missionaries

i enjoyed the ministry we had at church over the weekend. i like the messages that are simple, yet say a lot. i like the saying "still waters run deep". i think there is a lot to be said about the quiet times.
on Sunday afternoon i saw a movie called The End of the Spear.
before the movie i had a very quick lunch at a cafe. it was kind of nice having that 35 minutes to myself! i had a coffee and read a little. the movie tells a story i had known about for a little while (a few people would have seen books by Elizabeth Elliot).

anyway, it is the story of 5 missionary families who went to Ecuador in the 1950's. the men flew to a remote village and made contact with a tribe that had rarely been contacted before. needless to say, the 5 men were speared to death. (Koorong have it in their current catalogue).

it brought a couple of things to mind:

* when i was about 14 and i saw the tele-movie "Choices of the Heart". this movie really spoke to me. again, the story of someone who wanted to make a difference and lost (or gave??) their life for it.

* a letter i received from a missionary in Papua New Guinea when i was about 12. (it is in one of about six boxes of letters i have kept.)

* these veteran missionaries i was blessed to spend time with. Brother Kilgore always said he would build them a house at the church in Houston when they retired from the mission field. i had "tea" with them a few times and they told lots of stories. it was fun 'cause being in the USA for 4 months i found they were almost like being with Australians. ;-) they were British/Irish and went as missionaries to Colombia in the 1950's. Sister Mollie Thompson has a couple of books which can be found in our library. i recommend reading them. there is somthing about missionaries of that era. i guess in a way they were still pioneers.

Erma Bombeck is quoted saying:

"When I stand before God at the end of my life, I would hope I would not have a single bit of talent left, and I could say, "I used everything you gave me".

I believe missionaroes could say that!

the not so serious side

my latest organic, free-trade hot chocolate:

mixed with chili. D doesn't like it, but i don't mind the "bite" at the end of each sip. not sure it is my favourite though. the funniest thing is the instructions:

"boil one cup of milk on the stove, stirring clock-wise eleven times, before stirring eleven times anti-clockwise".

i wonder what would happen if i dare stir twelve times.. or even worse, only eight!!

and my newest acquisition: we'll see how it looks when I've sanded it back, then stained it a darker colour. maybe even made one of these for it?? although being a cabinetmaker i think D is determined to replace some bits.

patchwork/picnic blanket progression:

and here you can just see A's teeth. :-)

my best friends wedding...

the serious side

some time ago i said i was going to post a song i like. the clip embedding is disabled on youtube, so you'll have to go to this link to view it yourself.
sarah mclachlan has always been one of my favourite musicians, since early university days. (when i think that that was back in 1991 it scares me!!) where does time go? when i was about 7 months pregnant with N we all went to her concert. N kicked inside me so hard that night!
take note of the film clip. i like the line in the song that says "bring it to the table, bring what I am able" it is something i have always believed in - that no matter how small an act, we can always make a difference to somebody. whether it is the people in our home, a neighbour, a stranger down the street or someone far away in another country, just doing the little bit you do, makes a difference.
i guess that is why i am getting back on the plane to East Timor in the next couple of months. i know what i do seems foreign to some people, but i know where it all fits in the grand scheme of things. work are good to me - i need to be at a meeting, so they are happy for me to fly to Dili, attend a meeting and fly home the next day!! of course the trip is still going to be a busy and tiring 3-4 days in total, but i know that it is all i will be able to bear, being away from my kids. one of my Timorese friends is based in Dili and goes home to Baucau each weekend. that's 120kms. not far for us, but it takes him over two hours each way because of the road conditions. he has three children, the youngest being the same age as N. i think of him whenever i think i can't cope being away from my children. he is here working with me now, and has been for the past six weeks. he was back in ET last week and his youngest son cried when he saw his dad. a friend of mine asked him how he can be away for so long, and he said it is hard for us to understand, and although it is difficult for him to be away, with a good job in Dili he can build his family a new house and he can send his kids to a good school.
these experiences give me a bit of perspective. go with my kids to story time. we go swimming and to the park. we have picnics outside. we collect our own eggs and grow our own vegetables. we go to church as a family. and i often think i wish it could be like this forever. what i write on my blog are the things i want to remember about my young family. not the housework that gets on top of me or the sleepless nights (although sometimes they do feature...)

N uses a shoebox as his "nature box". it has shells, pebbles, dried leaves and even some sticks. when we are out walking he will pick something up from the ground and say "this is for my nature box." i love that. on Sunday N helped me lay out the square's for the quilt i am sewing. that night he wouldn't stay in bed because he could hear the sewing machine whir and he wanted to help. the joy really is in the little things. but one day, when the time is right, i want my kids to know the world goes beyond themselves and they have a lot to offer it. i think the best way is to be an example of this. all we need to do is simply bring what we are able. i also think this is all God expects from us.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

i cannot not mention books. i have finished Atonement. i was already 3/4 of the way through it, and the movie followed the book fairly closely. i still can't believe the end! too sad.
i am now reading Paula by Isabel Allende. it was written in 1991/92 when her 28 year old daughter fell sick and slipped into a coma. she wrote her family's story as a gift to her daughter, who in the end did not wake from the coma. it sounds a morbid, but it is written beautifully. i'd love to write my family's story. i think as you get older you wonder more about the environmental and social factors in your family. how much those things can impact the person you are today.

i couldn't resist sharing a passage here:

"When you wake up we will have months, maybe years, to piece together the broken fragments of your past; better yet, we can invent memories that fit your fantasies. For the time being, I will tell you about myself and the other members of this family we both belong to, but don't ask me to be precise, because inevitably errors will creep in. I have forgotten a lot, and some of the facts are twisted. There are places, dates and names I don't remember; on the other hand, I never forget a good story. Sitting here by your side, watching the the screen with the luminous lines measuring your heartbeats, I try to use my grandmothers magic to communicate with you. If she were here she could carry my messages to you and help me hold you in this world... What good are all these words if you can't hear me? Or these pages you may never read? My life is created as I narrate, and my memory grows stronger with writing;what I do not put in words on a page will be erased by time.

...You have been sleeping for a month now. I don't know how to reach you; I call and call but your name is lost in the nooks and crannies of this hospital. My soul is choking in sand... Eleven years ago I wrote a letter to my grandfather to say goodbye to him in death. On this January 8, 1992, I am writing to you, Paula, to bring you back to life.

My mother was a radiant young woman of eighteen when Tata took the family to Europe, on a monumental journey that in those days was made only once in a lifetime"

i could almost write the whole book as i read it! i love the way Latin writers write in the "magic realist" tradition. (25/9)
because this post is so wordy, here is a picture from Allende's website.

she says: My mother is the longest love affair of my life.We have never cut the umbilical cord.

i am still reading Mission of Motherhood as well. (still). it really is a good read, and i appreciate the guidance it offers, but i don't agree with the authors constant talk about being a wholehearted mother by making the decision to stay home with your kids. great if that is an option, but increasingly it isn't. and i am still a wholehearted mother. ;-)

well, i am relieved to have cleared some space in my mind by getting all of this down! that's what happens when you have more time to think than to write!

and...

... a few days late for my monthly photo of the kids together.

today:

memory lane

i couldn't resist sharing a couple of "musical" clips of N.

groovy dancer

the wiggles drum roll - N used to LOVE the drums. i'm sure it was all he went to church for!

some of my "world" music - makes good dancing music! N was about 21 months old here.

i have a book called 'Easy to Love, Difficult to Discipline'. it begins with a rhyme:

A wonderful woman who lived in a shoe

Had so many children,

And she knew exactly what to do.

She held them,

She rocked them,

She tucked them in bed,

"I love you, I love you"

Is what she said.

it is (obviously) about discipline, and loving guidance. i can hear what my parents are saying already!!

on Tuesday night my friends husband dropped off the bridesmaid dress for the wedding on Saturday. Yesterday I went shopping for shoes, stockings and something for my hair.

i love the dress - it was just bought from the rack at Table Eight and is something I would wear again. Good thing, as I still have two more weddings after this one to go to. And the dress is black. a dominant colour in my wardrobe. ;-)

so this will be kind of the look i'm going for:

i also found a pair of gorgeous ballet pumps, but they can wait until next week.

the wedding is small and intimate. the reception is at a restaurant, so it is like dressing up for a really special dinner.

over the next few days i'll be busy - with the wedding, and then with this:

my patchwork-quilt-come-picnic-blanket. i am going for a 1950's look with this.

while shopping yesterday i came across a "bible" illustrated by Marc Chagall. Actually it is only Genesis and Exodus. When we were in the south of France (don't you hate people that start sentences like that??) David and I went to the Chagall art gallery. we loved it and spent a fair bit of time there, in contrast to the Matisse gallery which wasn't as inspiring. A lot of his biblical paintings were on display there.
One of the illustrations is Hagar in the Desert.
I've often thought about the story of Hagar and felt sorry for her situation. It wasn't her fault she was given to a man as his concubine. Purely to father him a child. And then to be sent out into the desert with her child. I can imagine the distress she felt. God obviously cared though, because He saw her and He met her need. I wonder what Abraham would think today of his descendants still fighting today.

A

this picture was taken on Saturday - the weather was quite warm and I could put A in this gorgeous yellow dress.

family time this weekend

happy birthday mum! we had a great lunch at mum and dad's place today. i was excited to look around the table and see so many (grand) kids and tried to imagine Christmas when the table will have still another one being nursed at it!

mum and dad have created the perfect playground for all the kids, and so i am nominating a bbq dinner every fortnight once day light savings starts! we are never all together very often - and those cousins really love each other. ;-) [the crying or not sharing never lasts too long! ;-) ]

random things

lovely moment with my boy:
i was trying on some skirts i desperately need for this spring summer. A was in the pram just at the entrance of the change rooms and when i walked away she started to cry. i could hear N say "don't worry [A], mama will be back in a minute" as he was trying to soothe her. i came out of the change room with the skirt on to check they were all right and N turned around and exclaimed "oh mama! that beautiful!" it took me by surprised and of course my mother heart filled with love. :-)

ten things i am loving right now:

1. watching my baby girl grow
2. this seasons 1950's style, a la Chocolat. (will totally be into this)
3. the weather warming up ever so slightly.
4. choosing fabric for a patchwork quilt-come-picnic-blanket that i plan to make very soon
5. new blogs
6. the idea of finding my family a "regular" annual getaway (i liked this one until i read "couples only")
7. our growing garden: lemon, lime, apricot, fig, quince, olive, raspberry and strawberries
8. Country Style magazine
9. Tessa Kiros cooking
10. this scripture

and i have been sewing... this poor little kitty has been waiting to have its side stitched and its dress made for about three weeks!!

pirates at the seaside

i've had trouble with blogger posting lately. thankfully it saved everything to draft, so now i get to post everything at once!

this is a clip from a "seaside" birthday party N went to the other week, as a pirate. the mum had made all these cool ships and fish costumes for the kids to wear. N is in a pirate ship. :-)

reading Barack Obama

i'm enjoying Obama's book.

his father had left by the time he was two years old and he only saw him once more in his life, when he was 10. i thought this description of that last time together was poignant:

"The day of his departure, as my mother and I helped him pack his bags, he unearthed two records, forty-fives, in dull brown dust jackets.
"Barry! Look here - I forgot that I had brought these for you. The sounds of your continent."
... A tiny guitar lick opened, then the sharp horns, the thump of drums, then the guitar again, and then the voices, clean and joyful as they rode up the back beat, urging us on.
"Come Barry," my father said. "You will learn from the master."
And suddenly his slender body was swaying back and forth, the lush sound was rising, his arms were swinging as they cast an invisible net, his feet wove over the floor in off-beats, his bad leg stiff but his rump high, his head back, his hips moving in a tight circle. The rhythm quickened, the horns sounded, and his eyes closed to follow his pleasure, and then one eye opened to peek down at me and his solemn face spread into a silly grin, and my mother smiled, and my grandparents walked in to see what all the commotion was about. I took my first tentative steps with my eyes closed, down, up, my arms swinging, the voices lifting. And I hear him still: As I follow my father into the sound, he lets out a quick shout, bright and high, a shout that leaves much behind and reaches out for more, a shout that cries for laughter."

a nice memory to have if you only had brief moments with your father - dancing together.

there are other passages i really like, but i won't re-write them all here! things like the first time Obama went to church, with the road of his searching leading him there. his surprise at finding himself weeping through the sermon.

his first trip to Kenya, and the family he got to know for the first time. the way so many things fell into place for him there.

later in the book he refers to questions of his father leaving him. that reinforces my believe that your actions do leave an indelible mark on your children.

happy mail day!

i came home this afternoon to these in the mail:

my pre-ordered copy of kelly rae's book, 'Taking Flight', Falling Cloudberries, a Toast catalogue and my Oliver + S patterns. these patterns start from size 6 months and include 5 sizes, up to 3 years old, while the other patterns i've bought start at 2 years. they are safetly tucked away. as usual with these things, patterns have a copyright (mentioned by Pam) which i think is a good idea. Oliver + S have a scheme though where you "buy" the right to make their clothing to sell through the purchase of labels that you commit to sewing to your finished product. one day when i become a "magic sewer", i might do it!

also, extra special mail delivered and addressed just to N from his great-aunt. he was so excited! it was dark when D got home with them from work, so N headed off to the mailbox with the torch, feeling very important. ;-)

and i am excited because D has finished his latest assessment, so we can resume our ritual of watching The West Wing. that is one rule we have - we are not allowed to watch a single episode without the other! i have almost finished Barack Obama's book. it's been interesting to read about his background and the things that have influenced his life, at the same time as seeing the race for President being run in the States. so very political around here lately... ;-)

waiting rooms... and eating

yesterday was a write off... we were off to church and then lunch with D's aunt and uncle. A was all dressed up. we had an early appointment with CALMS as A has had a persistent cold and cough, but in the morning she was pretty wheezy. so $70 for CALMS to tell us to go to emergency as it was asthma, brought on by bronchitis. so there we were, the best dressed people in emergency. D took N home and off to lunch and i got to sit there with A having ventolin until 4:30pm! she was her happy little self though and all the staff loved her. she was so funny, smiling and gurgling through the asthma mask thingy...

tonight we have a crowd from my work coming for dinner. D has prepared good crown food - curries and we'll extend the table to fit 12.

on food though, here is N with his other favourit food. if he could live on olives and strawberries, he would!

i've ordered another Tessa Kiros cook book. it should come this week. i plan to cook from them (as much as possible) for the remainder of the year. they are gorgeous to read as well!

and a clip of A enjoying lunch with dad while i was at work...