The thought, love and meaning behind each gift – PRICELESS!

My husband is a champion in the gift giving department. Long term readers of Footprints magazine may remember how he gave me “The Perfect Gift”  one birthday, long before we were married.

At the time I was a bit disappointed that the two outdoor chairs for my front patio, were not the diamond ring I had been hoping for! But …  those chairs became our favourite spot for a cuppa and a chat … so really, the gift that he gave all those years ago was so much more than two outdoor chairs. Lawrence gave us the gift of communication, vital to any healthy relationship or marriage.

Lawrence just seems to have a knack for thinking of a gift that is especially meaningful to me. Sometimes it may seem a peculiar present to others, but not to us. One Valentine’s Day he surprised me with a new iron. This may seem the ultimate chauvinistic gift to some, but at the time we were really strapped for cash and he knew how much our old iron was annoying me. A new iron made my life so much easier, and I really hadn’t been expecting a gift for Valentine’s at all!

Sometimes, the gifts are for no reason. I was feeling quite low and lonely a few years ago, as Lawrence had exams coming up and was overwhelmed with study. Despite the pressure he was under, Lawrence picked up on the feelings I was struggling to hide and brought home a very special gift – Sophie Snuggles! Sophie is a large stuffed puppy, which he explained was to keep me company and give me somebody to cuddle on those long nights when he had to study. Awwwww!

One Christmas, he gave me a reading lamp and three crossword and word puzzle books. He had taken notice weeks earlier when I’d made a passing comment about how difficult I was finding it to read in the lounge room. Now I had my own little corner of the lounge where I can read or do puzzles with ease. Heaven!

Lawrence isn’t perfect – after nearly 22 years of marriage he still hasn’t learnt that dirty socks go in the laundry basket! – but I really treasure the way he makes me feel so loved and adored all year round, but especially on birthdays and other special occasions. It’s a real gift (pardon the pun)!

Can’t wait to see what he comes up with for my birthday this week!

We haven’t got any specific celebrations planned (certainly nothing like the 40^th birthday bash my sister had last month!), but knowing my husband it will be a wonderful day just the same. He has a gift for making me feel special and cherished every day, but never more so than on my birthday.

It hasn’t always been so. In the past I’ve had some birthdays that are incredibly memorable – for all the WRONG reasons!

We were bush camping at the beach with my mother’s new partner the year I turned 12 (they married later that year). This in itself was probably not so bad. But what WAS bad was that there were NO birthday presents. NO card. NO cake. Nothing special at all! We spent the day fishing and swimming at the beach, but I think my 12 year old little heart broke. The message I received was that I wasn’t special enough to have a birthday. That now I was growing up I would just have to get over any notion that my birthday was special. Oh, I didn’t miss out completely – I was given some money when we returned to “civilisation”, which I promptly spent on a Barbie doll (didn’t want to let go of my childhood just yet)! But it was a pretty harsh birthday for a kid.

My 19^th birthday was also pretty rotten. My boyfriend (of over 2 years) took me out for dinner, gave me my gift (a simple gold chain) and then promptly broke up with me on the way home. I cried floods of tears. It wasn’t a complete shock – I’d sensed for a couple of weeks that something was not right – but I was still devastated. Oh well. At least he waited until AFTER dinner and presents before he dumped me!

Then there was my 26^th birthday when I came down with a stomach bug and spent the night kneeling at the porcelain altar (toilet)! Thankfully we’d celebrated with a trip to Movieworld, the weekend before. Maybe that’s where I picked up the virus …

The day I turned 36, the phone rang at about 7.10am. Nothing unusual in that – I knew it would be somebody ringing to wish me a happy birthday. Sure enough, one of my sisters was on the other end of the line. However she was NOT calling for my birthday, rather, it was to break the news that our father had suffered a heart attack in the night and was now in Intensive Care. We came close to losing Dad, so it was not a very happy birthday at all as we were all very worried for him. Thankfully he’s fine now!

Let’s hope my 45^th birthday is much better than any of these!

What about you? What was YOUR worst birthday – and why?

1. What did you do in 2011 that you’d never done before?

Had a CT coronary angiogram (all clear, thank you Lord!) … went to a jazz concert …

2. Did you keep your New Year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?

My goal (I don’t make NYRs) for 2011 was to see Mr 17 graduate high school, and I’m pleased to say - mission accomplished!

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?

Nah, moving beyond the childbearing years …

4. Did anyone close to you die?

I learnt my Mum died (even though it was in 2007) – does that count?!

5. What would you like to have in 2012 that you lacked in 2011?

Satisfaction in my job.

6. What countries did you visit?

None – but going on a cruise to NZ soon!

7. What date from 2011 will remain etched upon your memory, and why:

August 24. The day I stumbled across my mother’s funeral notice on the internet.

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?

Supporting Mr 17 to graduate high school … producing another 4 great issues of Footprints … learning to crochet … growing my own vegies … getting the house on the block demolished so we could move ahead with the subdivision … all worth celebrating!

9. Did you suffer illness or injury?

I had a bad ear infection in September.

10. What was the best thing you bought?

I bought a new dresser for our bedroom through Gumtree for $100, worth over $600 new. Bargain!

11. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?

Miss 15 has certainly had a couple of interesting moments …

12. Where did most of your money go?

Juggling two mortgages and completing our stupid subdivision WILL IT EVER END …

13. What did you get really, really, really excited about?

Learning that I don’t have hereditary heart disease (my grandma died at 45) AND our upcoming NZ cruise!

14. What song will always remind you of 2011?

 The song we played at the memorial for my Mum – Kelly Clarkson’s “Because of You” …

15. What do you wish you’d done more of?

Speaking and preaching! Forgot how much I love it! (I taught a session at the Word Writers Fair in November – see pic below).

16. What do you wish you’d done less of?

Working!

17. Did you fall in love in 2011?

My love for my husband grows more every single day … soppy but true!

18. What was your favorite TV program?

One Born Every Minute. I always cry when the babies are born, I love the miracle of life and feel all nostalgic for when my teenagers were bubs!

19. What was the best book you read?

I’ve read so many great books this year I can’t say that any particular one stands out. Have read lots of great Aussie Christian authors, thanks to Light the Dark - you just have to check out their range!

 20. What was your greatest musical discovery?

After going to my first jazz concert I realised I love big band music!

22. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?

I turned 44 … but it’s nearly a year ago now so I really don’t remember! I think we went to Sizzler for lunch?! (Yep, see photo below).

23. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?

If we could just complete the subdivision, and get a good price for the two resulting blocks of land … hopefully in 2012 …

24. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2011?

During the work week, I like office wear (straight skirts or pants, blouses, vest or cardy when it’s cold).  In my free time I loved maxi dresses (summer) and black leggings, with a top and a long drapey vest or cardy (winter).

 25. What kept you sane?

My relationship with God. Visiting my psychologist as I processed the events around my mother’s death. Always my supportive husband. And Miss Shea for being a friend and all round nice gal at work!

26. Who was the best new person you met?

Shea, who started as an admin officer in my area this year.

27. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2011:

I don’t have to be perfect, and everything I turn my hand to doesn’t have to be perfect … sometimes good enough is enough … just being there, or doing whatever, is all that is needed …

Now over to you – if you would like to take part, you are most welcome. Don’t forget to link back and let me know so I can visit!

Thank you to the lovely Cate from http://cateartios.blogspot.com/ for the Versatile Blogger Award. (Did you know, this is only the 2nd blog we’ve received in nearly 4 years? The last one was was back in July 2009! Had been feeling a tad left out but am happy again now!)

The rules for accepting the Versatile Blogger award are as follows:

1. Thank the person who gave you the award & link back to them in your post.

2. Share 7 things about yourself.

3. Pass this Award along to 15 recently discovered blogs and let them know about it.

Here’s my seven things:

1. I’m a bit of a closet hippy. I love growing my own vegies. I make my own laundry powder, pre-wash spray and household cleaners, and swear by the power of bicarb and vinegar! I’m a big fan of op shopping. And I love reading magazines like Earth Garden and Grass Roots. I’ve even had a couple of articles published in Grass Roots and Australasian Poultry!

2. I’m really uncoordinated. It took me months to learn how to drive a manual car. I have trouble catching a ball. I dance with two left feet. I have trouble following instructions to move in a certain way, so I’d never make a model!

3. I hate vaccuming. I will do almost anything (include bribe my own husband, children or even random visitors!) to get out of vaccuming. Ditto grocery shopping. I don’t get out of household chores completely though. I don’t mind laundry or mowing the lawn.

4. I’m allergic to bananas. Seriously! I used to love them as a child but somewhere in my twenties or early thirties, my body decided that it didn’t. I still remember going to a posh Christmas dinner and getting terribly sick. In hindsight, I’m sure it was the banana in the cocktail I’d consumed before dinner. Bananas give me really bad stomach cramps and violent diarrhea. Too much information I know. Even the minute quantities that are in hummingbird cake or a tin of fruit salad, cause this reaction.

5. I’m dislocated my right knee three times. The first time was when I was 14,  mucking around and trying to waddle like a duck with my feet splayed out. Next time my foot got caught on something when I was 20 and on a dinner cruise (no, I hadn’t been drinking). Then again ten years ago in the middle of the supermarket, shopping with the family. I religiously do special exercises daily, to strengthen the muscles that hold my knee cap, because next time it will mean surgery. Hopefully this will never eventuate!

6. I’ve travelled Australia in a caravan. Back in 2001, we bought a caravan, rented out our house, pulled the kids out of school, and just did it. What an AMAZING experience for our family! Our children were just 4 (turning 5) & 7 at the time, but still talk about it often. We travelled south from Brisbane, spending time in Coffs Harbour, Sydney, Canberra, 3 weeks at the snow, Melbourne, Tasmania, Mt Gambier, Adelaide, Port August, Uluru, the Nullarbor, Margaret River, and Perth before heading back home. Would love to do it again one day with hubby, perhaps when we retire – still gotta do the top end!

7. I hate yoghurt. ‘Nuff said!

My Recently Discovered Blogs (NB all are proudly Australian!):

1. http://www.ascarletropeofhope.blogspot.com – hope and encouragement for anyone suffering from depression. I’ve written quite a few guest posts for this site by Paula, a Brisbane single mum.

2. www.johilder.com - Jo is a Christian who ponders much. I don’t agree with everything she says, but love how genuine and authentic she is.

3. http://blogsteaandme.blogspot.com - Stacie is a wife, mother, daughter, friend and lover of God.

4. http://mmuser.blogspot.com - On the Edge of Ordinary is a blog by Wendy, an Aussie missionary in Japan.

5. http://enlivenpublishing.com/blog – prophetic teaching by Helen Calder.

6. http://justoccurred.blogspot.com – the blog of Australian Christian fiction author, Paula Vince.

7. http://atotalmonet.blogspot.com - Emma blogs about how sometimes she feels like a total Monet – okay from a distance, but a big ol’ mess up close!

8. www.squigglemum.com - Cath blogs with a mother’s heart, a teacher’s mind, and a writer’s hand.

9. www.momentsformum.com - Narelle is the Footprints rep in WA, and offers inspiration and encouragment from one mum to another on her blog.

10. www.stylingyou.com.au - fashion and beauty for the real world, by the beautiful Nikki from the Sunshine Coast Qld.

11. http://blogs.oddsocks.net/ahunt - pull up a chair, make yourself a cuppa and enjoy Amanda’s Musings!

12. www.princesswarriorlessons.com - Gold Coast home-schooling mum Jo-Anne shares her faith and life journey.

13. http://www.theurbanlily.com - a Christian mum negotiating life in the suburbs of Brisbane.

14. http://melchizadekslegacy.blogspot.com – one of my most recent finds, this blog could become a favourite!

15. http://hillsongcollected.com - an ongoing collection of thoughts and stories from the leadership and key team of Hillsong Church around the world.

With Father’s Day fast approaching, I wanted to share the nomination I lodged in the SU Qld Father of the Year Awards.  Sadly, today we found out that he didn’t win (something wrong with that if you ask me!) but he will always be a winner in my eyes and those of our two teens.

My hubby may not have a brood of children, including fosterlings; he may not have overcome challenges such as chronic illness or disability or abuse; he may not work or volunteer with lots of community organisations or minority groups – but he does an AWESOME job of  “fatherhood” and there is none more deserving of this award as far as I’m concerned, no matter whether he wins it or not!

I would like to nominate my husband Lawrence for Queensland Father of the Year.

These days, to find a husband and father so committed to his family is rare. They say that “the best thing a father can do for his children is to love their mother”, and I can honestly say that he does this and more. We have been happily married for 21 years, and have two teenagers, a son aged 17 and a daughter aged 14.

As a father, Lawrence is caring and committed, firm but fair, and always goes the extra mile. We both work so our parenting duties are shared – for example, Lawrence is the one who makes lunches for all of us. He is the one who helps the kids with their homework, and is teaching our son to drive.

He instils Christian values in our children not just by regular church attendance and involvement, but by his very lifestyle. The Bible says “by your fruit you will know them” and Lawrence is a living example of this verse.

I believe Lawrence exhibits a true “father’s heart” not just to our children, but the many other young people that come into our lives. Our teens friends’ are always welcome in our home, where they too are blessed by his loving care and concern, and a beautiful example of a REAL father in action. For example, when our teenage son joined a basketball team, none of the other parents were interested or supportive (many were single parents and didn’t have the time, or can’t afford to run a car). Lawrence was the one who picked up the boys and ferried them to their weekly training sessions and Saturday games. When our daughter had two friends who wanted to come to church with us each week, Lawrence installed an extra seat in our station wagon so that we could bring them.

If somebody is in need, Lawrence is the first to step in with practical help and assistance. He would literally give you the shirt off his back! He is thoughtful and considerate, and respected by all who know him.

Lawrence is a hard worker and committed to providing for and supporting his family.

Over the years he has served in the community in various ways. For at least ten years he has supported our church by taking care of the sound desk; he has also been on our Church Board and building committee, and has assisted with working bees, at our children’s school fetes, and the Redlands Easter Family Festival. He had a Saturday night program on community radio for five years. Much of what he does is behind the scenes – he is a real “quiet achiever”. If he sees something that needs doing – he just does it!

But it is not Lawrence’s service to the community which in my opinion makes him worthy of being Father of the Year. It is the fact that he is a living example of a real, ordinary, loving father – such a rare thing in this generation – that makes him outstanding, and I want to honour him for that.

So now it’s your turn – what are some of the awesome things that your husband or father does?

That makes me sound incredibly vain and self-promoting, doesn’t it?!

Seriously though, I thought this photo by the fantastic Victoria from Purdie Photography (who generously provides most of our cover images) was so good it deserved to go on the cover – and NOT because I was the model.

I liked (and still love!) this particular photo because it’s bright and clear, with beautiful colours. And, the layout is perfect for a magazine cover, where the borders need to be free for headlines and other text.

But it’s more than that.  To me, this photo epitomizes all things Footprints! It’s sunny. It’s fresh. It’s natural. It shows a woman looking relaxed and content, a woman who may not be in the first flush of youth, supermodel thin, or a ravishing beauty, but a woman with a kind, happy face. This woman has a sparkle in her eye, and dare I say it, even has that special glow that only God can bring!

However when I suggested to the Footprints Team that I thought it would make a good cover, they seemed a bit shocked. I tried to explain my rationale, and that it really WASN’T about me wanting to indulge my childhood fantasies of being a model and cover girl - but I’m not sure if they understood.

The girls felt that using my pic on the cover would send the wrong message to our readers. They felt that it looked to “me - me - me” and screamed narcissism. They voted against it, and so alas, it will never be …

EXCEPT for the wonders of the web! So here, I finally get to share with you the cover *I* would have liked to have released!

Do you think I’m vain? Can you understand where I am coming from? Should it have been a Footprints cover  – for real?

Sunday (or Saturday if you are Seventh Day Adventist). The Sabbath Day. Remember the Sabbath Day by keeping it holy. God rested, and so should we.

Then can somebody please tell me, why is it that if most churches had their way, we would spend most of the day in church?  Much as I love going to church, it’s NOT resting or relaxing or just chillin’!

I really dislike the way many churches pressure their members to be there every time it opens its doors. Two services on Sunday. Prayer meeting before the Sunday service. Music practice on Monday night. Leaders meeting on Tuesday night. Connect Group on Wendesay night. All church prayer on Thursday night. Youth on Friday night. A ladies meeting on Saturday afternoon. And so it goes on …

I find it sad that the strongest attack on Christian families comes from the church itself!!!!!

How can you build a successful marriage and family life if you are out every evening at church stuff? How can you build relationships with others when you are always running off to this program or that meeting? How can you reach out to the unsaved when you are so busy with the saved? When will you have time to make a casserole for a friend who has been recently bereaved, or babysit your neighbour’s kids when they have a family emergency, or just listen to your sister who is feeling down, if your diary is full of church commitments?

Don’t get me wrong – I love church. I love MY church!

We go most Sundays, to ONE service only – either morning or night, depending on our schedule (usually morning, simply because we like that service better). The reality is, sometimes Sunday is the only chance we get to sleep in, or to just relax and “chill” as a family. That’s not to say we NEVER go to a second service. I have been known to occasionally make the effort if there is a guest speaker or I am going through some challenges and need that extra faith lift to help me face the week ahead!

We have been going to the same church mostly for 16 years. We left for a while at the 10 year point, because we felt “stale”. We tried our hardest to find another church, even went to one for over a year, but it just didn’t work out. Fortunately we left our “old” church on good terms as we ended up coming back!

Between us, my hubby and I have “done” nearly every ministry you can think of  in the church – sound desk; worship team; leading a connect group; ladies group leader; volunteer in church office; board member; minutes secretary;  preaching roster; washing up communion cups; setting up (when our church met in a hall); counting the offering; serving morning tea; women’s ministries; greeting on the door; building committee; … the list goes on.

Today, we are “slack” and don’t do anything in our church other than turn up. By that I mean we don’t serve in any ”official” capacity. We still try though to encourage others and build relationships with them.

I refuse to feel guilty for not serving in an “official” capacity. The reality is, I DO serve the church … the larger Church, as in the Body of Christ … through Footprints.  To others in my church, it may very well look like I don’t do much for the Kingdom of God. But they obviously don’t know me very well!

God has called me to do Footprints. I realised a long time ago that THIS is His purpose for my life, and so it needs to be my focus. Much as I used to enjoy being on the worship team, I had to make a choice. With only 24 hours in a day, and seven days in a week, a husband, two children, a job, housework etc,  I really CAN’T do everything. And for me, in this season, that priority is Footprints. Lucky for you guys hey?!

Church is important, and beneficial, for the Christian seeking to follow Christ (Hebrews 10:25).  And I know that I am blessed to live in a country where we can worship freely; and I’m grateful that I’m not in the outback where there is no church to attend.

But … sometimes I think we CAN have too much of a good thing!

At the last Footprints Team Meeting, a couple of the ladies ticked me off for my use of the “F” word … and also the “C” word!

Before you get too shocked, the “F” word in this instance was “farting” - as in, I said “such and such was just farting around”, and the “C” word was “crap”, as in “it was such a load of crap”.  I could have substituted “fiddling”, “faffing” or “fluffing” in the first example without causing offence, or used “rubbish”, “codswallop”, or “excrement” in the second.

What do you think? Are “farting”, “crap” and other words (“bleeding”, “flipping”, “fricken”, “darn”, “sugar”) which are frequently substituted for coarser language, also unacceptable? (I hope I haven’t totally shocked you with my potty mouth!)

Personally? I don’t find them offensive at all.

As a Christian I try to keep my language relatively clean (I find the real “F” and “C” words offensive so don’t like to use them). Why do I bother? There are a couple of reasons … first of all I don’t want to give anybody reason to criticise the Jesus who lives in me; secondly, I am aware of the example I set to other, younger Christians, and I don’t want to be a stumbling block to anyone.

It got me thinking – who decides what is foul language, and what is not?

What does God’s Word have to say about the issue? The Bible was written in various ancient languages, so I think I can be reasonably safe in assuming that original manuscripts of the Bible didn’t contain English swear words! I wonder if there were some “suspect” words in the original texts that have been sanitised over the years?

As far as I’m aware, there is no Scripture or commandment along the lines of “thou shalt not swear”. We are reminded in several places to keep our speech wholesome, uplifting, etc* but I think this refers more to the content and intent than certain words? *(see 1 Tim 3:11; 1 Tim 4:12)

I know we’re not supposed to take the name of the Lord in vain (Exodus 20:7). However I must confess I am guilty of the odd “OMG” statement … in our society, it seems a relatively harmless alternative to certain swear words. But in light of Scripture … definitely not a good or better choice!

So who decides what is foul language and what is not? As a Christian trying to totally avoid swearing (and not always successfully, I might add!), am I imposing a rule on myself? Is this an example of where I am trying to live under the law instead of grace?

Who are we to decide which words are not acceptable? Sin is sin. Murder = lies = shoplifting = adultery = not honouring parents = coveting your neighbour’s possessions = swearing = sin. We are the ones who decide which sins are “worse” than others. Yet any and all of them separate us from God eternally unless we accept His wonderful plan of salvation through His son Jesus.

In the same way, perhaps words are words. Not necessarily any better or worse than others in our vocabulary. Your thoughts?

Some random guy on Twitter took offense at the Christian content of my tweets, in particular, this one which I posted at Easter:

“Seems to me it takes more faith to NOT believe in Jesus … look at the evidence peoples!”

He then proceed to follow every tweet I made with some form of criticism. For example, when I tweeted:

“Mr 17 must be missing his sister (who is on a sleepover) as he is driving me NUTS!!!”

he replied: “that’s not very Christian”. 

I must confess, my first reaction was to tweet, “You’re obviously not a parent then!” because if you have kids, chances are you know exactly where I was coming from (can I hear an amen?!)! It’s not that I love my kids any less but sometimes they do just know how to press your buttons and get under your skin (cliched much?!).

In his profile, he wrote that his aim in life was to harrass and annoy Christians as much as possible. And sure enough, I realised that I certainly wasn’t the only one copping his venom and vitriol!

One would wonder WHY he would bother following me (and other Christians) in the first place if he doesn’t agree with or want to know about our views and opinions. I mean, I’m not going to start following a Buddhist monk or the leader of the satanic church because I’m just not interested in what they have to say.

I decided the wisest course of action was NOT to bite back, or enter into a tweet fight … instead I’m gonna pray for Him … even if I have too grit my teeth to do it … LOL.

Methinks he doth protest too much!

If the world hates you, remember that it hated me first.  The world would love you as one of its own if you belonged to it, but you are no longer part of the world. I chose you to come out of the world, so it hates you … John 15:18-19

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