The final part of my birthday reflections blog series - My 30's. These have been different. I have spent the last 10 years becoming the person God created me to be. Living with hope, love and forgiveness. The forgiveness that I craved & needed, and for which I am truly grateful for. It is a life you can have too.
It's my birthday and I'm grateful! But today is Good Friday, so it's about so much more than just my birthday.
My 20's were probably my hardest season. I went through so much pain, much of which came from my own decisions. But it was also the season that led me into the new, into the light, into hope, into love.
As my birthday week progresses, I am reflecting on my teenage life. How hard it was being a teenage mum, and why I threw myself so hard into partying.
It's my birthday week, a time of reflection. Looking back over the last 40 plus years, I thought I would share a little bit of what those years looked like for me. Those years provided the foundation for much of what I have experienced, both good and bad. Here I share a little about the first 10 years.
We've lived with this dreaded thing hanging over our lives for so long now and for so many of us, life is beginning to resume some normality. And for us it is in some ways but in others, our life isn't nomral anyway. My son, Azariah, is still a vulnerable baby while he waits for... Continue Reading →
Are you planning a holiday for your family? We have been thinking about it but after advice from our Cardiac Liason Nurse, we realise taking an overseas holiday at this time just isn't that simple. Living with a Congenital Heart Defect really does mean there is a lot more to consider & some things may have to be sacrificed for now.
February is Heart Month, a time to raise awareness of all things heart. Our journey started the day we became CHD parent's, which was the day we got his diagnosis. My faith had been rocked after having a miscarriage and now it was being tested again.
We decided to try again pretty soon after we lost Baby J at 11 weeks pregnant. Pregnancy after a loss can be very difficult and we just couldn't relax or let go. We decided to wait until our 20 wk scan before we got our hopes up at being able to keep this baby. Our 20 week scan provided us with information that would tip our world upside down in ways we couldn't even imagine.
I had thought if I really wanted to get married that I was going to have to be with someone who just didn’t get me, and really put aside the things I was hoping & praying for in a guy. I'm not talking about simple compromise, or trying to tick those 'boxes' , but genuinely not finding someone who I was passionately and madly in love with, that I couldn't wait to spend the rest of my life with.
Last week, Marvin and I stood outside the local crematorium waiting for the service to start. Due to COVID, only the two of us could attend. How do you journey through grief when people are self isolating & socially distancing, cut off from your usual network of support?
Have you ever thought about how a pebble is formed? What it goes through to get it's shape? Or where it has been? I found the process of this similar to how God shapes us. Can you relate to any of thes different types of pebbles mentioned or uses of pebbles?
It’s been a month since we lost our baby and I have realised a few things about grief and the effect it has had on us. If you have dealt with grief, pain or trauma then you may be able to relate. I don't claim to be an expert or even be able to articulate... Continue Reading →
Thursday was our ONE YEAR wedding anniversary and what a year its been, thrown together in this pandemic in a way we didn't expect but we have survived. This week we thought we would be sharing pregnancy news with you because our scan was due this week but unfortunately 2 wks ago, at 11 wks pregnant, we suffered a miscarriage.
As a runner, I find the uphill parts challenging! Can you relate? This can be a metaphor for life, those uphill struggles can be difficult! So how do we face them?
I am forever grateful for the blessings in my life and the way I can see God moving. But this does not mean that I don’t still have challenges, I do. Before I knew Jesus, I made a complete mess of my life through decisions I made or did not make, through the way I viewed myself, through the value I placed on myself or rather the lack of value. So as I walk into this New Year, I am grateful but more aware of my need for Jesus.
Some think I'm radical in my faith, but how can you not be passionate about the person that saved your life? How can you not give your all to the person who sacrificed their own life for yours? I will never be lukewarm, I will never be chilled out or laid back about Jesus & what he's done for me! Because I decided to follow him & I'm not turning back.
I have been told that we are meant to enjoy this time but to be honest with you, its not been that enjoyable. I don’t think one person has started a conversation by asking us how we are coping with engagement or preparing to be married but the question has been “How are wedding plans going?”
What do you think about things like Gucci's blackface jumper or Prada's keyring? Is the outrage justified? I believe there is a racial narrative that we have been fed since we were at school that we need to unlearn and re-educate ourselves about.
I'm a Christian. I'm not perfect. I'm a human being.
I'm a Christian because I've recognised my weakness, my failures, my flaws & the mess I've made of my life.
For the past few years I have tried to choose a word that I was going to aim to achieve in my life that year. This year’s word was Wholeness. I started the year with a desire to learn what that meant for my life.
How are you getting on with your Christmas plans? Things at this time of the year just seem to turn very busy, don’t they? I can’t tell you how many Christmas events my daughter has at school, she is loving it, but I am finding it hard to keep up – what day is Christmas jumper day? What donation is needed today? Have I paid for that activity? It’s a lot!
Yes, you read that correctly. I actually did have to ask my boyfriend how to shave my face! You are probably thinking why?????? The reason is......
I have been a book lover for years, I can’t even tell you how many books I have read – no I actually can’t because my memory is so bad! But I love reading. Being a single parent, working two jobs and just generally being on the go for most of the time, I don’t always have time to sit down and read like I used to. Reading at bedtime used to be the shout for me but more often than not I am too shattered to do that these days.
It's a Faith Thing 