Sleep

is it just me or do other people come back from time away thoroughly exhausted ?!!
This past week we had the delight of going away to celebrate my dad's 70th birthday. Wonderful food , lovely wine and fresh sea air. Unfortunately Elijah wakes up at 6am so marc but mostly  I spent most early mornings exploring the sea front . After a couple of mornings I got it down to a fine art   Leaving clothes , keys, coats by the door to throw on as quietly as possible (I do confess to going out in my p.j.s the first morning 🙈)
I have to say despite the tiredness I began to thoroughly enjoy my strolls with Elijah, each morning we got to watch the sun rise in beautiful surroundings, I got to have done blue sky thinking time and had an hours worth of excercise. Of course my preference for time off would be to lie in but I'm blessed with an early riser so what better thing to do than to embrace it and enjoy the precious moments.
So in my tiredness I'm going to try and follow a new motto;
Life doesn't always follow our plan, we think we are going in one direction and suddenly we find ourselves on a totally different route. At these times even when it's really hard try to cease the moment , find the silver lining in the cloud , take each opportunity that comes our way but most importantly enjoy and appreciate what's around you .

For those of you blessed with sleep....enjoy every minute it's a precious luxury.

Pain

This week has been one of many challenges....most of you know that I'm a rubbish housewife, I'm not a natural cook or cleaner but I do love my boys more than anything and will do what needs to be done ....marc s been away so work and life survival has all fallen on me..... hard enough as it is but through into the mix another bout of pleurisy and I confess it's been tough.

12 years ago we headed home from I donesia sufferig from sever pneumonia and knaccered lungs.....12 years on the scars of that are still evident ... but I'm not one to see the glass as half empty head down I crack on with what needs to be done.

But yesterday even I had to stop and take a moment....my sister went in for an operation that didn't go to plan and instead of being in and out in a few hours she's looking at several days stay and a road to recovery we never envisaged.

Life is certainly a rollercoaster as good old Rownan sang...you never know what's around the corner....life's is too short for upset and falling out, embrace those you love, seize the day, be thankful for each and every moment.

If you are the praying type do pray for my sister and also for my brother in law as he holds together home and work ad our beautiful niece missing her mummy x

F & F

It's been a strange old week so far, I'm beyond exhausted what with the littlest VK having a bad chest over the weekend and waking in the night coughing himself silly to Marc being ill at the beginning of the week meaning I've had to juggle work, kids and even cooking (let it be known Daniel was VERY impressed with my chicken fajitas and homemade dairy free pizzas!). Having disturbed sleep has clearly made me an emotional wreck but this week especially I've really begun to miss friendships... In fact that's a lie this has been brewing for a while, maybe it's old age heading for the dreaded BIG birthday... Maybe it's social media and seeing people and what they are up to...whatever it is I've really been missing my friendships. Life is so busy and I think it is vital to make time for friends whenever you can whether they live down the road, in the next town or hundreds of miles away. Friends are so important to our lives and our lives are ever so much richer for them. There's something so special about being able to pop out for a coffee or something stronger with a friend, to text someone who gets you and to see someone who's known you for years and receive a hug. I'm so grateful to all the friends I have , but I truly do miss those of you I don't get to see . And so I'm not ashamed to say I've been feeling a bit down about it all
And then...
Last night I had a lovely chat with one of my oldest friends that made me feel so loved and even though the missing is still there being connected by social media helps.
This week has also been rubbish for some dear friends here and I won't go into details as its not fair for them but life can be really really poo at times but
As I bathed the boys tonight I was left thinking WOW I made these kids, they have their moments (don't we all) but they are so amazingly awesome individual and especially together I am truly blessed.. So tonight I'm taking each moment each blessing and each God given opportunity to seized life, take every option given and appreciate every person that comes my way....life is unpredictable so embrace it but please make those close to you know just how much they mean to you ...it may just be the thing they need to hear today x

(F & F ...Friends and Family)

Perspective

this morning I woke up feeling dreadful, sore throat and very tired; was woken a few times in the night by the littlest with his asthma and cough and slept a second night "sleeping" with him on my shoulder.
The last thing I felt capable of doing was leading worship and preaching coherently ..but that was the task in hand.
As always I had a really blessed time in Upnor the small but perfectly formed congregation are always so lovely, kind and friendly and gracious too. After leading their service I then hot footed it too Frindsbury , again feeling inadequate and praying that God could make sense out of my words. Both churches were particularly cold today so shivering. Aside we got through a nd again everyone was very gracious and soem even complementary of my words. As I got to the car to take a friend home we were greeted by a little dog and no owner...I vaguely recognised said dog and managed to pick him up shivering and soaked from the deluge and take him home....to find two paramedics and his own collapsed on the floor ...the clever dog I'm sure had come To find help .
Dog returned and friend delivered I return home locked out as hubby had taken the boys out (they did church yesterday !)  on return marc was fuming as a car had zoomed passed them flicked a stone up and cracked the windscreen ...deep joy.

This afternoon Dan had choir practise for the children's choir and so we trundled back to Frindsbury, we'd literally just got through the door when a lady looking frozen appeared in search of warmth and food, she had run out of money, had no food or heating, her partner is in hospital with late stage cancer and her children staying with her mother ... After a long conversation various things were put in place, we got her warm and gave her some food and temporarily sorted her out u til tomorrow when we can get professional assistance.

2 things today happened that made me stop and think how blessed I am, I don't live alone so God forbid if anything happened to me someone would be there or find me, I've got a roof over my head food in the cupboards and people I can talk to .
What's the world coming to when people are walking the streets looking for someone To talk to, in need of a cup of tea and no one to provide it.
The art of community is lost and I really feel we need to inject it back.

Tonight I will go to sleep thankful that I'm fed, watered and warm...and if Elijah wakes I will cuddle him extra hard , because I can.

Take care of yourself  and especially their around you xxx

Away

The last 6 weeks have been exceptionally exhausting ...what with all the build up to Christmas and then the Christmas week services and activities followed by family Christmas and new year visiting everyone , unfortunately our house isn't very big for entertaining ..the last few days are the first time the bits have actually had a chance to sit down and spend time playing with their new toys..I'm embarrassed to say that yesterday Daniel was still opening presents and Elijah still has some left, they just love playing with everything they receive.

Our boys have been really blessed with gifts and time spent with family here and up north , they've loved building bears in the Trafford centre and walking excitable doggies on the Lancaster/lakes boarder , playing with cousins and learning the art of playing pool (yes even Elijah!)  the problem comes when you've got to come back to reality and realise how much you miss dear friends and family ...

This year is a biggy for me and whilst trying to plan time off I'm looking more at planning opportunities to visit /spend time with friends and family rather than actually just going away.

So as this week tries to get in to some sort of normality we are just as exhausted as before my time off  but looking forward to what the year may hold....

Life

I've just booked a train for a quick trip to Manchester......unfortunately not to see the Christmas markets , I received some heart breaking news this weekend, my Adopted Godfather passed away after a long battle with the C word!
I say adopted because 2 out of the 3 Godparents I was blessed with as a baby unfortunately , being older, died when I was fairly young, so I took it upon myself to adopt Aunty Sue and Uncle Roy as my Godparents..to help my awesome Godmummy aunty Jayne ( she needed all the help she could get having me !!)
Aunty Sue and Uncle Roy have been part of our family since I was 9 months old...a long time and I expect mum and dad would say are one of their best friends. The type of friends where you can go years without seeing each other but when you get together it's like you've never been apart ....I'm blessed to have friends like this too ...the joy of the job and having to move around a lot!

Today I had a funeral to take and for the second time Only I had to take a deep breathe as my own grief suddenly felt very real. Someone said today at our drop in group that I must have a hard skin to cope with so much suffering in my job, really I actually don't, I can be a sensitive little soul at times and every occasion you are faced with death the reality of it still hits home.

So as we get engrossed in Advent and Christmas preperations im mindful even more of those for whom this season will be very very difficult . Life is precious....taste the rainbows, dance in the rain, show those you love just how much and take every opportunity you can.

Family

I'm getting to that age where big celebrations are happening all around me ...a few weeks ago I had the real joy of heading to Bolton where I became a teenager experienced so much whilst growing up to celebrate my very great friend Claire's 40th birthday , I've learnt from Claire to try and embrace the big 4-0 so watch this space ...

This weekend we had the real privilege of heading back north to Manchester to celebrate my baby cousin becoming 30 ;it's not for a few weeks yet as she's a Christmas Eve babe but wanted to celebrate when we could all get together. 

I can't believe she's going to be 30 already! I rememebr the moment aunty Glen came to see us in Bolton to say she was having a baby I was soooo excited. Then came the wonderful yearly trips to Pontins and then  Butlins. We've lived close by and far apart but always stayed close and now have the joy of having her as Elijah s Godmummy. It was a real joy to go on Saturday with the family to stay with her and celebrate and hopeFully she will forgive her godson for waking her up so early ! Sleeps over rated anyway! One of the most exciting parts of the weekend was seeing the venue where Kym and Helen are going to get married next year so I get to gain another cousin and couldn't wish for a better one...one my boys adore just as much as their 2nd cuz.

Families are funny things but they are given to us for a reason, to help us to support us to guide and strengthen us. I know they are not always easy and things aren't always straight forward for many but I feel it's really important to try and embrace them , make time for them where we can .

As for me a big birthday is creeping ever so closely ideas of what to do very much welcome !!!