a workmate, plant trees, pray, fellowship, watch movies, St John's, chatting with grandparents, springclean my room .. ok . So. ..In conclusion, my holidays have been worthwhile.
Movies watched
1. Forrest Gump (my fave)
2. Seven Years in Tibet (a gem)
3. Ella Enchanted (i like this but it's corny)
4. October Sky (funny & inspiring)
5. Cleopatra (long)
6. Indiana Jones (provocative)
Books read1. The Scarlet Pimpernel ** Baroness Orczy (interesting)
2. Little House on a Prairie ** Laura I. Wilder (the stuff of dreams)
3. The Prayer God Longs For ** James E. White (got a lot out of this)
4. The Mark of the Beast ** Sydney Watson (sequel to 'In the Twinkling of an Eye' - both, gripping)
Books still reading:1. The Case for a Creator ** Lee Strobel (affirming stuff)2. The Bible ** KJV (my source of life)
3. On the Banks of Plum Creek ** Laura I. Wilder :)
4. Two Mighty Rivers - Son of Pocahontas ** Mari Hanes (must. finish. this.) 5. Satan is Alive and Well on Planet Earth ** Hal Lindsey (the book I'm currently reading , this is a real eye-opener)
Books on Waiting List
1. The King James Study Bible for Women (can't wait!! twas' a special surprise gift from Barbara:)
2. Stories from China ** Luke Wesley
3. A Tale of Two Cities ** Charles Dickens
4. By the Shores of Silver Lake ** Laura I. Wilder
So I've been busy:)
I sure hope my assigned texts for this semester will be stimulating. I pick up english again as I miss the delights of unearthing conceptual treasures. And continuing on with Chinese, Anth & HSPC. *lovely* A mighty full term me hopes.
The Ark of the Covenant
Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow- Philippians 2:9-10It's incredible what can be brought to remembrance, verses from the holy scriptures, as i go about my daily life. Very small things serve as triggers usually: a picture or a song, a
person or a thought, a record or a relic. And as I watched the classic
Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark yesterday, one of its scenes triggered the above verse to mind. Where the ark of the covenant was opened. What caught my eye was that as the people who looked upon it died they were brought to a kneeling position. Every one of them looked like they were kneeling in death. It was amazing and powerful and dreadful.
It's one of those moments which bring so many messages home. That we cannot underestimate God- yet unconsciously do so everytime we trust in our own ability or knowledge to bring us through something rather than rely on him. That we should seek his will (in that case to leave the ark alone) but usually don't. That although he IS love, he is also righteous and not to be tempted.
After watching the movie, i really want to go back and re-read the first 5 books of the Old testament, to try and comprehend the power of the Ark, what it meant to Israel then and what it might mean for present day believers. Since this is the first time I am going through the bible systematically instead of skipping everywhere (and am only up to 1 Samuel as a result of my slowness) it'll be a while before that happens. I'm afraid that when i read through the section about making the Ark and the Tabernacle, i wasn't as appreciative as i could be. I was innately frustrated by my own inability to picture the ark or anything really, despite quite detailed descriptions. But
Indiana provides a way of looking at it and for that i'm grateful. It sorta awakened a zest in me to peruse thru history again. *edit* here's the first link i clicked when i googled 'Ark of the Covenant' -->
http://www.domini.org/tabern/arkcovnt.htm for interest's sake.
Other good texts I've been watching/reading these past few days include:
October Sky - i love this movie.
Cleopatra (the Liz Taylor one)- a movie you might wanna watch once in your life but maybe not again. Over 4 hours mate!!!
The Scarlet Pimpernel: Very good. I loved the style of the language. Read this online and you'll get thru it waay faster than if you held the book form.
On the Banks of Plum Creek: Sequel to
Little House on the Prairie. An absolute treasure, the whole series. And knowing that its based on a true story -priceless!!
So it's been a calm few days, just the sort of thing i like. I have to get ready for work, but i don't know how many kids i'm getting or their age range or anything so that makes it a bit testy. Ah well, things will happen.
what a busy busy week
Yesterday i went shopping @ parra & determined -for the sake of my budget- that anything over $10 is not much of a sale. I bought 2 things ~ go figure lol. The same night i also went to a muslim wedding for the first time and it was mighty interesting. Everyone, well the women, looked so beautiful in their saris and dresses that i felt really conspicuous in my under-dressed state o_O so next time an Indian/Sri lankan/hindu/etc wedding pops up *looks pointedly at Jan* i'm going all out.
I've also received my AWA contract:O my first AWA!! i still haven't gotten over the thrill of getting my new job. Even tho the first 3 months is probationary and there's heaps (like HEAPS) of responsibilties to it, this position will really give me valuable first hand experience regarding every area of life (especially education where i plan to postgraduate). I've been praying that if it's the right job, God will let me know in his own good time & now i just can't stop grinning. i've also received my uni timetable and tweaked with it. Once semester 2 starts, i will really have to crank up that balancing act btw uni and work, but it's gonna be cool.
And later today i'm going on my 4th St John duty @ the Sydney Entertainment Centre for Disney On Ice! how awesome's zat?? tmrw i have fellowship, my favourite time .. quiet time with God.. then induction on Monday and come what may the rest of a new week!
Unexpected. Amazed. Happy.
WooOOOOT!!! I got the job *dances* Thank you, thank you, thank you God for offering such an opportunity & i hope to be useful to you in this new position.
I've been offered a contract with Camp Australia as a Before School Care Coordinator at MLC! I received the phone offer yesterday after planting (between Barbara, Bernice, a few adorable kids & yours truly) 50 trees up in Maitland on a farm, so it was a special treat to end my mini holiday. I'm looking forward to everything about this unique role, and i'm going to give it my best. One day i hope -looking back- that my contributions made at least a few kids look forward to their mornings. Induction is on Monday & after that .. well a lot of preparation and organisation on my part:)
So more on that later. For now, i'll quizzle a bit about my mini holiday up near Newcastle. We visited Morpeth which is so quaint and old it almost sighs its anachronism (much like the town Chiltern in Vic but not as antique). We had lunch there and looked at a few shops (one of my faves is this teddy shop stuffed with golliwogs!! *love*).. we also checked out Nobbys Beach which is something spectacular at sunset .. and of course the farm that we planted trees on, which belongs to a son of Barbara's. His children are simply gorgeous & they all help out in their own little way, even the youngest girl who's not even one and a half! Well it was a special time, and Bernice now has a treasure trove of memories to take back with her. She leaves tomoro so i pray for her & her company, a safe journey home. When i graduate and teach in China, i hope to visit her then.
Oh i'll be brimming with excitement to last the rest of the holidays now.. i hope everyone is havin' a fab holiday & that any exam-induced-stress symptoms have subsided to normal levels .. cheers '"
LOL
http://www.newstarget.com/011506.htmlIt disturbs me to think that i currently play host to RDD (pre-exam period), OWCD and at times, RPSS. How spooky ~~o_O~~
