Joseph

It won’t have gone un noticed that Daniel and I went with The Monty’s to see Joseph at the weekend .... it will also not have passed you by to realise just how long I’ve been waiting to see this show. Now we live in Kent it seems crazy to many that I never got to the West end to see it previously especially considering my deep appreciation for a certainty ant Donovan 🙈...however at the time we lived in Bolton, money wasn’t free flowing and a trip down to the big smoke (train, tickets, somewhere to stay) was just way out of any comprehension so instead I was given a programme a colleague of my dad bought on their visit , I got the tape then the cd for Christmas and I learnt the words off by heart!
Saturday was so specially because after 28 years I finally got to the London palladium a nd I got to share it with daniel seeing it through his 9 year old eyes of awe and wonder and yes the icing on a very beautiful cake was Mr Jason Donovan returning this time as the Pharaoh! My expectations were high and even those were exceeded, it was everything I’d ever dreamed of and more .. and yes I apologise there was singing and some cheering (ok a lot of LOUD cheering from a group of us very exciters to see Jason !) and when my niece asked if we could go to the stage door who was I to refuse

I would love love love to see it again before it finishes its short run ... if you get the chance and don’t mind like us being in the gods go go go go 🎵😜

Holiday !

It may have crossed your path that we had a holiday last week ...  3 nights and 4 days of totally exhausting magic !
You see some 7 years ago my mum promised Daniel she would take him to disneyland ... 7 years later we went to Disneyland Paris !
We are very blessed as my parents paid for the whole family to go together in the easiest possible way .. we got the Eurostar from ebbsfleet some 10 minutes from our house which took us straight to Disney , our bags taken to the hotel so we could head straight in to the park . Some of you also know that Daniel is blessed with “spider” powers his name for his ADHD and ASD tendencies , this along with my sisters epilepsy enabled them to receive a green card meaning we could queue in the disabled entrance away from the crowds with a reduced time to wait . This was a real game changer for us it took out some of the stress for Dan and enabled us to really be able to relax .. and when things got too much we managed to escape to the hotel pool. (Where we bumped into someone from church !)
There’re were so many highlights ...meeting Disney characters , seeing amazing shows and the parade, the illumination show and fireworks... the wide range of rides even Grandma was brave !! But what I really loved was quality time just the 9 of us , life has been pretty stressful of late all round so the chance to chill out, having fun and just being in the magical bubble called Disney was a little piece of wonderful escapism. !

Family time

Many apologise to anyone who does actually read my ramblings !!! It’s been a while ... mainly because my head hasn’t been in the right place to reflect .. when I blog I try (I hope) to put a positive stint on things but things have been difficult for many reasons ....
however I’ve come to the conclusion that it’s imporrant to share in the good times and in the tricky times .. no one lives a perfect life .. even those we think do struggle ... so here I am!
The last few weeks have been quite enlightening as again I’ve been truly blessed by lovely friends supporting us.
This next week we have been extra blessed with the gift of a trip to Disney land Paris ... my folks promised Dan when he was 2 and so we are finally going as a family as a prequel to celebrate mum and dads golden wedding !! This trip can’t come soon enough ... although the more I read Facebook pages about Disney the more anxious I’m getting baoutnwhat we should and shouldn’t be doing !! And although I’m way too excited about who we will ge too see from the Disney hall of fame I’m more looking forward to being away from everything as a family unit .. something we haven’t down for a few years . Disney T-shirt’s hats and accessories are packed and just the small subject of Sunday services for us to complete and then we are off ... if anyone has some top tips then feel free to send them over !!
Life is precious , time even more so .. use it wisely with those you care about !

EASTER 🐣

Well what a week!!!!
It’s been a massive rollercoaster of emotions this week .. from the chilled out state of holidaying in Spain to a poorly Elijah to car park traumas to football excitements and of course to The highs and lows of Holy Week!!
Each year I get to spend the festival season with one of the three churches to fully engage in the whole experience with the parish and we’ve certainly done that in All Saints Frindsbury Upnor and Chattenden!!
 It has been a real joy to engage in the lent course and then The journey of Holy Week together . It’s an age old story I’ve heard hundreds of times and lived through 41 years but something different happened this year, maybe it’s age maybe it’s life experiences recently but I found the whole experience really moving and emotional . On Friday after having lots of fun with families making Eastery crafts we had our hour at the cross remembering when Jesus died and I stood leading the service and felt tears fall down my cheeks really hit by the emotion of the moment . This morning as I arrived in darkness at 5am I too was blown away by the awesomeness of Jesus coming back to life and the effect that’s had on my life and for those who’s life has come to an end recently but now are safely in resurrection glory themselves .
Thank you so much to those amazing folk who’ve walked this week with me and supported me you don’t know how special you are !!!
Those of you who don’t do  God and have got this far 👍🏻 well done !!!
Today is an awesome day chocolate chicks bunnies lambs family and friends and bank holidays but most of all that’s all only possible because of the big JC I for one am grateful and feel blessed (there’s nothing else I’d get up at 4.30am for!!)
Have an epic Easter and may God bless you xx

Friends

Sometimes in life things seem to flood at you from all directions ! These last few weeks have been really really difficult not just for one reason but for many different t reasons. I’m usually  quite a positive person but after a while it does get to you .
Despite this though I’ve been blessed with some really wonderful friends , in real life and in the virtual world . In the busyness of life it has been Really important to stay connected , to catch up, go for a drink , talk just hang out .. being friends with a vicar isn’t everyone’s cup of tea but I’m thankful to those who see me beyond the collar !!
Friends are a special blessing ..maybe take the time over the next few days to connect with a friend .. send a text , Facebook message whatever works best for you !

R and R

It won't have passed you by to notice that Marc and I were blessed with a couple of days respite this last week thanks to my parents..it's been a long and emotional few weeks and having a child with such complex needs as Dan ..as much as we love him it is exhausting never getting. A full nights sleep or being able to switch off together.
We didn't go far but house swapped heading to Deal to read, sleep, reflect on our future and spend time together uninterrupted. We also had the real blessing of  being invited out for a posh dinner with good friends and those few hours were like gold dust..something that I will treasure and will keep me going when things get tough ! Friendship is really important and quality time even more so.

It's so hard to get perspective when you are "in the thick of it" and we came back into the busiest weekend ever; but even that has been amazing. Today my third service was the joyous occasion of baptising a 9 year old....a girl who used to come to our toddler group in  Upnor . When she was a couple of years old we were invited to her naming ceremony at the house. Whilst there I distinctly rememebr thinking this is just like a baptism without Jesus....7 years later I got to put the Jesus into the celebration.....
Despite still feeling tired there is always lots to be thankful for .

Emotionally spent

Ronan Keating wrote a song Life is a Rollercoaster....never was a truer word sung!
These past few weeks have been a real rollercoaster for our family..most ofmyou will be aware that we sadly had a bereavement on Marc's side of the family..the beautiful Mum of Philip our brother in law ..Joyce. Joyce was such a wonderful,lady, she suffered (quietly) with a debilitating disability but always smiled her way through life, was resilient and always thought about others. The first time I met Joyce was when I was just 19 and she'd offered to put us up after seeing Bon Jovi in Stoke... her and John stayed up late and even collected us from the stadium ...always so selfless.
I was given the real privilege of being asked to do Joyce's funeral along side the local Catholic Priest. This in itself is pretty amazing....a truly ecumenical, breaking down barriers event, I have to confess I was so anxious...how would Father Phil and I work together , would I do Joyce (and our family)  justice and would I hold it together ! Well the service was so amazingly moving, Yes there were tears , but also laughter, amazing sung worship and a real sense of love. The really great thing to see was our tough men really feeling able to show their emotions and the support given from friends.
Amidst this difficult time my awesome niece gave birth to William Issac just 7 days ago..... this was obviously amazing and also brought back a glimmer of hope to the rest of the family during the sad time. William is practically perfect in every way...Emily and Ant are doing a fab job and Emily not only led the worship with Marc at the funeral  just 3 days after giving birth but did a smashing eulogy for her gran.
7 days of happy tears, sad tears, laughter, anxiety and gin!
Today amidst the rollercoaster of emotions I sit here still with the hope and knowledge that Joyce is now with her Heavenly Father in a safe place without any of that pain...and the joy that baby William is growing up in a family that will truly love and care for him....family ....a rollercoaster but one of the best things we've been blessed with .