Capture [31 Days...Day 3]

Yesterday was Esther's 8th birthday. She is growing up so fast. Both the girls are. It's crazy. I look at photos of them as babies and it feels like yesterday. Those photos capture a moment. A moment in time that we can never get back. A moment before they grow more and more.

And today is a moment like that. I currently have 4 of Esther's friends asleep (hopefully!) with her and Phoebe on our lounge floor. I looked at them today and tried to capture the moment.

For you see, each moment is special. Each moment is quite unlike the one before, and unlike any that will come again. And each moment is one to be captured. To be treasured.

That's not always easy. I was talking today to a friend who has recently adopted and the made me think as she said, "I'm just doing tasks and feel like I'm borrowing them for now." That cannot be easy. I hope her moments become ones to treasure.

So today, capture a moment. Hold it tight. Maybe do something unusual, something different. And capture it. For it is a blessed moment, and it's for you.

Family [31 Days...Day 2]

My family are my everything. I am very very lucky that I have two fabulous parents, a slightly odd but lovely brother, and sister in law, and a huge fun-filled family-in-law.

My parents support me in everything. Every choice, every decision, and are always behind me. They are often the ones picking up my kids, sorting out the electrician, or a myriad of other things that I just can't do!

My mum is the one I take my tangled knitting to when I'm having a disaster. My Dad is one to whom I go with DIY questions, financial decisions and really most anything!

I am very lucky to have fabulous parents and such a great family.

I only hope I can be as good for my children. My little family in my house. My gorgeous husband who supports me, loves me, looks after me and gives amazing cuddles. And my two wee girlies. It's the Esther's birthday today (How am I Mum to an 8 year old?!), and she shines like a star. Phoebe is fabulous too. They are so similar, yet so different. Both amazing, both a wonderful blessing to me and to many others.

I pray my family know how much I love them, and that my girls will always be close to me and able to come to me with their thoughts. I'm not sure how much use we'll be with their DIY problems but I hope we can always try our best to help.


Family. It's special. Treasure it, whatever yours looks like. Love the ones who love you and hold tight to those who matter.

Calling. [31 Days...Day 1]

Calling.....do people have a calling? Do you?  Do I?

I think a few years ago I thought I was to be a teacher forever. Now I know that's not true. I left teaching 17 months ago and I haven't looked back. I wouldn't go back, not for anything.  So what is my calling? I'm not sure. Do I have one?!

I'm called by my children regularly. "Muuuuuuummyyyyyy!" is often a shout from them. Usually because they want something, or have lost something. And I love being Mummy to them. It's something very special that only I can be to those girls.  Maybe that's a calling.

I don't think I have a calling as a writer. I've enjoyed blogging, and like being back into it but I doubt I'll make it through these 31 days. There are too many other things calling me. Things like family, work, college, other ways I fill my time. They may well call me away from the blog. But I shall try.

Come along with me for the ride. I'll call for you.....hop in!

31 Days...

So the Five Minute Friday gang have set a challenge. To write on your blog for five minutes for each day in October...31 days. Now, I'm not sure I'll manage - I tend to be better at giving up than finishing but here goes.

So Mooble in Five Minutes, every day of October. Prompts chosen by FMF guys. The gaps on Fridays are for the normal Five Minute Friday topics. (Links will appear...hopefully...as each blog appears)

Day 1 : Calling
Day 2 : Five Minute Friday : Family
Day 3 : Capture
Day 4 : Embrace
Day 5 : Home
Day 6 : Possible
Day 7 : Love
Day 8 :Purple
Day 9 : Five Minute Friday : Trust
Day 10 : Ready
Day 11 : Rest
Day 12 : Storm
Day 13 : Patience
Day 14 : Fly
Day 15 : Laugh
Day 16 :
Day 17 : Offer
Day 18 : Worth
Day 19 : Honour
Day 20 ; Temporary
Day 21 : Wave
Day 22 : Value
Day 23 :
Day 24 : Silence
Day 25 : Crash
Day 26 : Whisper
Day 27 : Perhaps
Day 28 : Hope
Day 29 : Sea
Day 30 :
Day 31 : Almost

Doubt

Doubt. We all doubt things. I doubt myself....often.

I doubt I am right for this place, this time.
I doubt I am the best Mum I could be.

I doubt I am the best wife I could be.

I doubt I did it right today.

I doubt I'll do it right tomorrow.

But then the words to this song that my girls learned at school come belting in my ear :
In my wrestling and in my doubts, 
In my failures you won't walk out.
Your great love will see me through.
You are the peace in my troubled sea.

It's from a song called My Lighthouse by Rend Collective and I urge you to listen to it. (Click here!) It sounds great and the lyrics are fabulous.

But knowing that even in my doubts, God won't walk out. He doesn't doubt me, even when I doubt myself. He put me here for this time, this place. I am fearfully and wonderfully made (Psalm 139 verse 14)....so why should I doubt?

I know why I do, and why I shouldn't, but it doesn't stop me.

I just need to make sure it doesn't overcome me. That lighthouse stands firm even in the fiercest winds and storm and God will hold me safe if I let Him. I need to let Him be my peace.

So today I encourage you to let God be your peace. Let Him stand beside you in whatever you are facing. He doesn't doubt that you can do it, He knows you are right for here and now.

In honesty, I doubt I'll remember this later when things are hard, or I'm feeling fed up, but today if you have doubts about God, speak to someone. Ask those questions and He will allay those doubts.

Celebrate

Celebrate. Well it's nearly Esther's birthday. That'll be a celebration, with cake, candles and a sleepover. Yikes!

But really there are so many things to celebrate. We should celebrate the small things.

The sunshine (in the North West, in September....well, we'll try!).

The sunrises and the sunsets, so pretty.

The times we have together.

The tasty lunches, the giggles, the cuddles.

We should celebrate it all.  It's a shame we're often too busy to celebrate the small things. Maybe it's time to make an effort to celebrate them.

Its easy to get bogged down in the day to day. In the hum-drum. In the normal. But let's celebrate the normal. Celebrate that we can do the dull stuff as well. Plenty of people would love the dull stuff.

So tomorrow I shall try to celebrate something good, something small. And I challenge you to do the same.

Same

Same. No two people are the same. But you, God are the same yesterday, today and forever.

My girls look very similar. But gosh they are not the same. Total individuals, with a love for each other that is the same in its fierceness. Long may that continue. I hope they're free to grow up as individuals too. All too often, especially in education, there is pressure to be the same. To like the same things, to look the same.  I don't know how to parent them through that pressure, but I hope our love and the love of God helps and supports them through that.

Also, they are similar to me. Especially Esther maybe. We were talking today about her finding the change to Juniors hard. Things don't stay the same. I guess that's one truth in life. Things change.

E likes things to stay the same. She gets that from me. Sorry lovely! Chris today compared her move to Juniors and the unknown, to the way I am responding to starting a new college course. That's not the same, and I have the same fears of the unknown and worries that she has moving upstairs in school to a new classroom, new class group, new keystage.

But hey. If everything stayed the same, we would miss all kinds of adventures, opportunities and chances to change. Nothing stays the same. Not the water in the sea, not the air we breathe.

But the love of God stays the same. He continues to love us and work for the best in us in all situations. We need to rememeber that.  And I don't want to stay the same, no matter how safe it feels. I want to grow, to change and to reach my potential. (Remind me of that will you, when I'm cowering in a corner being afraid!

Let's go!