Photo: Snettisham Beach in Norfolk- a place I will always be thankful for!
With the American holiday of Thanksgiving being less than a week away, I tried to think of some questions for Friday Five that could be connected to this, but in a new way. So here is my one try:
Name five things that were unexpected in your life that you are now grateful for.
1. My family- it isn't an unusual story , but I wasn't planning to marry and start a family as early as I did, but on finding out that I was pregnant with my eldest son I fought against all encouragement to have an abortion. I married his dad 4 months after Paul was born and we have been married for almost 30 years now! Paul was soon joined by 4 other siblings, and now by his lovely wife Louise and her three girls.
In many ways I grew up with my children and they have been my teachers! I am thankful for all of the experiences we have been through together, for the good times and the bad times ( and there have been a mix of both)!
Pictures:
1.Jo this summer in Zambia- helping out at an orphanage
2. Chris eating curry...
3. Jon- not sure whether this was in a play or just Jon being Jon!
4. Emma at a friends wedding- we don't often get shots of Em away from the boat or cello, but I think this is lovely!
5. Paul, Louise, Ollie, Georgia and Ellie at Paul amd Lou's graduation last week.
6. Tim and I on our 25th Anniversary- walking on the beach.
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2. The church, it drives me crazy and I love it, without the support of the local
church at different times and in different ways I think that my own story would have been very different. Through God's people I discovered the love of God, acts of kindness and challenges have all played their part. This is a story I hear over and over again...
I was not brought up in the church, didn't go to Sunday school, and have come to really hear the gospels for the first time as an adult- that is often why the church drives me crazy, so often we assume that people know the good news...
But though it drives me crazy I am thankful for it, and I love it....
Picture: Cafe Church on Mothering Sunday 2010
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3.Being allowed to talk about depression...
Now that may sound crazy, but it is true, I believe that I first suffered from depressio n when my children were small, and again when we moved to Texas where I had a very severe bout of what I can only describes as sheer misery ( and I made everyone else's lives miserable).
At the time I did not have the courage to seek help, and it was not until I was hit by a severe bout of depression in late 2006 that I did so. Seeking help allowed me to own my own f
eelings and to take time out when I needed to. I have learned that there are times when I need medication and that there is no shame in that. As I have opened up I have found that others respond, often telling their own stories of fear and isolation.
My only regret- that I did not seek help and speak up before!
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4. The Bible and the chance to study it- I can remember longing to own a Bible as a child, I don't really know why (except that maybe it was a God-given longing)...
It has been a source of encouragement, comfort, challenge and frustration, I have learned to ask questions of it, and not to simply read it as an out of context document, or a dry text-book.
I love it and am thankful for it, and to the Methodist Church for giving me the time and space to study it!
5. My body- does that sound odd?
Let me explain, as a child I was plump, as a teenager although slim I was tall (I still am :-) )... and I hated my body.
I used to stoop, and was convinced that I was ugly. It has taken me years to become comfortable in my own skin. Over the last year I have made a concerted effort to get fit, I've completed a 67 mile bike ride, and taken up dingy sailing with my husband Tim ( he has sailed for years!).
In September I joined a local gym and have been swimming at least three times a week. I also practice tai-chi. I feel better for it, my body looks better for it...
Connected with that Tim and I have begun to cultivate a vegetable garden, the exercise and fresh veggies have all contributed to our general health. How sad that it has taken me over 40 years to become comfortable with my body- but I suspect that it is not an unusual story...
Now to work on the diet....
Don't fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God's wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It's wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life. Philipians 4: 6-7 (The Message)
