this & that

curious, colour, cautious, care, Christ-follower, cry, crazy, celebrate, candles, Carolyn, compassion, collect, contemplate, complex, calm ... "to be nobody but yourself in a world which is doing it's best night & day to make you everybody else ... ." (E E Cummings)

[carolyncowling]

some say love is holding on, some say letting go ....

(John Denver song) the difficult space between life and death ,,, praying for my brave sister that she will have her wish - & her daily life of “this is horrible” will end ... love you Heather xo

[carolyncowling]

It came as a bit of a shock that if we could sow closeness, we could also sow distance!

Jeremy & Audrey Roloff Wow! A hard hitting reality check for me today. It’s easy to drift apart, and begin a slow slide into distance from one another. I am not responsible for what others sow, but I make daily choices and actions/reactions that sow into my marriage, family and other relationships. The blessing of a prompt from this stranger’s words. 

[carolyncowling]

Becca: Does it ever go away? Nat: No, I don't think it does. Not for me, it hasn't - has gone on for eleven years …But it changes though. Becca: How? Nat: I don't know... the weight of it, I guess. At some point, it becomes bearable. It turns into something that you can crawl out from under and... carry around like a brick in your pocket. And you... you even forget it, for a while. But then you reach in for whatever reason and - there it is. Oh right, that. Which could be awful - But not all the time. It's kinda... not that you like it exactly, but it's what you have instead of your son, so you don't wanna let go of it either. So you carry it around. And it doesn't go away, which is... Becca: What. Nat: Fine... actually.

David Lindsay-Abaire, Rabbit Hole

[carolyncowling]

Today we met two old friends, on the path on our way home from the shops. The wife is very unwell and is now in a local nursing home. The husband was taking his wife for a walk around the block (twice each day) in a special hospital chair they hired for her. Colin, in his wheelchair, seemed quite spritely alongside this woman, whose body has been ravaged by illness. Her mind still clear and aware, but the only communication possible was a small thumbs up. Her husband is dedicated to her care and being with her every day. The picture of them has stayed with me and is very moving, as they walk through this 'valley of the shadow of death'. Our love & honour to you both - Joy & Wayne.

[carolyncowling]

He pitched his tent in the land of hope

Acts 2:26 (The Message) On a grey winter's morning, remember Spring is coming ... and Winter has it's own unique gifts too.

[thegoodvybe]

[carolyncowling]

No-one hears our whole story - there is no time to name it all - & few that could listen. It feels like we live only partly known - with so much more to share ...

[carolyncowling]

Sometimes people interrupt us when we are speaking. Sometimes people interrupt our quietness.

[carolyncowling]

The fam ...

Weekend family blessings ... as we celebrated our brother Graeme & his wife Adele - and his 22 years of exceptional service at Scone Grammar School. And over the weekend, catching up with my other brothers & sister-in-law, some nieces, nephews & their kids - for coffee, meals, car trip, sharing about life, and always much laughter .... 

Love our big family - & each one in it. :)

[carolyncowling]

'think on these things' ...

"Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable - if anything is excellent or praiseworthy - think about such things."(Philippians 4:8) This morning, I checked out a blog post that I assumed was a medical story. Sadly, I was mistaken and it was more like a horror movie that left me feeling sick and shaken. Life has many gruelling images and stories and they are just a click away and can catch us by surprise. Taking a moment to refocus and think on something that brings life rather than despair. :)

[carolyncowling]

in Kristina Keneally's first address to the Senate .... the former premier of NSW and now a federal Labor senator, spoke of the inspiration she continues to draw from her baby who was stillborn in 1999. "Our daughter Caroline never drew breath, but she changed me forever," she told the chamber in her maiden speech on Tuesday. "She enlarged my understanding of love and loss. She taught me to survive. She made me brave, almost fearless."

MSN News So many babies who don't get to live, but touch our lives in many ways, and for all our days. Remembering - Benjamin (Graeme & Del), Harrison triplets, Heather & Tony's, 'Shaming the Strong', John (Faye & Bruce), Ruth & Rhys' twins, Sarah & Ben's twins, Lisa & Fel's, our baby(1987) ... & so many more ....

[carolyncowling]

I want you to notice who moved this crowd to tears .... Was it couple number one, with their perfect steps? Or was it the last couple that had no steps at all? No, My child, it was the display of love, not perfection, that moved the crowd. Simply put, God had sent me a lame man to teach me how to dance.

Sharon Jaynes ('Enough')

[carolyncowling]

today ...

Some of us ran marathons, some of us climbed mountains, some of us gave birth, some of us dug deep holes & found hidden treasures, some of us travelled to exciting destinations, some of us pushed our wheelchairs up a hill, or a large empty bookcase inside to outside without anybody's help, and some of us watered our gardens & pot plants, and some of us stayed inside because our skin was a mess, and some of us persisted with new dentures despite the mouth ulcers ...........some of us are in bed by 7.30, and some of us still have washing up to do before midnight ............We are each different - and all of us are busy doing life ........... 

[cleverbouquetwhispers-blog]

[carolyncowling]

..... The simple and well-worn have their own exquisite beauty. ....

[carolyncowling]

...even if the waters rise, and our people leave, and our prodigals don’t come home, and we fail ourselves and our hearts break, and the bottom falls out of everything, we who are the Jesus-thirsters, and the flame throwers, the EVEN IF people, we will rise, and we will run and we will persevere with fire in our bones, fueled by our thirst for living waters, right till we cross the finish line and fall down at the feet of our saving Jesus and say: You are mine and I am yours...

Ann Voskamp

Some days it's a crawl to the finish line, but we don't give up .... for our faith is greater than our fears

[carolyncowling]

I thought about telling my child I was fine, but instead, I gave her truth. “Yes,” I admitted. “I felt scared about a new endeavor because it means being brave about difficult periods in my life in order to help other people. But I stopped to breathe and let out my tears. I feel better now.” My daughter hugged me. “We’re Noticers, Mom, and we feel things deep in our heart and brain. That makes us special. I know you’re going to help a lot of people.” As her arms wrapped around me, I felt a sense of relief. Parents are often led to believe we have to be strong – that we must portray ourselves as invincible. But the truth is, the more human we are, the more it will help our children rise.

[email protected]

As we share our own stories, we give our children stepping stones to live out the truth of theirs.

[carolyncowling]

Hope 2018 has found you rich in peace and purpose. And flowers!

Jennie Hegarty

[carolyncowling]

The best plan is always Plan Be: Really Be — wherever you really are.  Really be wherever you are, and really be present to the gift of now, and really be given to God and people because this is how you become love.

Ann Voskamp