Install Love

TECH SUPPORT: Yes, how can I help you?

CUSTOMER: Well, after much consideration, I’ve decided to install Love. Can you guide me through the process?

TECH SUPPORT: Yes. I can help you. Are you ready to proceed?

CUSTOMER: Well, I’m not very technical, but I think I’m ready. What do I do first?

TECH SUPPORT: The first step is to open your Heart. Have you located your Heart?

CUSTOMER: Yes, but there are several other programs running now. Is it okay to install Love while they are running?

TECH SUPPORT: What programs are running ?

CUSTOMER: Let’s see, I have Past Hurt, Low Self-Esteem, Grudge and Resentment running right now.

TECH SUPPORT: No problem, Love will gradually erase Past Hurt from your current operating system. It may remain in your permanent memory but it will no longer disrupt other programs. Love will eventually override Low Self-Esteem with a module of its own called High Self-Esteem. However,you have to completely turn off Grudge and Resentment. Those programs prevent Love from being properly installed. Can you turn those off ?

CUSTOMER: I don’t know how to turn them off. Can you tell me how?

TECH SUPPORT: With pleasure. Go to your start menu and invoke Forgiveness. Do this as many times as necessary until Grudge and Resentment have been completely erased.

CUSTOMER: Okay, done! Love has started installing itself. Is that normal?

TECH SUPPORT: Yes, but remember that you have only the base program. You need to begin connecting to other Hearts in order to get the upgrades.

CUSTOMER: Oops! I have an error message already. It says, “Error – Program not run on external components.” What should I do?

TECH SUPPORT: Don’t worry. It means that the Love program is set up to run on Internal Hearts, but has not yet been run on your Heart. In non-technical terms, it simply means you have to Love yourself before you can Love others.

CUSTOMER: So, what should I do?

TECH SUPPORT: Pull down Self-Acceptance; then click on the following files: Forgive-Self; Realize Your Worth; and Acknowledge your Limitations.

CUSTOMER: Okay, done.

TECH SUPPORT: Now, copy them to the “My Heart” directory. The system will overwrite any conflicting files and begin patching faulty programming. Also, you need to delete Verbose Self-Criticism from all directories and empty your Recycle Bin to make sure it is completely gone and never comes back.

CUSTOMER: Got it. Hey! My heart is filling up with new files.Smile is playing on my monitor and Peace and Contentment are copying themselves all over My Heart. Is this normal?

TECH SUPPORT: Sometimes. For others it takes awhile, but eventually everything gets it at the proper time. So Love is installed and running. One more thing before we hang up. Love is Freeware. Be sure to give it and its various modules to everyone you meet. They will in turn share it with others and return some cool modules back to you.

CUSTOMER: Thank YOU.

TECH SUPPORT: You’re welcome, anytime.

(Author unknown)

Autumn

 

I love this time of year.

The last chance to enjoy some colour and the last of the sunshine, knowing that the icy winter is close behind.

It seems to sharpen my focus and makes me enjoy every moment to the full!

Climate Justice

David Cameron has said that he wants this government to be the greenest ever – both in terms of action at home and internationally.

We need to remind him of his pledge.

You can sign the Christian Aid letter to the PM here.

The Perfect Church

If you should find the perfect church

Without one fault or smear,

For goodness sake! Don’t join that church:

You’d spoil the atmosphere.


If you should find the perfect church

Where all anxieties cease

Then pass it by lest joining it

You’d mar the masterpiece.

If you should find the perfect church

Then don’t you ever dare,

To tread upon such holy ground;

You’d be a misfit there.

But since no perfect church exists

Made of imperfect men,

Then let’s cease looking for that church

And love the church we’re in.

Of course, it’s not a perfect church,

That’s simple to discern

But you and I and all of us

Could cause the tide to turn.

What fools we are to flee our post

In that unfruitful search

To find at last where problems loom

God proudly builds His church.

So let’s keep working in our church

Until the resurrection.

And then we each will join that church

Without an imperfection.

–Mavis Williams

Let go and let God

I haven't blogged for a while.

Partly, because I spent some time with my mother to support her whilst my stepdad continues to be very ill in intensive care.

The time I spent with my mum made me realise the importance of letting go of things which are outside our control, and to trust that those things - however painful - have a purpose and will work out for the good of those concerned.

Most of us have a natural desire to make a difference, get things done, help and be in control.

Sometimes, however, the best thing to do is to stop fighting and struggling and fretting - and instead just let go.

I found this poem, which really spoke to me:

To "Let Go," does not mean to stop caring,
it means I can't do it for someone else.
To "Let Go," is not to cut myself off,
it's the realization I can't control another.
To "Let Go," is not to enable,
but to allow learning from natural consequences.
To "Let Go," is to admit powerlessness,
which means the outcome is not in my hands - but in God's.
To "Let Go" is not to try to change or blame another,
it's to make the most of myself.
To "Let Go," is not to care for,
but to care about.
To "Let Go," is not to fix,
but to be supportive.
To "Let Go," is not to judge,
but to allow another to be the human being they choose to be.
To "Let Go," is not to be in the middle arranging all the outcomes,
but to allow others to affect their own destinies.
To "Let Go," is not to be protective,
it's to permit another to face reality - regardless of how painful it might be.
To "Let Go," is not to deny,
but to accept.
To "Let Go," is not to nag, scold, or argue,
but instead - to search out my own shortcomings and correct them.
To "Let Go," is not to adjust everything to my desires,
but to take each day as it comes and cherish myself in it.
To "Let Go," is not to regret the past,
but grow and live for the future.
To "Let Go," is to fear less and live more.
Let Go and Let God!

(anonymous)

Apple blossoms

The apple trees are blossoming.

How pretty and delicate they are!

Because our garden is quite narrow, we chose to plant two ballerina type apple trees last year. They will grow up straight (to a height of 8ft), instead of branching out.

Sadly that means, I won't be able to sit in their shade in the summer heat ...

Sowing seeds

Today I sowed some seeds to start off in the cold frame - runner beans, tomatoes, cucumbers and courgettes.

I have tried to use recycled material, such as newspaper, toilet roll inserts and egg boxes.

The last one is a picture of another plant container, which homes several strawberry plants. It was originally a chutney barrel, which we found behind the local curry house.

Foraged soup - nettle and wild garlic

   We love foraging, and today was a great day to go picking fresh nettle tops for soup. 

   They went well with the wild garlic, which my husband showed me on yesterday's walk. I had somehow never known about wild garlic. It has a distinct garlicky smell and flavour - although milder than it's commercially grown counterpart.

Here is the recipe we followed:

Serves 10

1 bag full of young nettle tops (wash well)
1 large leek (roughly chopped)
2 medium-sized onions (roughly chopped)
2 very large potatoes (peeled and chopped quite small)
1-2 cloves of garlic (chopped/crushed)
vegetable stock to taste (cube/powder, etc)
3 pints water
2.5 pints milk

4 bunches (of approx 50g) wild garlic (finely chopped) 

a little olive oil
cream (single or double)
salt and pepper

a few garlic mustard leaves for garnish (optional)

Place all ingredients in a large saucepan except the cream, wild garlic and one pint of the milk. Bring to the boil and simmer for about half an hour, then liquidise. Also, liquidise the remaining pint of milk with the chopped wild garlic. Swirl some of this and a little cream into the soup once you have put it in a bowl. Garnish with a couple of garlic mustard leaves.

Enjoy!

I love you

Just recently I have been wondering how often I say "I love you" and really mean "I love you when you are the way I want you to be" - when what I should really say is "I love you just as you are" ...

Easter Sunday

This morning I got up early to put some brightly coloured primroses in the flower bed outside our church.

There is a very practical reason for me doing it at this time. Unfortunately we have had flowers and plants stolen from the churchyard in the past - so the best way to ensure that the flowers are there for people to enjoy on Easter Sunday, is to plant them very early on the same day!

But on a different note, getting up and preparing to go to the churchyard so early in the morning reminded me of another journey, which other women took 2000 years ago:

On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them. In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, "Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; he has risen!"

(Luke 24:1-6)

I am reminded how quickly mourning can turn into joy.

Just as on Good Friday the hopes and dreams of so many seemed to be dashed - leaving them feeling hopeless and helpless; so now the sadness is turned into new hope, new life and a new promise!

May we never lose trust in God's promises.

May we never cease to hope and strive towards his kingdom!

Good Friday

Today is the day when Christians remember Jesus' trial and death on the cross.

The churches in our town commemorate this event by a Walk of Witness - a walk through town, with people taking it in turns to carry a large wooden cross and the rest of the congregation following; stopping in places to read from the Bible about Jesus' last hours and praying; followed by a joint service in the town square.

I have always found the Walk of Witness very powerful.

Firstly, it really is a witness of our faith! Walking around with a wooden cross certainly does raise a few eyebrows in this day and age. People stop and stare, and we are noticed!

Secondly, it is one of those opportunities when people from different churches and denominations lay aside their differences and join in the same thing which as members of the Body of Christ all hold dear - following Jesus!

Thirdly, we are reminded that Jesus called us to take up our own cross and to follow him. We should not just watch from afar, but we should get in there and get to work!

Every year I am struck by how difficult it is for us the comprehend how terrible this day must have been 2000 years ago.

We observe Good Friday with the knowledge that Easter Sunday is not far behind, and that there will be joy and hope and the promise of eternal life.

How different it must have been for the disciples!

All must have seemed lost.

Jesus arrested and condemned to death.

Gone! The end!

What about the promise of the new kingdom? The claim of being the way to the Father?

Why can he not save himself?

Was he lying?

Have we been deceived?

Where do we go now?

Perhaps, if we cannot fully comprehend this time of darkness, hopelessness and despair, we cannot really appreciate the miracle and wonder which Easter Sunday brings?

Most of the disciples disappear or watch the crucifixion from a safe distance. Hide. Deny ever having known Jesus.

I wonder where I would be?

Standing at the foot of the cross? Or running away, fearing for my own safety?

Beauty in small things

Now the weather has turned cold again, an icy wind is blowing and it seems that spring has abandoned us!

But then, walking through the churchyard we spotted this little huddle of ladybirds on a gravestone.

How sweet are they??!

The second group seems a little bit more organised! LOL 

These little guys certainly brightened up this cold, miserable day, and gave me hope that spring IS on its way. After all, the ladybirds should know, shouldn't they?

Bad day ... or was it?

Today was a rubbish day, and nothing seemed to be going to plan!

Firstly, I had planned to go our for a run in the morning, but I never got myself ready to go ... and then it started raining.

So hubby and I decided to go for a walk in the woods instead, looking for early mushrooms ... but on the way in the car (we only bought it last week!)  the oil warning lamp came on, and we pulled over because we didn't want to risk damaging the engine. - So instead of a walk in the woods I got to run to find a public phone - without success. (Luckily, with my community based job I know many people in many parts of town, and one of the day centres was not too far - so I walked there, where I was offered the use of the phone and the toilet and a lift back to the car. Thank you, Julie!!)

The AA man came quickly and brought us back home, but we spent the rest of the day getting the oil lamp switch fixed ... only to find then that the heating is also faulty and spraying cooling water everywhere, and it will need to be sorted out too. So a phone call to the car dealer, who sold us the car, was in order! Tomorrow we are going back there to get it sorted out.

Not wanting to leave hubby alone with this, I had to cancel a dentist appointment which I had tomorrow morning.

So it seems to have been a very hassly sort of day!

But if I look back, there were many blessings:

• Friends and colleagues I can call on in need

• A speedy and friendly AA emergency service

• My hubby and I pulling together and working very well as a team, supporting each other when needed

• For every problem there was a solution at hand

• Coming back home, our daughter cooked the evening meal for us all. Thank you, sweet pea!

Time to be grateful!

Palm Sunday

Today is Palm Sunday, the first day of Holy Week.

Many Christian denominations remember on this day Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem - in the knowledge that within days events will turn and lead to Jesus' arrest, crucifixion, death and eventually his resurrection. 

"Holy Week is the last week of Lent and the week before Easter. It includes the religious holidays of Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday (Holy Thursday) and Good Friday, and lasts from Palm Sunday (or in the Eastern, Lazarus Saturday) until but not including Easter Sunday.It commemorates the last week of the earthly life of Jesus Christ before his crucifixion on Good Friday and his resurrection on Easter Sunday."

Although our (secular) society seems to highlight Christmas as the main festival of the year, in the Christian calendar Easter is by far the more important occasion to remember.

Easter represents all Christianity stand for, and I love to spend some time during Lent - as especially Holy Week - to reflect on the enormity of the events which took place 2000 years ago ...

 

Earth Hour

Earth Hour is about to start in 20 minutes here in the UK!

The WWF encourages as many people as possible to turn off their lights for one hour this evening (from 8.30 PM) to save energy and reduce the carbon footprint - and to protect endangered wildlife and people.

You can sign up here.

I guess that means I could turn this computer off too ...

Pray as you go

A friend shared this lovely resource with me.

It is set up by the Jesuits in Britain.

There is a prayer, Bible reading, some spiritual music and the opportunity to meditate on and prepare for the new day every day of the week. It can be accessed via the website or downloaded onto the mp3 player.

I have found it a great way to prepare myself for the day, and to keep focused on God and his Word. 

God

"God is the place that always heals over, however often we tear it."

(Don Paterson, from ‘The Stream’, 2006)

Meet India ...

... the new puppy we sponsor through Guide Dogs for the Blind.

Isn't she sweet???

India will live with a puppy walker for the first year, learning basic commands and how to deal with a variety of social situations in order to prepare her for her specific training as a guide dog for the blind.

In the garden

At last spring seems to have arrived, and it is time to do some gardening.

The trench for the runner beans was already dug a few weeks back and is filling up with kitchen waste (apparently runner beans like it that way!).

Here is what's happening in the garden so far:

The chives are starting to grow again.

The winter lettuce has survived very well in the cold frame, despite the long and cold winter.

The swiss chard has also survived.

Although I am expecting the plants to bolt soon, the leaves are still good for eating now, and a great replacement for spinach in recipes.

I split the rhubarb in January. Now the new leaves are emerging.

I am good at ...

• knitting
• cooking
• planning and completing tasks
• being organised
• feeling empathy for others
• helping others
• keeping fit
• sticking to rules
• loving
• giving

(I felt the need to remind myself of the things I am good at. It seems much easier to think of those things I am not so good at. Why is that, I wonder?)

Lent charity - Smile Train

It has become my practice over the last few years to give some luxury food item or another up for Lent, and to give the money I have thereby saved to a charity of my choice.

This year my chosen charity is Smile Train UK,  a charity which focuses on cleft lip and palate repairs.

Clefts are a major problem in developing countries where there are millions of children who are suffering with unrepaired clefts. Most cannot eat or speak properly. Aren’t allowed to attend school or hold a job. And face very difficult lives filled with shame and isolation, pain and heartache.
The good news is every single child with a cleft can be helped with surgery that costs as little as £150 and takes as little as 45 minutes.

Smile Train describes their mission like this:

-To provide free cleft surgery for millions of poor children in developing countries.
-To provide free cleft-related training for doctors and medical professionals.
Until there are no more children who need help and we have completely
eradicated the problem of clefts.

Just look at the difference a cleft lip and palate repair can make:

Gabriel, before the op...      

... and after                       

Maria, before ...                                    

and after ...                             

Please consider supporting this charity. It costs £150 to repair a cleft lip and palate.

Stainless steel

  cold 

    hard 

      un(for)giving

I would rather be like the living willow

  gentle

    flexible

      willing to bend

Anniversary

Today we have been married for 11 years. Add to that the 13 years we lived together before we married, and we have been together for 24 years!

It has not always been easy, and we do have our differences - but even in times of difficulties I know that we are good together and that we complement each other!

I am not a great one for writing poems, but on this occasion I have tried to put my feelings into words.

Walking together

sometimes pulling away

sometimes walking in unison

Maturing together

sharing life's experiences

united

Enjoying the sense of myself

but finding completeness with you

Bedford

Our wedding anniversary is tomorrow, but today is the day the children are at school and we have the day to ourselves - so we spent it exploring Bedford. It's a place we normally drive through to go elsewhere, but we have never spent any time visiting.

We visited St Paul's church and the John Bunyan Museum, where we received a brilliant guided tour by a delightful elderly man.

We also spent a little while looking at our old friend, the river Great Ouse - looking wider and grander than it does further West.

Unfortunately the weather wasn't great, but it was lovely spending a quiet day together.

The old mill

Today we walked past the old mill at the river Great Ouse. It is long disused, and has been converted into apartments. 

 

The weir, which used to supply the mill is still there. 

 

The great thing about going for walks is how you notice the small things along the way. Such as peering inside a hollow tree along the edge of the river.

And spotting the newly emerging buds on the trees. 

Frank Skinner on Christianity

Frank Skinner is better known for being a comedian than a Christian, so I was interested to come across his opinion piece on Christianity in The Times Online:

To many British people, Christianity seems like a weird but unexciting theme park. Personally, I like our ever-dwindling status. I even like our ever-dwindling numbers. There was a time when social pressure made people go to church. If anything the reverse is now true. Most adults you see in church nowadays are there because they want to be there. That’s not decline, it’s progress. The wheat has been separated from the chaff. We get quality, not quantity, in the churches and the chaff can enjoy a nice lie-in.

[...]

Lord Carey feels that Christians have been too soft. He said that if you behave like a doormat, you get treated like one. I’m a little wary of muscular Christianity. It’s been used to justify everything from the Crusades to the shooting of abortion doctors. It seems to be in direct contradiction to “Resist not evil, but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also”.

This is the doormat as positive role model — a doormat who’s more concerned about the “welcome” than the muddy feet. Surely the central image of Christianity is someone who can shoot fireballs out of his fingertips allowing himself to be nailed to a wooden cross — submission as the ultimate show of strength — love as impenetrable armour. Most British Christians are badly dressed, unattractive people. We’re not pushy and aggressive members of society. We’re a bit like Goths — no one can remember us being fashionable and we talk about death a lot. I love the glorious un-coolness of that.

[...]

I went to a debate this week. The motion was “England should be a Catholic country again”. I ended up voting against. The marriage of Church, any church, and State seems alien to the teachings of Christ. Power corrupts and British Christians should be happy to continue relinquishing it. The Catholic Church lost more than it gained when it got into bed with the Emperor Constantine.

Christians tend to save their best work for the “voice in the wilderness” genre. We are most impressive when operating as a secret sect, kneeling in small, candle-lit rooms and scrawling fishes on walls. I’m enjoying this current dose of persecution. It’s definitely good for the soul.



 

The woodpile

The local Council has been busy clearing the undergrowths and and trees and hedges along the roadsides.

A good opportunity for us to forage for left-over pieces of wood, which we can collect to build up our woodpile. After all, the next winter is not too far away! (Haha!!)

Armed with our bicycle trailer, a splitting axe and investing an hour of our time and labour, and the woodpile has grown again. And it has cost us nothing!

It will take the summer to dry out to turn into wood good for burning in the wood-burner.

Walking into spring

Today was a beautiful early spring day - still cold and blustery, but also sunny. The sun is now noticeably gathering strength!

I enjoyed a long walk along the river Great Ouse with my 13-year old son. It's a great opportunity for us to spend time together, relax and chat - and, best of all, end with a cup of tea and cake in the local cafe.

I am really, really, REALLY looking forward to spring now, to the emerging of the first green, to the birds nesting and us planning our garden.

Nature seems to be at the ready - just waiting for the right day to spring into life ...

I cannot wait!

A New Commandment

"A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."

(John 13: 34-35)

My church family

I am grateful and feel privileged to be part of a wonderful church community, which aims to worship God and serve the local community at the same time (after all, when we serve our neighbours, do we not serve God too?) 

We provide breakfast on a Saturday morning, and everybody is welcome. A couple of homeless guys are amongst the regulars.

At the same time we are a collection point for Food Bank, a UK charity which works in conjunction with health and social services to provide food parcels to people in financial difficulties.

I feel very welcomed and accepted into my church family. Being part of the Body of Christ truly is like being part of a great family!

The more welcomed and accepted I feel, the more my desire grows to reach out and make others feel the same; be they friends or strangers.

Perhaps the love of God is best felt, when it comes from fellow human beings ...?

Just as God loves us, so we should love each other.

Just as God forgives us, so we should forgive each other.

Just as God protects us, so we should look out for and protect each other.

I thank God for having brought me this far on my faith journey! I thank him for having brought me to my church community. I pray that he will continue to nurture me and mature me in my faith, and that he will use me for the purpose he has intended for me ... and I pray that I will never lose sight of it!

Thank you, Lord.

Left-over Friday

Here is another go at using up the left-overs in the fridge before going out to buy food for the next week.

This time the recipe is Mixed Vegetable Curry.  Useful for almost any left-over vegetables.

Happy Birthday, Anna!

My daughter is 16 today ... and I feel old!

It doesn't seem like yesterday that I gave birth to our first-born.

Here she is, when she was 18 months old:

Car-free working and Walk to Work week

I work in a community team for adults with learning disabilities, and much of my work consists of visiting people in day centres and in their own homes across town.

At the moment that often means me using my car to do those home visits, but I am hoping and trying to decrease my car use and rely more and more on alternative transport, such as public transport, bicycle or my own two feet!

I am in the process of finding out whether my employer (the good old NHS) would support me in those endeavours. You might think that, being the national health service, they would encourage people to go car-free ... but the perception that the car is the only realistic and most efficient mode of transport is deeply ingrained in people's minds.

So I am slowly gathering evidence about car-free options and their benefits, and about projects and incentives in other areas. (Any suggestions and advice is welcome!!)

Walking Works is one website, which I have come across so far. Did you know that it is Walk to Work week from 26-30 April?

"Thoughts come clearly while one walks" - Thomas Mann

KIVA (Microfinancing)

I just made a loan to someone in Kyrgyzstan through KIVA - a microfinancing website.

You can go to Kiva's website and lend to someone across the globe who needs a loan for their business - like raising goats, selling vegetables at market or making bricks. Each loan has a picture of the entrepreneur, a description of their business and how they plan to use the loan so you know exactly how your money is being spent - and you get updates letting you know how the entrepreneur is going.

The best part is, when the entrepreneur pays back their loan you get your money back - and Kiva's loans are managed by microfinance institutions on the ground who have a lot of experience doing this, so you can trust that your money is being handled responsibly.

I just made a loan to this group of women, named Nurjan Sabyr–kyzy's Group in Kyrgyzstan.  

It's finally easy to actually do something about poverty - using Kiva I know exactly who my money is loaned to and what they're using it for. And most of all, I know that I'm helping them build a sustainable business that will provide income to feed, clothe, house and educate their family long after my loan is paid back.

Join me in changing the world - one loan at a time.

Just follow this link to find out more.

Love food Hate waste

I hate wasting food!

So I was very pleased to come across this site. Full of useful tips and recipes!

Tomorrow is the day when we do our weekly food shopping, so I rummaged through the fridge and cupboard and found some left-overs to plan this evening's meal with - some potatoes, a few parsnips, half a swede and some spring onions. Eggs and flour is usually stocked.

With those ingredients I made these vegetable rostis, served with bacon and fried egg. Everybody liked them. Bonus!

 

Fairtrade fortnight

Fairtrade fortnight 2010 runs from February 22nd to March 7th.

A great reminder that we can help those who grow and provide food for us in the developing world by ensuring that they receive a fair living wage!

We can do that by swapping as many food and household items as possible for fairtrade alternatives ( fruit, coffee, tea, chocolate, wine, sugar, rice, flowers, cotton etc) . Sure, they tend to be a little more expensive - but the extra money we pay means the producer has earned a better and fairer income.

After all, we all want to be able to provide for our families.

To get to the fairtrade page, click here.