2017 ~ Occasions worth remembering Part 1

Listening to what others say and write about 2017, it seems there were many that had trials to ware them down.  It was a year of loss and disappointment for us.  And yet there were still many occasions to celebrate. I reached the big 6 and celebrated with family at one of my favourite places in the Cotswolds: a Lavender farm.  June is my favourite time to visit as not only are the lavender beginning to look and smell  spectacular, the wild flower meadows are also in full bloom encouraging the bees and butterflies to visit.

It was a wonderful day having the family altogether and the best gift for me. 

What a blessing to have your children close at hand, I thank God for them daily.

                

                                               
                                 

 

I am in a new phase of life now with adult children no longer needing to be home but choosing to be. Our family is growing too with a new daughter joining us; a wonderful sight to behold as your child finds their soulmate.  There are new paths ahead for my children, mountains to conquer, lessons to be learned. I won't walk alongside them for many but I have developed a culture in my life to pray and trust God for them. He has plans to prosper our children even without our influence.

One of my favourite books to read when the children were young was Sally Clarkson's "Seasons of a Mother's Heart".  The biblical principles for mothers encouraged in her book still apply for the season in this mother's heart right now.  As Sally writes, a mother's life certainly is a whirlwind of seasons, changing from one day and year to the next. I have endeavoured to prepare my heart to adjust to the present season and trusting God to enable me to weather the changes with grace. I wonder which season your mother's heart is in right now, whichever it is trust God to see you through

The grass whithers, and the flowers fade.............

It has been a very long time since I have written down my ramblings. Seasons have come and gone and yet with assurance we know they will continue to return. A new year does get us rethinking, planning, changing, doesn't it.

                


 Life has taken us on a complicated journey which I am still endeavouring to walk. I am always having to remind myself  to be "calm in the midst of the challenges on my life" Some days I achieve this and feel like I have reached my angle of repose.  Other days I realise there is still much learning.
My last post, I wrote about my mum and the road we walked with her as she battled with dementia.
The struggle stopped last year in February, so the anniversary of her passing is not long off now.

  

How I miss her; it still aches some days when I think of her but we rejoice in that she is free of all that came against her in her final years. She is safe in the arms of Jesus.

   I will write more about mum close to the anniversary of her passing.

So what have I been up to? I'd like to record some highlights from the past, more for my own benefit really, but trust you will enjoy going down memory lane with me. Through this very stormy time we have gone through and in some ways still go through, there have been wonderful highlights and times of blessings.

 

This photograph taken while visiting a lavender farm helps me see beauty around us even as storms brew. I know God's word tells us to look up and not at the things around us, and yet I think there are times when you have seen dark clouds on the horizon and the things around bring comfort and a little respite from the impending storm.

The sweet heady aroma of the lavender represents for me the tranquility and presence of God.

He is there before the storm and in the storm.

And finally I add the most important fact about grass withering and flowers fading: but the word of our God stands forever. (Isaiah 40:8)

"Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever" ~ Hebrews 13:8







It's been a while................

Life has been full and rather stressful over the past 6 months.  I keep coming up for air and then floundering again, but this time feels  different.  I think there is change on the horizon and I welcome it.
Coming from me that is unusual as I normally don't like change, but this time I'm am ready and look forward to new paths and horizons.  My dearest mom continues to suffer from dementia and I am having to learn each day is new and different.  There is always change and nothing is constant.
I am so glad there is a season for everything and in everything there is a season. Even through hard times over the last 6 months I am grateful for the people and places in my life.

Men do change, and change comes like a little wind that ruffles the curtains at dawn, and it comes like the stealthy perfume of wildflowers hidden in the grass.

JOHN STEINBECK, Sweet Thursday

God reminds us to be thankful in all circumstances and that has been my goal. There are many things for us to be thankful for , but there are two that are the most important right now

I am so thankful for teatime with Mum when she still remembers us.  There are days when the confusion is so upsetting for her to deal with

 

 

I am thankful for walks in our local woods

 

 

Wishing you times of thankfulness

 

This moment.............

 

This moment.....

The promise of spring in my little garden.  I need this moment to give me strength to see illness and grey raining days through. They will come to an end because to everything there is a season.

 

This moment....

 

Linking with Soulemama and sharing cherished moments



A cold and gray day

No sign of blue in the sky

 Nothing for it but a walk in the forest

And of course a cuppa afterwards

 

 Wishing you a weekend of rest

"Worry does not empty tomorrow of its sorrow; it empties today of its strength"

~Corrie ten Boom~

I must go down to the sea.....

The coast is good for my soul. There is something about the wind and sounds that refresh me and move me on. The isle of Anglesey is a special place for us and we try to take breaks there throughout the year. For overseas friends and family:
The Isle of Anglesey (Ynys Môn in Welsh) is situated off the north-west coast of Wales near the beautiful Snowdonia mountain range. It is separated from the mainland by the Menai Strait. Anglesey was known as Mam Cymru ('Mother of Wales') during the middle ages because its fertile fields formed the breadbasket for the north of Wales. http://www.anglesey-history.co.uk/
Only daughter was due to run a coastal race in Anglesey, so what a good excuse for the family to take a weekend off and join her. Newborough forest is one of our favourite spots because pup loves to run off lead their. My favourite because on one side you have the forest and the other side you have the sea

We had fun walking, playing, painting, and discovering

On the way home we decided to drive via Snowdonia, definitely need to spend some more quality time there over the summer.

Snowdonia

Behold the sweeping valleys

Where the heathered slopes do lie,
With rugged peaks that reach
                                      Unto the ever-changing sky.... Andrew Blakemore