Over the last few days we have been trying to work out when is best for me to begin my maternity leave....it may sound like a really trivial thing but we've tried to look at how late it physically will be possible to leave it to ensure I get the most amount of time with our new edition yet also being aware that tiredness and being huge will take it's toll, on top of that though there is also the issue of the parish still being without a vicar and wanting to make sure everything will be covered for the time between a new vicar coming and me returning to work.
We have finally settled on no date purely because the legal time to inform my employers has arrived and now it's made I'm feel alsorts of feelings...it makes the thought of the future changes real, it makes me think about what it will be like being away from everything and many folk we care about for 9 months and it feels exciting to have this space albeit a busy time to spend as a family and it also makes the idea of a new edition even more real.
Our little thumper has really been making it's presence known to us by kicking during the night but also having a knack of kicking at inappropriate moments...especially during funeral services!
As uncomfortable as the kicking and constant toilet trips can be it does remind me again how blessed we are to be in this position and every day I'm grateful for that.
Thursday, 12 February 2015
Sunday, 1 February 2015
Privilege
After a relatively light Sunday last week today is a bit crazy with 4 very different services, 3 completed this morning and an all age family celebration this afternoon.
Last night and this morning I felt exhausted at the thought of the day ahead and wondered how I would survive.
Each service celebrated Candlemas and it was a real joy to celebrate and hear different responses to the special moment Jesus was presented at the temple just 40 days old....dear old Simeona nd Anna already recognising the significance of this new baby, especially hearing a lady preach her very first sermon amazingly well. ( may be out of a job soon 😛)
And as I stood to preside over the bread and wine I suddenly felt so humbled to be there, so privileged to be in the job, in the place I am and so blessed. We are not a huge church numerically but we are so blessed with gifted people who are so willing to serve this parish to help those around them and are faithful.
As I came home exhausted but happy I was met by my boys playing on their scooters with the neighbours giggling up and down the road and now Dan is playing with one of the boys on the Wii..the sound of light savers vibrating around the house....yes today it's a privilege to be here and I truly am blessed.
Last night and this morning I felt exhausted at the thought of the day ahead and wondered how I would survive.
Each service celebrated Candlemas and it was a real joy to celebrate and hear different responses to the special moment Jesus was presented at the temple just 40 days old....dear old Simeona nd Anna already recognising the significance of this new baby, especially hearing a lady preach her very first sermon amazingly well. ( may be out of a job soon 😛)
And as I stood to preside over the bread and wine I suddenly felt so humbled to be there, so privileged to be in the job, in the place I am and so blessed. We are not a huge church numerically but we are so blessed with gifted people who are so willing to serve this parish to help those around them and are faithful.
As I came home exhausted but happy I was met by my boys playing on their scooters with the neighbours giggling up and down the road and now Dan is playing with one of the boys on the Wii..the sound of light savers vibrating around the house....yes today it's a privilege to be here and I truly am blessed.
Wednesday, 28 January 2015
Time
I'm over half way now in this pregnancy and still awaiting the energy, glow and vitality to kick in! With Dan after a horrid 16 weeks I suddenly felt the best I had ever really felt, this time the sickness seems to come and go, but more often come and tiredness is off the scale! I do keep getting reminded that this time round I have a full time job to do and a 4 year old to deal with!
Today, feeling sickly and tired I had the joy of being with people from both ends of the generations, spending time with some toddlers and their lovely mummies, and then this afternoon sharing a communion service at Montgomery Court sheltered accommodation. All day has been a pleasure spending time in the community with people sharing their lives and just being.
Over the last few weeks we've been thinking about maternity leave and as well as being excited I've also been anxious about the things I will miss from work...hanging out with people whether at cafe church eating bacon butties and exploring life, toddler groups drinking tea and sharing stories or communion with the older generation . However I will also get a chance to "BE"a bit more, time to sit and drink tea with folk without having to run off to the next appointment , time to go and enjoy being at groups as a mummy and not just part of the team organising it and hopefully time to catch up with friends.
The next few months will involve a lot of changes in our life, things will not be the same and I'm only too aware how hard it will be at times... But I see it as an opportunity, an opportunity to further enjoy our community an opportunity to further develop friendships and an opportunity to reflect on life now and for the future....
So when I'm wide awake in months to come or tired with total exhaustion remind me ..this is an opportunity we've been blessed with and to grab it and embrace it with all we've got!
Today, feeling sickly and tired I had the joy of being with people from both ends of the generations, spending time with some toddlers and their lovely mummies, and then this afternoon sharing a communion service at Montgomery Court sheltered accommodation. All day has been a pleasure spending time in the community with people sharing their lives and just being.
Over the last few weeks we've been thinking about maternity leave and as well as being excited I've also been anxious about the things I will miss from work...hanging out with people whether at cafe church eating bacon butties and exploring life, toddler groups drinking tea and sharing stories or communion with the older generation . However I will also get a chance to "BE"a bit more, time to sit and drink tea with folk without having to run off to the next appointment , time to go and enjoy being at groups as a mummy and not just part of the team organising it and hopefully time to catch up with friends.
The next few months will involve a lot of changes in our life, things will not be the same and I'm only too aware how hard it will be at times... But I see it as an opportunity, an opportunity to further enjoy our community an opportunity to further develop friendships and an opportunity to reflect on life now and for the future....
So when I'm wide awake in months to come or tired with total exhaustion remind me ..this is an opportunity we've been blessed with and to grab it and embrace it with all we've got!
Monday, 5 January 2015
Christmas hype
Well today is the 12th night of Christmas....a day when technically the decorations come down and some form of normality resumes..though if you switch on the TV, radio or walk into a shop Christmas has long since gone!
It saddens me really, the poor wise men have still yet to appear in the Nativity and Christmas has been forgotten... ( though not in our house we still have a few gifts to open and the lights are shining brightly til this evening!)
As I clear missions of emails and Facebook notifications it breaks my heart to see so many folk depressed about going back to work after an extended break..it's usual to struggle with "normality" whatever that this, but should it make us feel so down?
This Christmas has been very strange for us...the build up as with everyone started a while ago with so many carol services, carol singing and school,performances to attend but those precious moments were awesome and topped off with 5 amazing but very diverse services covering all ages from Christmas Eve into Christmas Day. I really felt the sense of the true meaning of Christmas and encountered special moments of a young 9 year old singing Once in royal on her own, our newly formed choir singing like a candle flame in the semi darkness ( my son 1 of them) and a stranger wandering into midnight mass having never entered a church before but had been drawn by the tower light...truly amazing!
Unfortunately things went down hill from there with the majority of our family coming down with severe chest infections..although this felt disappointing at the time, it did put into perspective what Christmas is all about, I've jot been able to drink alcohol or eat much food, pressies were small but beautifully defined, yet the true meaning stood out even more.
So this new year after a few days relaxing up north I've had to time to be thankful...thankful that I've had time with loved ones, I've a job to come back to yesterday and a safe place to sleep ( when the coughing stops!!!)
I pray this year is a real time of blessings..even in places you don't expect.
It saddens me really, the poor wise men have still yet to appear in the Nativity and Christmas has been forgotten... ( though not in our house we still have a few gifts to open and the lights are shining brightly til this evening!)
As I clear missions of emails and Facebook notifications it breaks my heart to see so many folk depressed about going back to work after an extended break..it's usual to struggle with "normality" whatever that this, but should it make us feel so down?
This Christmas has been very strange for us...the build up as with everyone started a while ago with so many carol services, carol singing and school,performances to attend but those precious moments were awesome and topped off with 5 amazing but very diverse services covering all ages from Christmas Eve into Christmas Day. I really felt the sense of the true meaning of Christmas and encountered special moments of a young 9 year old singing Once in royal on her own, our newly formed choir singing like a candle flame in the semi darkness ( my son 1 of them) and a stranger wandering into midnight mass having never entered a church before but had been drawn by the tower light...truly amazing!
Unfortunately things went down hill from there with the majority of our family coming down with severe chest infections..although this felt disappointing at the time, it did put into perspective what Christmas is all about, I've jot been able to drink alcohol or eat much food, pressies were small but beautifully defined, yet the true meaning stood out even more.
So this new year after a few days relaxing up north I've had to time to be thankful...thankful that I've had time with loved ones, I've a job to come back to yesterday and a safe place to sleep ( when the coughing stops!!!)
I pray this year is a real time of blessings..even in places you don't expect.
Wednesday, 3 December 2014
Beginnings
It has been a really challenging 14 weeks...there has been the challenge of the marathon, the many harvest festivals with cauliflowers coming out of our ears! We've had rememebrance services and memorials , we've had Christmas fairs and diocesan training plus funerals, baptisms a wedding and hundreds of services....not necessarily challenging in itself but it is when you discover you are pregnant!
At the beginning of September we discovered there may be a chance that I was pregnant though had given up hope of having any more children ....Marc and I were excited but then had to hide that excitement until the magic 12 week scan. That is why it has been a challenging 14 weeks ...trying to do all the joys of work with the joys of morning sickness (whoever named it that was having a laugh!) but also pretending that everything is ok has been the hardest thing I've ever had to do..I hate not being honest with people and it really felt that we weren't being honest.
The one amazing saving grace was that my best friend and his wife also found out the were having a baby...a day apart from us...not only a delight and a joy but a confidant and someone to empathise with.
It is still early days yet and we have a long way to go. The next few months and even years will be a challenge... Coping with work, being pregnant preparing for the future but it will also be immensely exciting ...what the future holds who knows but things will never be the same ! We feel blessed to again have been blessed with this opportunity and we feel so very grateful.
At the beginning of September we discovered there may be a chance that I was pregnant though had given up hope of having any more children ....Marc and I were excited but then had to hide that excitement until the magic 12 week scan. That is why it has been a challenging 14 weeks ...trying to do all the joys of work with the joys of morning sickness (whoever named it that was having a laugh!) but also pretending that everything is ok has been the hardest thing I've ever had to do..I hate not being honest with people and it really felt that we weren't being honest.
The one amazing saving grace was that my best friend and his wife also found out the were having a baby...a day apart from us...not only a delight and a joy but a confidant and someone to empathise with.
It is still early days yet and we have a long way to go. The next few months and even years will be a challenge... Coping with work, being pregnant preparing for the future but it will also be immensely exciting ...what the future holds who knows but things will never be the same ! We feel blessed to again have been blessed with this opportunity and we feel so very grateful.
Monday, 17 November 2014
Friends
I am sure anyone who is friends with me on Facebook is already sick to death of me talking about and sharing pictures of my secondary school reunion on Saturday....I've spent the
Last couple of days trying to process why the weekend had such a profound impact on me, apart from being away for the weeknd with wonderful people !
In my job we do t get weekends, we .get one day off and so social occasions very rarely get attended especially if they are not close to Kent. However by chance, this weekend became free and part of the split half term holiday I missed in October. I was slightly anxious about going as some key friends were unable to make it but with the support of my sister ( who was a few years ahead at school but knew loads of folk) we decided to brave it. There was a lot of anticipation, what will people think of me, how much will people have changed, will we have stuff to talk about, will anyone actually remember me? We began by meeting my bestest friend from primary school, her hubby who I also went to school with and their children, Daniel instantly took a shine to their youngest son and that was that, a great few hours catching up and chatting, we then went on to the reunion feeling a bit nervous, I need not have worried, in the company of our geography teacher and my wonderful form tutor ( who kindly offered to drive us there) we instantly began reminiscing and catching up on 21 years of events; and the night carried on in that way, it was so exciting to see those folk I'd grown up with, to catch up and to hear what people have been up to , it was great meeting people who I only get to see and chat to on Facebook...and it was lovely to hear people call me their Facebook vicar 😉. What was also lovely was the amount of praise each person had for my parents who were chaplain and chair of governors at the school...all very complimentary.
That night my sister and I couldn't stop chatting and the next morning felt a bit deflated having to go home, it really felt like something special had happened. And why? Well I think because these people knew me before the dog collar, we'd shared history, we'd grown up together and we've survived the
journey. I was treated as Sue ( or rather Susan as I was known then !) who I am rather than what I
am...no heirs and graces, no holding back just treated normally. It made me really value friendship and feel a bit sad at the lack of contact over the years.
What was also great was meeting up with special people ...those you look up to and realise they are just as lovely in real life as you imagined them 21 years ago. I pray that this won't be the end of these encounters but only the beginning....to all who made that night special ...you know exactly who you are, thank you so much for welcoming me back up north and treating me as ME!
Last couple of days trying to process why the weekend had such a profound impact on me, apart from being away for the weeknd with wonderful people !
In my job we do t get weekends, we .get one day off and so social occasions very rarely get attended especially if they are not close to Kent. However by chance, this weekend became free and part of the split half term holiday I missed in October. I was slightly anxious about going as some key friends were unable to make it but with the support of my sister ( who was a few years ahead at school but knew loads of folk) we decided to brave it. There was a lot of anticipation, what will people think of me, how much will people have changed, will we have stuff to talk about, will anyone actually remember me? We began by meeting my bestest friend from primary school, her hubby who I also went to school with and their children, Daniel instantly took a shine to their youngest son and that was that, a great few hours catching up and chatting, we then went on to the reunion feeling a bit nervous, I need not have worried, in the company of our geography teacher and my wonderful form tutor ( who kindly offered to drive us there) we instantly began reminiscing and catching up on 21 years of events; and the night carried on in that way, it was so exciting to see those folk I'd grown up with, to catch up and to hear what people have been up to , it was great meeting people who I only get to see and chat to on Facebook...and it was lovely to hear people call me their Facebook vicar 😉. What was also lovely was the amount of praise each person had for my parents who were chaplain and chair of governors at the school...all very complimentary.
That night my sister and I couldn't stop chatting and the next morning felt a bit deflated having to go home, it really felt like something special had happened. And why? Well I think because these people knew me before the dog collar, we'd shared history, we'd grown up together and we've survived the
journey. I was treated as Sue ( or rather Susan as I was known then !) who I am rather than what I
am...no heirs and graces, no holding back just treated normally. It made me really value friendship and feel a bit sad at the lack of contact over the years.
What was also great was meeting up with special people ...those you look up to and realise they are just as lovely in real life as you imagined them 21 years ago. I pray that this won't be the end of these encounters but only the beginning....to all who made that night special ...you know exactly who you are, thank you so much for welcoming me back up north and treating me as ME!
Sunday, 2 November 2014
God incidence
Just a quickie!
Had a real God incident this evening...we had another lovely Sunday @4 ( shame about the turn out) very well planned by the wonderfully creative Anne Mallaidet with craft fun and games as well as a message about how we are like pumpkins and God puts his light within us of we are open to him (v rough summary!)
As we were leaving it was totally pitch black and Daniel suddenly said "mummy it's so dark, I love. Jesus and believe in him where's the light shining ? " to which Anne and I looked at each other turned to the sky and the brightest moon appeared as if from nowhere...."wow mummy I closed my eyes to tell Jesus I did believe and the light appeared!" Too cute!
It really reminded me how literal children are and also how awesome their faith is....I had a total tingling moment!
Had a real God incident this evening...we had another lovely Sunday @4 ( shame about the turn out) very well planned by the wonderfully creative Anne Mallaidet with craft fun and games as well as a message about how we are like pumpkins and God puts his light within us of we are open to him (v rough summary!)
As we were leaving it was totally pitch black and Daniel suddenly said "mummy it's so dark, I love. Jesus and believe in him where's the light shining ? " to which Anne and I looked at each other turned to the sky and the brightest moon appeared as if from nowhere...."wow mummy I closed my eyes to tell Jesus I did believe and the light appeared!" Too cute!
It really reminded me how literal children are and also how awesome their faith is....I had a total tingling moment!
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