MOT of life..........

It is good to give thanks to the Lord, to sing praises to your name O most High; to declare your steadfast love in the morning and your faithfulness by night.

This is the song that was in my head this morning  and it is indeed good.  Given the poorly state of my car recently imagine my gratitude on hearing it had passed its MOT.  You know what it's like, the phone rings and if your car is as old as mine you're open to the fact that it might need bits and pieces replaced although sometimes they could be large, expensive bits and pieces!  In fact since my husband bought the car for me nearly 10 years ago it has only failed the MOT once and it was only an additional minor expense. 

It is easy to be drawn to the attraction of newer models in so many areas of our lives: job, house, even friends, but let's not be quick to ditch the 'old and reliable', the 'steadfast and faithful'.

God has no beginning and has no end, so He is ageless.  He passes the MOT of life every time.  His manual is free and there for all who desire it.   He is reliable beyond measure and will never let you down.  How awesome is this!

Today (day 36) I am thankful I accepted his offer to become a 'God chick'!

To be a Mum...............

I left school pretty pronto today and so was at home whilst Gracie stayed on. A a member of the signing choir Monday is practise day.  As soon as she arrived it's me she looks for.  Up she bounded; "Mummy I just love you so much".  What greater affirmation is there than to be loved, warts and all.  When she wakes in the morning it's me she tiptoes to and wakes with a gentle kiss (although the creaky floorboards give her away).  She gives the best cuddles and I mean right in your neck, legs wrapped around your torso kind of cuddles. 

My boys are no different.  Sam, at 19 still gives me goodnight kiss when he is home and likes to snuggle when the two of us stay up late to watch a movie.  That reminds me I am suffering withdrawal symptoms and due a date with James soon.  Bond, James Bond of course!  Well the 22 digitally remastered cds won't watch themselves you know.  Just in case you're wondering Roger Moore remains the BBE (duh, the 'Best Bond Ever').  Now where was I?  Every mum has her favourite comfy seat and mine is on the red sofa, wall side.  It means I can safely have a cup of tea or glass of sherry by my side.  I can't tell you the battles and cross words that have been exchanged between Aaron and Gracie over whose turn it is to sit next to me or how long the other has been sitting next to me..............

You won't get this kind of pedestal treatment from anyone or anywhere else but your children so lap it up big time.  Today (day 35) I am thankful that after applying to my God I got the job and have been doing it for nearly 20 years!

PS my lovely TA Liz must have had heavenly insight into my post tonight as she handed this to me when she entered the classrom.  It was beautifully written and reduced me to tears.  I have now put it in my 'Tai' box of stuff.  Here it is though, word for word.

A Mum

A mum is a small portion of God's love in action

She looks with her heart and feels with her eyes

A mum is the bank where her children deposit their worries and hurts

A mum is the cement that keeps her family together and her love lasts a lifetime

You can have everything in life but you only get one mum

so show this to anyone who is a lovely mummy and let know how wonderful she is

I just did!

x

                

To God be the glory.................

Where did the week-end go!

• Children fed (several times this week-end I might add), check
• Aaron, football match and street dance lesson, check
• washing done & school uniform ready, check
• Gracie's hair, washed, blow-dried, braided, check
• bath & toilet cleaned (someone has to do it), check
• car back on the road, check
• Aaron gave me impromptu dance lesson in preparation for Wednesday, check (I am not competitive I've just got to be good!!!!!! Hee Hee)
• 81 school books marked, check
• Prep for school, check
• Dad taken daughter roller skating in readiness for attending a party next week, check
• school bags packed, check
• 5 hourly doses of paracetamol, check (I am determined not to succumb to the pull of this flu thing)
• Feeling in need of a holiday, check
• Feeling completely rested, no check

Giving God all the glory, check, check, check!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


You know even if we had 48 hours each day we would still not have enough hours to do all we needed or wanted to do.  As a new week starts and although I do not feel very rested I am most thankful for all that I have been able to do and so much more.  I didn't limit myself and God didn't either.  How much more must I not limit my God.  He is able to do all things and is not under the constraints of a 24 hour day.  So lay every thing that is of importance to you and yours at His feet.  Nothing is too mundane so tell Him what you would like to get done and then get on with it, rely only on His strength.  Sing, dance, pray as you along.

In the midst of it all the blessings were still coming thick and fast.  A birthday card from my mother-in-law arrived from Nigeria yesterday, a phone call from a lovely and dear friend whom I hadn't seen for a while.  The icing on the cake was to receive words of encouragement tonight from my bro' in Christ Don (well he's really just like a big brother to me) regarding my blogging which he is being blessed by. 

So tonight (day 34) when my head hits the pillow (after setting the alarm clock; during term time it wins the stand off every Sunday night!) my heart sings a song of gratitude.

It's good to be a 'grafter'

It's good to come from a family of hard workers or 'grafters' as I tell my children. Culture and heritage are so important in society today to ensure that children grow up grounded.

My husband comes from a long line of 'grafters'. He is never afraid to get his hands dirty or try something for the first time. He will painstakingly research how to do/fix something and then give it a go. Now I know I mentioned that my car, having served me faithfully for nearly 10 years was in need of a few replacement parts, one of which was potentially going to cost some serious wonga. I won't bore you with the details but basically the ignition cylinder needed replacing and as the car is fitted with an immobiliser it looked like it was a 'back to the dealer job'.

However my husband refused to believe it was a job he could not undertake and so began his in-depth search. He found the part to buy at a fraction of the cost, a DIY video on you tube and guess what, today with my assistance (well I knew long fingernails would come in handy one day) we replaced the part!

We always tell our children that in Nigeria this is what would happen all the time; the lifestyle does not afford the luxury of being able to fund expenses such as that of a sometimes expensive mechanic. When I look around our home at the fruits of my husband's labour (including our conservatory) I marvel and thank God that today (day 33) he has not forgotten the lessons in hard work and diligence that his parents instilled in him, lessons I am proudly passing on to our three.

A month into my challenge............"I'm loving it"

I know I've probably told you before but I just l...u....r....v the week-ends.  I can have a 'face off' with the alarm clock and win!  When I wake up in the morning it doesn't matter what time it is, I can accept the offer from my duvet to stay under for just a little bit longer.  Life's little pleasures go a long way so let us all indulge.

Let me start your week-end off with some laughter.  It is the best medicine after all.  My TA shared this with me at school and I now have copy stuck on my desk in the classroom.



My husband said to me yesterday that I had now been blogging for 30 days and he was proud of me!  His exact words were "Honey you're more or less 1/12 of the way to achieving your goal of 365".   I do so look forward to sharing my gratitudes with you, even on days when I have to dig deep (thankfully there haven't been many).  That's what it's all about.  Taking nothing for granted, embracing everything and giving thanks to Him with a glad heart and being in a spirit of thankfulness always, for everything. 

I am thankful for this week-end (day 32) and pray that yours will be full of blessings, both ways.

Rebel in the house!

Everyone should have a night off and that's exactly what I've given myself.  A little snuffly and under the influence of paracetamol I decided, after a chilly stroll home after school with my girl, that despite being heavily laden with a burgeoning bag full of books to be marked I would not succumb tonight.  No, tonight it would be dinner , cuddles, snuggles, bath, hot chocolate with light reading accompanied by more snuggles and cuddles and then bed.  Yay, what a rebel I am!

It is good to just do nothing sometimes and just enjoy the stillness that we call peace and quiet.  Oh and some things can wait until tomorrow.  I gain so much from such times; fellowship with one special guest, my Father.  Awesome!

Before I retire for the evening may I share something with you that my cousin sent me earlier.  Read it and be blessed as I was.

Thank you Lord for early nights (day 31).

G U I D A N C E

Dancing With God
When I meditated on the word Guidance,
I kept seeing "dance" at the end of the word.
I remember reading that doing God's will is a lot like dancing.

When two people try to lead, nothing feels right.
The movement doesn't flow with the music,
and everything is quite uncomfortable and jerky.
When one person realises that, and lets the other lead,
both bodies begin to flow with the music.

One gives gentle cues, perhaps with a nudge to the back
or by pressing Lightly in one direction or another.
It's as if two become one body, moving beautifully.
The dance takes surrender, willingness,
and attentiveness from one person
and gentle guidance and skill from the other.

My eyes drew back to the word Guidance.
When I saw "G": I thought of God, followed by "u" and "i".
"God, "u" and "i" dance."
God, you, and I dance.
As I lowered my head, I became willing to trust
that I would get guidance about my life.
Once again, I became willing to let God lead.

My prayer for you today is that God's blessings
and mercies are upon you on this day and everyday.
May you abide in God, as God abides in you.
Dance together with God, trusting God to lead
and to guide you through each season of your life.
This prayer is powerful and there is nothing attached.

If God has done anything for you in your life,
please share this message with someone else.
There is no cost but a lot of rewards;
so let's continue to pray for one another.

And I Hope You Dance Through Each New Day!

It's good to try new things.........................

I am a huge fan of 'strictly come dancing' and admire the way the celebrities, many of whom have never danced before embrace the ethos of the show and work hard each week learning a variety of dances, many requiring intricate foot work.  With gritted determination they tackle the waltz, fox trot, jive, tango, disco and anything else that is thrown at them.  It just shows that you are never too young or old to learn something new.

Well I did the same today.   I joined a dance class.  Well to be precise a 'body conditioning with dance' class.  I wasn't sure what to expect and had visions of being hoisted up on to a conveyor belt and put through my paces like a car does when it goes for its MOT!

I thoroughly enjoyed it.  Admittedly I was nervous................ you know what it's like when you go to a place for the first time, you are out of your comfort zone; well it was very much like that.  However we were a real mix of ages, sizes and abilities so I didn't feel out of place.  The instructor was my daughter's ballet teacher and she encouraged and indulged me with a little bit of extra help through out.   After a gentle warm up we went straight into the 'jive' although I think mine was more of a freestyle version.  I am so looking forward to next week's class and will be doing my homework before then!

Today (day 30) I am so thankful that I have opportunities, like this one, to try new things, what a blessing!