Operation Christmas Child

A Milestone Memoir... The Best Birthday Gift Ever.....

These are things I give myself......

 

I give myself Permission to Rest.

I give myself leave... of all that hinders my spiritual progress and growth.

I give myself permission to Fail.

I give myself Authority to take a stand for what is mine.

Life is too short for long pity parties...... so I give myself permission to cry and loudly if needed!

I give myself the Belief in Miracles, God is waiting for me to see him in everything!

 I order myself  to go after what I love in life,  and not take no for an answer.

 

I authorise myself to burn all the good  candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie and wear my best perfume to bed for no one else but myself! I'm worth it!

Life isn’t tied with a bow, but it’s still a gift .......

I give myself and others the gift of forgiveness, I forgive  everyone everything.

  Lastly I give myself permission to just live.

 

 

 

 

Sisters

Sisters, what can one say when god brings 3 women together under the same roof. Perhaps, mayham, laughter and friendships that due no justice to the name.

Photography At Its Best

The Seasons Of Change

 

Sometimes you just have to roll the dice. It’s not the “not knowing” that’s the problem … it’s the possibility that what comes up will bring us pain, suffering and some sort of  loss.

Usually its not physical pain that causes anxiety… it’s the pain of loss and change. We are comfortable in this cocoon we’ve built up around ourselves these routines and possessions and people we know and places that are familiar and safe. Losing the safe in our lives or the comforts and going into a place where we’re vulnerable and we might fail, is painful and frightening.

 

So why move ahead? We often choose to stay in difficult situations, love, marriages, careers because its simply easier and safe.Starting over might mean being alone. Changing jobs might mean starting at the bottom, or a pay cut.Why are we so willing to be unhappy, there is a possibility that change might be at first difficult but in the end, or for the long-haul so to speak we will ultimately be better for it and happier.

See the wonder and opportunity in change.

Remember, that's just life. God works all things for the good of those that love him and serve him. Trust that things are just as they are supposed to be. Start small and then take a leap of faith and embrace the new and leave the past. Say goodbye to the old and embrace the uncertain, for even in the mystery of the unknown lies a future of hope.



The Shoe Tree

I was inspired to pay tribute to an old post I wrote back in November which stirred many of my followers to contact me pens and papers in hand for the location of this old tree. As the anniversary of my fathers passing approaches, I dedicate this to him.

 

The Shoe Tree in the town of Port Bolster

It is said that a shoe tree starts with one dreamer, tossing his or her footwear into the sky, to catch on an out-of-reach branch.It is there that the shoe's journey ends. But the amazing thing about the shoe tree is that the first pair of shoes triggers a shoe tossing frenzy .

Soon, everyone from teenagers to young children and families are gathering up their shoes and driving over to have a toss of their old walking memories. The thing that I find most fascinating about this tree is, on closer look you will find that most of these old shoes have messages on the sneakers or shoes with permanent marker. Messages of love, loss and inspiration are often inscribed on these old walkers.

This weekend my sister and mother drove out to this little town and the mission became clear. My mom unwrapped the black leather shoes that had once belonged to my dad and my sister tied a little note wrapped in a plastic baggy and then tossed his favourite shoes up into that old tree with the thousands of others. My father was a wonderful man and we all miss him very much, he doesn't need those shoes any more. The thought of his favourite shoes strung up on that tree brought tears to my eyes and a smile on my lips. We wouldn't have it any other way, the Salvation Army would have just given them away and someone else would have been walking a mile in his shoes. That's what made me smile, my sister and my mother knew..... no one could ever walk a day in his shoes...and so there they remain, a legend along side of the others, their tattered state a testimony of his life.

In that picture somewhere in the middle are an old pair of black leather shoes not alone but amid some of the best old walkers in this state. "You know what, old tree, you just got another set of old clonkers but the man who wore them was nothing but a gem