Tumble

When life causes you to take a tumble…

He Falls He Rises

It’s a darn good thing if you’re brave enough to get right back up again.

Bwave

It sure does make your parents proud, and I think it probably makes the Lord smile too. 🙂

How Bears Do Laundry

Start by simply stuffing toys in the washing machine.

Place Toys in Washer

If necessary, get up and push to fit the whole load in.

Stuff it

Take a look around to make sure no one is saying “Nooooooo.”

Is this allowed?

Carefully read the instructions to make sure you’re selecting the right cycle. Teddy is most certainly a delicate.

Carefully Read Instructions

Push buttons and push buttons and push buttons while your Mom thanks the Lord you haven’t thought of closing the door.

Push Buttons

Look for approval for a job well done. It’s good to be pleased with your work.

Pleased

The cycle must take a few minutes at least. Settle down to read a book while you wait for your laundry to be done.

Read While You Wait

My thoughts: If he’s entertained, and he hasn’t figured out how to close the door properly so that the machine actually starts, I’m happy. At least I know where to find just about everything that’s gone missing around the flat.

The Beauty of Saying I’m Sorry

This morning as I was preparing to spend time with the Lord, I’d already written down a few things and looked at a few Scriptures that were on my mind. Very appropriately, one of them was James 1: 22, But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. As I prepared to read the chapters in the Robert Murray M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan I’ve mentioned to you before, I just took a moment to ask the Lord if there was anything in the way, inhibiting my ability to connect with Him and hear from Him.

I think our sins separate us from the Lord and cloud our ability to hear clearly. It’s as if we’re one of those boxy old boomboxes and sin causes us to push down and close up our antennas. Since I was about to dive into another chapter in Leviticus I felt it especially important to make sure all lines of communication were open! Anyway, the next thought in my mind was the poor attitude I’d had in the kitchen in an interaction with my Hero Hubby just a few moments earlier. I asked the Lord for forgiveness and promptly got up, went to the living room where HH was and asked for his forgiveness, too. He forgave me, and asked for forgiveness as well.

Friends, all I can say is that there is just such a beautiful joy in obeying the Word of God, and asking for forgiveness, from Him and from others for the big and the small. Even though I have to do it on a regular basis, and it takes humility and effort, it brings such joy. I was a bit teary-eyed as I gave my Hero Hubby a kiss and headed back to the bedroom to continue getting into the Word. What joy there is when we are at peace with one another!

The Sermon in a Nutshell: Ask for forgiveness, and genuinely seek it. Forgive others, as you would want to be forgiven. This may be a lesson we learned in our childhood, but still it’s one of the most relevant rules for us to live by day in and day out.

Travelling Tuesday: Welcome to Beautiful Hermanus

With a friend visiting we took a quick road trip to a beautiful village called Hermanus a little further up the coast last week. It is really stunning and one of my favourite places to visit. Were it a wee bit closer to an international airport, I’d prefer to live there over anywhere else in SA, methinks! It has stunning views with mountains tumbling into the sea, there are opportunities to see whales up close and personal at the right time of year, and it just has such a relaxed, great feel to it.

Mark took this shot from our hotel room last year. We stayed in Hermanus when we were visiting Mark’s family in South Africa last Christmas (as in Christmas 2008). Who wouldn’t like this view every morning?

Hermanus

Along the way to sunny Hermanus, we stopped for a view of Turtle Rock. Well, I have named him Turtle Rock. Mark thinks he looks like Sid the Sloth from Ice Age. We are waiting for Sarah Wood and Rory Macdonald to settle the debate for us. Sarah, Rory, if you please…

Turtle Rock

Scott was kind enough to take a moment to pet Turtle Rock. I doubt he gets many visitors.

Pet Turtle Rock

Another cool thing about Hermanus is these interesting little creatures (and you know I love interesting little creatures) called Dassies, or Rock Hyraxes. Apparently their nearest relative, in terms of their genetic make-up, is the elephant. Coulda fooled me…I think looks like a Nutria from Lake Mattamuskeet! (Sorry that was really eastern North Carolinian. It’s getting late.)

Dassies

If you do decide to come for a visit to Hermanus, just beware…the Dassies can get up to mischief. You don’t want to explain the birds and the bees to your kids any sooner than necessary.

Rock Hyraxes

I hope that made you laugh. Now back to the real reason Hermanus is great — here’s one more slice of how beautiful it is!

The Cliffs

There are paths to walk around these beautiful cliffs that line a lot of the coast of Hermanus. At the right time of year, the whales actually come into the harbour, just to the left of those rocks (to mate, actually — what kind of post is this turning out to be?) but you can stand right there and see them up close!

So that’s one of my favourite travelling spots in this neck of the woods. Beautiful, hey? Happy Trails — I hope the road rises to meet you wherever your journey takes you next!

On Covetousness

Please sing me your thoughts about covetousness.
And truly, I would like to know.
It seems every time that I step out my door
and at every place that I go

I see thing after thing that I “need”…that I want
and most would say that it’s okay…
But is it not greed or avarice perhaps
that I windowshop people all day?

I’ve been far away from the West for awhile,
Not years, but just months now, you see.
But it feels long enough for a detox to start
— I wake face to face with my greed.

I thought to find solace at church, perhaps
but while I sing praises for Grace
I find a heart struggle to see words on the screen,
for want of the clothes in the place.

And how, I must wonder have we come so far
to think that it might just be sweet
More clothes in our closet than we’ll wear in 3 months
while others lack shoes on their feet?

Am I not still greedy — though I “don’t have much”
is it not avarice at some speed?
To long for day in, week in, and week out
so many things I’ll never need.