... Living inspired by the beauty of life, one post at a time.

Friday, July 23, 2010

Skating on thin ice

Loving this thought from Bryce Courtenay ...... 'When you're skating on thin ice you might as well tap dance'. 

Ha...so how about that? When life is swirling around you...face it! Just get out there and do it!! Stop procrastinating, waiting for the exact, right moment (talking to myself here) ... do it now, live it now, be it now! 


A few random thoughts from his book
'You will learn more from a brilliantly executed failure than from a success planned within the dreary safety of what you already know.
Winning easy is boring, pointless work. 
If you tell yourself something can't be done, 
you are creating an opportunity for someone else to do it. 
So .... 
Failing to try is far worse than trying and failing
therefore .... 
When we procrastinate we put the art of living on standby.' 

Such delightful thoughts from - 'A recipe for Dreaming'. Life is indeed a great adventure and we have a significant part to play in the pages of history. Purposed, planned and destined for a time such as this. 

When all is said and done what will be your story?

A Recipe for Dreaming (In my own words)

* An unbound mind
* An uncomplicated spirit
* A DOSE OF PASSION
* A little ambition
* A scoop of persistence
* Oodles of patience
* A portion of hope
* Sprinkles of purpose and
* Glimpses of destiny
So keep on dreaming, anything is possible.

'Playing it safe is the most dangerous thing you can do' - Bryce Courtenay


Photobucket
I wrote this some time ago...and its still on my mind, its a tune that seems to continually play across my heart - to dream big and live a full, vibrant, effervescent life.

Friday, July 16, 2010

Brave-hearted - Traversing the teenage years


I love watching my children develop into incredible human beings however it is not without its ups and downs. The character building process is a purposeful and intentional journey. To become slack even just for a moment allows tiny cracks to form, providing opportunity to question, challenge and debate the validity of ones beliefs, values and morals. If we are to equip our children for valiant living that will sustain them for a life time then they must be well prepared for the journey. This is not a journey for the faint hearted.

My son is currently delicately balanced between the last vestiges of childhood as he plows full steam into the tweenie years (an unheard of phenomenon just a few years ago) and my daughter has now fully transitioned into to her mid teens. I am awed at how incredible this transition is and how the second time round (and being more aware of the process this time ... poor first child!) how truly remarkable this journey really is.

First time round I found myself suddenly forwarded into the marshlands of teenage-dom, a kingdom entirely consisting of hormonal slayers and fiery dragons. It is indeed a time of slaying and conquering. Slaying the fiery dragons of a roving attitude and the rising resistance while continuing to equip my young Zealous-heart to conquer the prevailing self doubts, failures and fears. My first foray into this unknown territory left me scratching my head and wondering how on earth I had become lost in this perilous and vast land. I quickly learned that a new way of parenting was needed and necessary. My once little princess was emerging into a zealous and passionate warrior woman ... intent on defining her own path and forging her own way. Long gone were the bouncy pigtails and pretty dresses. I had to quickly unpack the picnic basket, stop skipping through the daisies and pull on the hiking boots and backpack. If we were trekking through this kingdom then I was going to be ready. Jumping to attention I quickly caught up to my brave and Zealous-heart as she galloped ahead intent on her own adventure. Together we rode through the approaching storms, fought the hormonal onslaught and occasionally hid in the safety of a welcoming cave. We continued to march to the beat of an internal drum (hers not mine), through the valley of shadows we pressed, welcoming the gentle breezes that blew in from heaven above. Embracing the tranquility and peace of green pastures we rested, drinking often and frequently from much needed quiet waters.

It is indeed a journey ... into a heartland of character forming and chiseling of moral fortitude. The shaping of character equips for a life time. It is this very process that sets the standards by which to live by. It is the lens through which our children will outwork their beliefs, values and morals and ultimately provides the focus of who they will become. While the early years are spent in shaping, moulding and often BENDING the young mind, heart and soul of our young-hearts, it is now a foray into the outworking of all that has been instilled within them and it really does get outworked, challenged and tested. Standing till the end is apparently a long process and a battle worth fighting. Not an easy task under normal circumstances and rather challenging on your own ... as I soon learned. Finding myself on the battleground many a time, I desperately looked around for a comrade in arms to assist with the warding off of the eminent fiery darts and the all consuming cannon balls but alas the army had retreated. Standing and continuing to stand is for the strong and courageous at heart. Fortunately I had laid camp near some kindly kinsmen who beckoned me forward and ever onward. Equipping myself with my helmet, breastplate and belt I took up my sword and shield and marched ever onward towards the path of peace.

So once again I find myself embarking on the next adventure with my Valiant - heart, drawing a certain amount of solace from the journey with Zealous - heart, I am well armed, equipped and ready to go. I am hopeful that this next crossing into teenage - dom will have less twists and turns having learnt which battles to face and those to let go.


Psalm 23: 1-4 
The Lord Almighty who is my shepherd and my guide shall never leave me wanting. He has made the green pastures for me to delight in, he is beside me at the quiet waters, it is there that he restores my soul. His peace washes over me, I am renewed afresh. He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake and it is his name that is upon my lips. Even though I walk through dark valleys and shadows are looming, I have nothing to fear. He is with me until the end.

Ephesians 6:13 - 17 
I am able to stand firm because I am fitted out with truth and salvation which is strapped deeply in my inner being, I am girded well. Righteousness has fortified me, my heart and soul are encased securely. The word embedded deep within pierces the darkness dispelling and extinguishing that which would seek to take me out. Faith goes before me and shields me, it is my hope and defence. Suitably fitted with peace my steps move ever onward. I can not look back, nor turn around....my only hope is forward.

© copyright k.weight 2010 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.5/au/

Monday, July 12, 2010

An inspirational woman

One can never consent to creep when one feels an impulse to soar. - Helen Keller

So inspired by the words of this amazing woman - words straight from the heart. A deaf and blind woman who defied the odds. A woman who did not allow circumstances to keep her small. She became an author, political activist, lecturer and studied for a bachelors degree. Wow, she lived life large!!

I thank God for my handicaps, for through them I have found myself, my work and my God. - Helen Keller

Click here to go direct to this blog.

Friday, July 9, 2010

Back from the precipice of divorce

~ Have you ever been shaken so deeply that it really feels as if time is hanging in the balance? or felt so overwhelmed that breathing is physically painful? 

This happened to me through the loss of a dream. The end of my marriage signalled the end of an era. If you had told me as a little girl that I would one day be a single mother, I would have laughed at you. This was an inconceivable thought. Our little girl dreams see us living happily ever after, right? 

BUT, after 15 years of marriage I found myself on the precipice of divorce, an unwilling participant - alone and scared. An alliance of the heart and soul was torn apart, solemn and sacred vows were forsaken. A hallowed union was unceremoniously discarded, abandoned with heartbreaking disillusion, forcing me to walk a path incongruent with everything I believed in and everything I held dear. Shattering hope, faith, love and trust, I teetered on the edge of reason. Swallowed up in an ensuing deluge of duplicity, my head screamed its many unspoken thoughts, "Why me?", "How could my life have come to this?" "How do I go on?"

For as long as I can remember, I have had a heart for missions. I grew up on the stories of Amy Carmichael and Elizabeth Kuhn, women missionaries to remote parts of the earth. I was inspired by great women who refused to be limited by societies prevailing expectations. Oh, how I longed to live that way! As a young girl my family moved to Hong Kong and settled with other missionary families in a little fishing village on an Island forty minutes out to sea. From a young age my eyes were wide open. I knew there was more to life, so much more and I wanted to be part of it. I grew up longing to be a teacher, desiring to go to far flung countries and experience my very own adventure. I wanted to bring hope to orphans, live purposefully, be the change and make a difference. It never occurred to me that my girlish dreams might be sidetracked by the devastation of divorce. "How does a single mother ever change the world when her own world is crumbling around her?" 

Throughout many difficult years my dreams quietly went to sleep. It hurt too much, seemed too far out of reach, much too impossibleThe devastation of divorce is like an out of control fire, burning everything in its way until nothing but ruin and rubble remain. It is fierce and scalding, merciless in its fury. No longer did I have anything of value, could see nothing of worth - only a yawning chasm of unspeakable loss, a hopelessness pressed violently against my soul

  In the aftermath of heartbreak and heartache I discovered a gob-smacking revelation - that the death of one thing can lead to the birth of another. I discovered that dying to self can actually bring forth new life. While one dream died another was miraculously resurrected. 

Despite relentless desolation, life still waits for us all. 

After the devastation of a forest fire new life springs forth, in abundance. The miracle of new life begins anew. Seeds of hope and purpose long buried, emerge again, ever so slowly. The fire has burnt away the surface layers, but that which lies deep within, hidden below the surface, quietly bides its time. It waits ever so patiently. 

While my life had been seemingly sidetracked, the path of life continued to widen before me. I couldn't see it yet, so obscured by emptiness, but life waited. It waited for me just beyond the here and now. I needed to take one step at at time, sometimes one breath after another! It was in this place that I extended the ashen heap of my life heavenward. I held it up, a simple offering. I waited.

And then, a light pierced the pervading darkness.

In the darkest of hours, in the pit of despair, a light reached out to me. In that vile darkness of unspeakable hopelessness, a great glorious radiant beam of hope opened up unchartered spaces within me. The breath of heaven swept over me. Like the morning bird singing her pre dawn song, it trilled out a harmony of hope so sweet, so true, it vibrated steadily across withered sinew and bone, calling me to rise again. Its rhythm advanced an incomprehensible anticipation, so ardent in its pursuit that it seemed unbelievable, was unbelievable. Cutting through that oppressive blanket of heaviness, that gentle breath filled frail humanity. The oil of joy instead of mourning, a garment of praise instead of despair. Fragile soul ashes scattered, spilling out, and disappearing forever. A sweet scent of heavenly purpose delicately enveloped a broken heart, seeping deep into the parched landscape of a desolate soul. That gentle breeze of expectation began swirling, it began orchestrating a new song. My heart began expanding, hope forging new trails along the disconsolate and empty terrain. Nothing became something. Life, full and bountiful opened up, filling and stretching those vacant spaces. Ebullient wisps of hope hung like stars in the night sky, shining like a beacon, directing my heart home. 

Heavens breath on hopes and dreams, so breathtakingly beautiful - unencumbered, free and fully alive with divine and significant purpose. A broken heart and a bare soul emerged, clothed with dignity and graceA crown of beauty instead of ashes. 
A dream awoke from its deep slumber. 

   ~ // * \\ ~

If you find yourself in a place of deep loss, God is with you ... in the darkness, in the deep valley gorge and at the cliff face, He is there. In the depths and darkness of a tomb over 2000 years ago, he was doing his best miracle yet. In the darkness, at deaths door, he was stirring in the confines of an oppressive tomb. He was awakening a soul and bringing forth new life - a resurrected life! 
He still does it every day.

© copyright k.weight 2010

capture, celebrate, cherish
In December 2010 my dream was finally realised.
I made it to Africa, 
and visited Baby WatotoGulu Children's Village and the Living Hope Project.
This blog continues to tell that story - my heart and soul journey.
A Confident Hope ... found here.
Hope will lead us on ...  scribed here.

Monday, July 5, 2010

Orphans to rescue...sisters to come alongside

Heart 4 Humanity - Sisterhood Fundraiser (Fundraising idea no. 2)

Be the Change ...... Imagine what we can do

Orphans to Rescue
Baby Watoto began 2 years ago to care for the orphaned and abandoned babies of Uganda. Found on rubbish dumps and pit latrines, these babies are nursed back to health in a loving environment. Two further homes are being opened in 2010, one in Gulu, Northern Uganda and one at the current children’s village site at Suubi. We are embracing these projects to bring holistic solution to the children of Uganda.

Sisters to come Alongside
Watoto's Living Hope program is restoring dignity to vulnerable women of Uganda returning from abduction into the Lord’s Resistance Army. Many women have been tortured through facial disfigurement. Watoto are working with international surgical teams to rebuild their faces. The cost is approximately $3000 per surgery. We can restore their dignity and rebuild their smiles.

Our Response - To partner with Watoto


Sisterhood Fundraiser – Tribal vibe

……… She brings soul to her city and solution to the earth.

Thursday, 19th August

• Entertainment
• Silent auctions
• Prizes, gift stalls and much more

Doors open 7 p.m
11 Crown Court, Varsity Lakes
Register online from August at http://generation.org/
phone 55220905

Thursday, July 1, 2010

Child Soldier.....no more


I am honoured to have been asked to be a part of the Watoto Restore Tour e-Publicity Team today. What an amazing privilege to highlight this amazing cause and the beautiful children of Uganda. This tour reveals true stories of courage and strength and the amazing triumph of the human spirit against unbelievable atrocities and adversity. It is about real lives being transformed through forgiveness, reconciliation and hope. The tour comes to Australia in early 2011.

WATOTO OPENS THIRD HOME FOR BABIES





Watoto has launched a third home to care for abandoned and destitute babies. In addition to the two existing babies’ homes in Kampala and Mpigi districts, the new facility is located in Gulu, Northern Uganda and has the capacity to care for up to 90 infants at any given time.

During the opening ceremony on 10th June, Watoto Founder: Gary Skinner said, “We are thrilled to be dedicating this facility to the glory of GOD. Baby Watoto is a critical and necessary programme for the children. They come here to be rescued, nurtured and then released to be leaders in Uganda and Africa.”

We are grateful to our sponsors, partners and friends around the world, who come alongside Watoto to make all of this possible.

For the children,
The Watoto Team

(Copied from Watoto Newsletter - June 2010)
Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...