Discombobulated

It's been a weird few weeks...I've been living in a bubble of excitement with my and Elijah s birthdays , joy of visiting friends and family , a 2 night trip away minus kids and the on going exciting demands of work, alongside that there's been the horrific terrorist attacks in Manchester and London. It's been hard to sit in a place of emmense joy and emmense pain knowing families have suffered so deeply seeing schools having to cancel trips because parents are living in fear for their kids and we are all secretly wondering where on earth next . It can feel like we are In a state of flux but you look again and we are hearing stories of amazing heroism ...people risking their own lives to protect others, people reacting instinctively to try and stop the terror , homeless men rushing from their spots in order to help and try and save the lives of others who may have usually just passed them by. And tonight I sit trying to plan , watching DIY SOS from Sheppey just down the road from us really , watching two guys who have chosen to adopt 4 very vulnerable children with incredible complex needs have a house literally built up for them enabling them to not just survive together but thrive...inspiring, truly inspiring.
So amidst the hurt and pain we are seeing in the world there still is sparks if not flames of absolute wonderful humanity. And that's the hope I believe In. The hope that shines in the darkness...may it continue to shine.

If carlsberg did weeks....

if carlsberg designed the perfect week...the week just gone would not have been it ! I've never known a week where so much could go wrong...I've had to support an institution with a major critical incident, one of my colleagues was dramatically taken ill which then resulted in my having to cover 2 weddings , a confrontation with the Press and the Sunday services. We've also had a long consultation with the paediatrician for Dan moving closer to a diagnosis for him (more on that another time)Amidst this I also know of others who've had very difficult weeks due to personal family circumstances, it really has been a heart breaking week!

But amidst the stress of preparing all the extra work I got to marry two amazing couples , see on elf those walk down the aisle and stand for her vows after years of being bed ridden with severe ME, I got to baptise a beautiful spirited little girl who delighted at the sight of the water and I got to lead an all age communion accompanied by the junior choir including my son with my aunty in the congregation .

After all that I also had the real joy of having a party to celebrate still being 39(albeit for a few more days!)  with my brother in law. Family travelled from Middlesborough and Rochdale and my bestest ever friend from primary school came down from Bolton with her children. It was just the perfect night...people came together to help make it special a dear friend d j ing, some of my old youth group now all grown up did a photo booth , some awesome friend s made cakes and even more amazing friends helped to decorate the rooms. The room was buzzing with all ages having fun together and it was just wonderful....if carlsberg designed not yet 40th parties is would've been it!   ( as my mum said she couldn't have thought of anything that would've made the Party better, apart from Jason Donovan turning up! ....he didn't 😢)
The only thing I could think of was hiring an even bigger room so I could've invited more friends. Thank you special folk who so far have transformed a heart wrenching, painful week into a weekend of real blessing she and joy..now what to do on my actual birthday 🎉???

Schools

the new job is in full swing! Some may Not notice much difference but one thing that has increased is my schools involvements.
This week is the first week back post Easter hols and it's been a strange one this year as schools broke up over 2 weeks before Easter Sunday . So, this week I've been into nursery and reception classes in Wainscott school and then had year 1 from Cedar school (all 90 of them at once!) visit St Francis church ! It's been a lovely week continuing to share the 🐣 Easter excitement with the children , share the story of the first Easter and hear all about the amazing Easter eggs many of them received !!
One real sweet moment was when a little girl from reception shouted out as I walked in...that's Sue I know her and she came to mY birthday party (my boys were in fact invited to said joint party 🎉) very sweet though indeed!

Amidst the tiredness of the amazing Holy Week it has been a real joy to get to know these kids a bit more... I don't ever regret stopping being a primary school teacher.....but I do miss school life A lot !

The Greatest Season

the last few weeks have been really strange.. I had my licensing on the 30th of March which was the most amazing afternoon ever...I've been to many of these occasions but this was the first I actually was able to plan myself And it was everything I'd hoped it would be, I was also really touched by those people who came especially when it's not necessarily there thing.

Then the next day Dan finished school for the Easter holidays, 2 weeks before Easter itself.
We made the decision to go away before Holy Week as we were in desperate need of a break, as. A mark of moving from one job to another, and to enable Daniel a visit to his much loved Espana!

But now we sit at the cusp of Easter...it's been a really busy week...memories of holidays faded somewhat but the anticipation of tomorrow firmly at the forefront of our hearts and minds...
I actually LOVE Easter much more really than Christmas...in fact I get a bit frustrated that we don't spend or give Easter as much attention as we do the C word. For Easter is where it's at... Easter is about new life, new hope about the greatest gift ever given, the most amazing story ever told.
The world feels to be in a bit of a mess at the moment, somewhat lost but Easter gives us the hope of a better life .

Whatever your thoughts and views, whether you'll indulge in chocolate and bunnies or avoid it altogether may tomorrow bring you peace.

Le weekend

Whilst most folk count down the he days until the weekend ...usually from Sunday night ...some of us , in fact most of us wonderful church lot (lay and ordained) are gearing up for a weekend of opportunities... this weekend was exceptionally busy as I was helping to teach a unit on the mission shaped ministry training programme which was residential in west wickham . I absolutely love teaching and do miss it in many ways but here is something slightly nerves about teaching adults, fellow colleagues and people, who have had way much more life experience, throw in teaching Alongside the woman I admire the most...my mother and I was a light anxious shall we say!
However it was truly a wonderful time  sitting and working alongside some amazing people doing some amazing things across the whole of Kent, it was also great to catch up with some old friends too!
Unfortunately or fortunately this week end was also our church weekend for our new family event UP4IT in Upnor so I hot footed it back in time for 3.45 where we made stuff, planted stuff, jumped up and down, saw the creation story told in many ways including by balloon modelling and I felt really blessed to be in such great company.
After battling teething toddler and a birthday cake Sunday came and another's full day of Sunday where I got to be with the kids, have an announcement about my future and spend lunch time with some of our families from church and those thinking about baptism .
It's gone 11pm I've barely had a minute to myself , the steroids are doing there thing and tomorrow another full on day plus a big boys 7th birthday...I reflect back now wondering how we fitted so much in to these last few days, feeling blessed for amazing parents supporting, working and looking after the kids ad of course marc keeping the show on the road. Physically tired if not mentally I wouldn't have changed any of it for the world ..I love being with people , I love sharing the message of hope in Jesus and I love how things just come together but tonight I most of all love the boy who turns 7 tomorrow, the boy we never thought we'd have and after 5 years of trying surprised us during vicar training ! Feeling well and truly blessed ! 😍

Treasure

The last few days have been stressful to say the least!
Last Wednesday night/Thursday morning we were woken  by Elijah crying...not unusual but this time the cry sounded different. I shot out of bed, realised he was boiling hot and stripped him down. Unfortunately not quick enough because he then began to have a convulsion. I've seen these before several times but nothing could've prepared me for that experience, still holding onto Elijah for dear life I called 999 and very quickly help was on its way. After a long stint in A and E we were finally released diagnosed with having a febrile convulsion due to a very high temperature (over 40 degrees) and still awaiting to find out what caused that. The last few days have been a bit of a blur as I reflect on what happened and how scared I felt after the event.  Every moment I treasure the blessings I have been given, life is fragile.
Today I attended the funeral of a most humble and caring lady, the daughter of an amazing couple from our church leaving behind her very courageous 14 year old son who was able to stand up in front of a full cathedral and share a reading.
We can't predict what will happen or when but this week has taught me to treasure every moment, everything we have every one that we love, that's in our family, our friends , life is just too short and too unpredictable ....

Treasure all you have dear friends xxx

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.