Tribute to Mr. Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela

Rejoice people of Thembu,
lift your hands and shout, Mvezo,
for a child of pride and joy
has been born
in your humble village.

Lift your head, oh Africa,
hold your breath and wait,
deliverance is on your doorstep,
justice is awaiting its day.

A young cub has risen,
a mighty lion has roared
and his touch has transformed
the hearts of all races,
bringing democracy
to our dark continent.

Son of Africa,
prisoner and president,
father of a mighty nation,
we honour you.

You filled our eyes
with a new vision,
you brought hope
to your children,
reconcilliation and peace
were upon your lips.

Today we mourn,
we bow our heads and pray:
Nkosi sikelel' iAfica,
Hamba Kahle, Madiba.

© Charmaine Fourie, All rights reserved.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nelson_Mandela
His patrilineal great-grandfather, Ngubengcuka, was ruler of the Thembu people in the Transkeian Territories of South Africa's modern Eastern Cape province.
Mandela was born on 18 July 1918 in the village of Mvezo in Umtatu, then a part of South Africa's Cape Province.
Nkosi sikelel' iAfica - God bless Africa
Hamba Kahle, Madiba - go well, Madiba

Monday Kindness

It's Monday again.  It is strange how the innocent word "Monday" conjure up miserable feelings by so many people.  Just the mere mention of the word causes people to drag their feet, others are instantly in a foul mood, and many people even feel sick at the thought of getting up and going to the office!

However, I have an idea for you!  How about if we treat this first day of the week like a tender young butterfly?  A day full of wonder and miracles that are waiting to happen.  The first day of a brand new week, a canvas waiting for our master strokes.  A new day, when anything wonderful is possible, going into it with fresh expectations!!  Just think about it.  Treat this day with kindness, go into it with joyful anticipation!  After all, I am sure you have all experienced this unwritten law of life : if you expect to find something, good or bad, you are likely to find just that!  It just depends with what eye, what attitude you are searching.

Make this Monday, an unforgettable day, a day to remember, a beautiful day, a day worthy of the 24 hours you give in exchange for it.

Maybe today is the day you can reach out to Tom Thunderface and put a smile on his face, or cheer up Sally Sorry-for-herself even inspire Paula Pessimist!!  Make Monday into Kindnessday.

Showing kindness to others is often the best way to also show kindness to oneself.  You cannot shower kindness on other people without some of it also falling on yourself!  Remember, we never know when a little bit of kindness will be all that is needed to change someone's life forever.

All we need to share a little kindness is for a human being to cross our path, and kindness costs nothing.  What price can you put on a smile, an encouraging word, a compliment, a little bit of patience, a listening ear?

Whatever you do today, do it with kindness.  Take a few minutes out of your busy day and share a little bit of kindness along the way, it might mean more to someone than you will ever realize. 

If you flutter by here, please share with us what kindness it is that you have show or experienced.  I would love to hear from you.

Blessings to all,

Charri

God's Perfect Time

A while back somebody told me this story:

A little boy was walking along and in the veld he found a cocoon, he picked it up and noticed that on the inside there was a butterfly struggling to come out. He immediately took out his pocket knife and cut the cocoon open. Very proud of himself he helped the butterfly out and placed it on the nearest flower. However, instead of spreading its wings to fly off, it fluttered weakly for a few moments and then fell over and died. Dismayed the little boy ran home and told his father about the incident. The father explained to the little boy that the butterfly needed to struggle its own way out of the cocoon in order to grow its wings strong enough to survive. When the time was right it would have emerged from the cocoon, delicate yet strong. This story made me think of us as humans. So often, when we find ourselves in a difficult situation, we wait for somebody to come along and help us out. Some knight in shining armour to fight our battle for us, some Samaritan to help carry the burden and often we will just give up the fight, but it is in the struggle, in overcoming, that our stength lies. The butterfly is exquisitely and perfectly created by God, and the inborn struggle it has to go through is also part of God's perfect plan, it serves a devine purpose. When the time is right, God's plan will reveal itself to us, and looking back we can see how it all worked together to complete the picture. Without that time spend in the cocoon, the struggle towards freedom, the caterpillar would forever stay just that, a caterpillar. In Jer. 29: 11 the Lord promises that He has plans for us, plans that we may prosper, not plans to harm us, but when the time is right, His perfect time......
If you flutter by here I hope you will be kind enough to leave a comment, I would appreciate it.
Blessings to you all,
Charri

Come on, do it!!

My dad was very special.  He taught me so many wonderful and wise things.  One of these was about how to treat others. 
He would take me along to the post office.  Quite a drab place filled with drab and sombre looking people waiting in long drab queues helped by weary tellers with solemn faces behind dusty glass panes.  He was on a mission.  We were agents with an agenda.  His mission was not only to collect a parcel or buy stamps or send off a letter, no, it was to see if he could turn somebody's frown into a smile, even if it was for five minutes.  While waiting we would take guesses as to which one of the tellers would be the one to help us, then he would describe the type of day she/he might be having that might have put the glum look upon the person's face.  He would tell me to watch closely at the transformation that woulfd take place.  He told me that a real smile would always start in the eyes first.
It always filled me with wonder to see how he would work his magic and invariably, by the time my dad finished his transactions, the teller would be laughing, a drab day transformed.  My dad believed in doing unto others as you would have them do unto you.  If you would like somebody to give you a smile, give them one first.  It has become a principle my sister and I have lived our lives by and we have passed this on to our children as well.  It not only works its magic in other peoples' lives but in out own too.  I am all the richer for it.  I get the same thrill today as I did as a little girl, to see how a smile creeps out from a serious face and spreads all over the person's face, and then to see, when I walk away, how that smile gets passed onto the next cusomer in line.  It is like gazing at a butterfly.  One cannot look at a butterfly without being touched by its beauty, without a feeling of delight spreading through ones essence.
This week I encourage you to go out and do unto others how you wish they would do to you, whatever that might be.  Maybe it is to forgive a long time friend, maybe it is to invite somebody for a cup of coffee, or paying their parking meter?  Whatever it is, just imagine that you are doing it for yourself and do it.  At the very least you would leave some astounded people behind!!
Remember this: no smile, no kind word or tender touch is ever wasted.  It always returns back to you with interest. 
If you flutter by here, please share with us what it is you have done to somebody that you would have them do unto you.  I would love to hear your story!!!

Raining Butterflies

It is a glorious spring day with just a bite of winter still nipping at my heels just to remind me to be grateful for the new season with its warming weather. The birds are twittering and flying everywhere, basking in the sunlight. Its as if I am stepping out of a state of hibernation into a place of wonder. I want to get my hands dirty with soil, and plant bright flowers everywhere (not that I would know what I am doing!!). I feel like dancing in the rain ( of which we have not seen any yet!) so the next best thing would be the shower!!
I remember how much I loved playing in the rain as a child, and it is actually so sad that as adults we are so worried about our hairdo, catching a cold or what the neighbours would say that the rain passes us by! It is one of the little joys of life that are totally free and there for everyone to enjoy! So many things in life we pass up for these silly reasons, like singing at the top of our lungs or dancing with total abandon, so scared somebody would play adjudicator and send us packing off the stage.
When last did you dance in the rain, or sing to the beat of your favourite artist? When last did you play air guitar or just spontaneously hugged somebody? When last did you do something totally silly, not caring what the world might say? So what if they laugh? At least you did something to momentarily remove that sour look from their faces!
I invite, encourage, no- I dare you!! Go out today, sing, dance, laugh to your hearts content, make somebody smile, today!!! Be as surprizing as the sight of butterflies raining down would be!

Please share with us what you did today, or this week to make somebody smile!! I am looking forward to your comment.

To Eat or Not to Eat.......?

We all know that moment. That instant when a thought comes into our mind, a desire. That apple looks so delicious, so ready for the picking. But dare we......? Should we......? That moment when we are faced with a....

CHOICE!!!

Life is made up out of a never ending series of choices. We all remember those "Write-Your-Own-Adventure" books, where you read to the end of the page and then have to make a choice. That choice then sends us to another page where a new choice awaits. However, life is unfortunately not a book where you get a "Do-Over" card.
Eric Klinger did a study at the University of Minnesota where he determined that the average person is faced daily with between 300 and 17 000 decisions!! Unbelievable. Most of these decisions we are not even aware of. However, there is no avoiding them.
It was exactly such a decision Eve was faced with that day in Eden. Yes, I know, we all think to ourselves that if it were me, I would have acted differently. I would have been so much wiser. I wonder? To her it was not so black and white. It was not a mere choice of eating that fruit or declining. It entailed far more than that. It looked so enticing, full of promise and endless possibilities. Knowledge beckoned, enlightenment was offered. The thought of becoming like God was overwhelming. After all, what would be so bad about eating the fruit of that beautiful tree. It looked so innocent. Standing there, she felt entitled to eat the fruit.
The decision was made; she reached out, plucked the fruit and ate, thus setting in motion an unstoppable chain of events that determined her destiny, and the destiny of mankind.....
Nothing has changed. We too, often stand in front of the proverbial tree with its enticing fruit, and have to make a decision. A choice that will affect our destiny. What will we choose?
It is at that moment that we have to take a step back and carefully weigh the options. We have to stay calm, and very importantly, not make any hasty decisions. We have to weigh the pros and cons, collect all the data, compute what the cost, the consequences would be. We have to seek advice and pray that God might show us the way.
Then we have to wait. Patience. We have to analyze our feelings and face our worries and fears.
Many people make choices without stopping and taking all these things into consideration. They rush in where angels fear to tread. However, other people again rethink a choice for so long that they end up missing the opportunity. They analyze it to death and end up not making a decision at all! However in that lies the catch - NOT making a decision IS making one!
Taking action, making a choice is often a fine balance between impulse and academic research. We have to consider all the facts and consequences, but we also have to learn to listen to our gut feelings, our instincts.
Could Eve have done this, I wonder? Did she act on impulse, or did she carefully consider her options? Would the outcome have been different? I think Eve was lost before she even took that fruit. She was fooled. She did not know her enemy or his intentions, but she also did not know her Creator well. If she did, she would have known that God knows what is best for us, He has no agendas to harm us, His love for us is pure. The enemy on the other hand, is crafty. His intentions are always for us to disappoint the Lord; he will always try to sway us towards his way of thinking. He comes to us with half truths, in the guise of sincerity. His tongue is smooth, ready to entice us with pretty promises.
We, as Christians, are very fortunate, because we have a gauge by which to judge our choices. We have a plumb line. That plumb line is the Word of God. Grey situations take on greater clarity once we measure it against the Word of God; it becomes more black/white. In fact, it is often when we make decisions without consulting the Word that we end up taking the wrong course of action.
Are you faced with a choice today? Are you feeling indecisive? Overwhelmed? Then I would like to encourage you to PUSH - Pray Until Something Happens.

Faith

Speaking to a friend of mine recently who was going through a difficult time, I asked her if she has prayed about it yet.  She looked at me for a few momemts, then answered that no, she did not, as she felt that she got herself into the mess and could not possibly ask God for anything.
I thought about this statement of hers and realized that was exactly how we often think about God.  We limit our expectations of him to our own ideas of what we think of Him.  However, our perception is most often flawed.
God's promises us that He will never forsake us or leave us.  His love and care for us does not depend on our good deeds.  He is not impressed by our good behaviour or how smart or responsible we are.  He does not categorise us into categories of "worthy" or "unworth".  He asks only that we have faith in Him and that we call on his Name.  He wants us to believe in Him and trust in his promises.  Nothing can seperate us from the love He has for us.
We might impress other people with our abilities and achievements, we might be shunned by people because of our past or our background, but God pays no attention to such things, he knows our hearts, he understands our plight, and He wants to reach his loving hand out to us.  All we have to do is to reach out and take it.  Have faith, trust in Him.

I you flutter by here, please feel free to share your thoughts with me,
Blessings,
Charri

Writing Is Good For The Soul

Today I thought I'll share a poem I have written recently, simply because it is in an unusual format.  It is called a Triple Threat acrostic.  Hope you enjoy it, as well as the three messages in it.

W HEN life is pressing,
R EALLY putting us through the wringer,
I NTENSE doubt sets in that at
T IMES feels as if all is lost, fears
I NTRUDE upon our thoughts that
N OT only distress us, but
G ENTLY seem to smother all hope.

I T'S then that we must remember
S OMETIMES it is a blessing in disguise,

G ODSEND moments to lead us to new
O PPORTUNITIES that we might otherwise miss,
O PENING new roads for us,
D OORS where we thought were only walls;

F OR these are the times we must
O PEN our hearts and minds as
R EFLECTION is an essential tool

T O discover God's plan for us, a chance to
H EAL old wounds, demolish old believes, reveal
E MOTIONAL baggage causing pain,

S TRESS that destroys our joy.
O NCE we learn to look for the hidden message
U NDERNEATH the pain, the difficult times, we discover
L AYERS of blessings, waiting to be revealed.

By Charmaine Fourie, © 2013, All rights reserved.

→ Show additional poem info

Author notes

A triple threat acrostic is an acrostic invented by  "thelordreigns" here on AP   .
First off all it is a regular acrostic that reads vertically with each first letter thus making a message: "Writing is good for the soul",
then the first word of each line is read verically down making a second message : "When Really Intense Times Intrude Not Gently    It's Sometimes    Godgiven Opportunities Opening Doors    For Open Reflection    To Heal Emotional     Stress Once Underneath Layers"
Lastly the whole poem is a message, the three messages must compliment each other.

Six Butterflies

What a blessing today was!  Six women, six artists, six believers together for most of the day, sharing, laughing, planning, learning from one another and marveling together!  There is just something so precious when like-minded people get together, there is a buzz in the air that rivals the highest caffeine high ever!!
I took a moment amid the chattering happening, to look at us, each one so very unique in her own special way, yet we are alike in everything that counts.
There is Susan, dependable, responsible, generous, a woman exuding such warmth that you just want to bathe in her presence; Dana (head girl for the day !) caring, yet daring, fiery, with a streak of recklessness carefully hidden behind common sense; Marsha, witty, her engaging smile makes a person want to smile too; Jade, quiet, sincere, a bit careful, radiating a gentleness of spirit; Tina, her reliable and steady disposition masking a romantic, hippy spirit, and of course then there is me.  Each one of us represent our own special colour in life's landscape.
How blessed we are when we are surrounded with friends and family who love and value us just for who we are.  How sad when we hardly seem to notice the gift that is.
I want to take a few moments to celebrate every relationship I have in my life today, for each person has contributed his or her precious texture and hue to my masterpiece, completing me.  Without these relationships, whether big or small, brief or decades long, my life would have been all the poorer.
Look around you today, this week, and take stock of the people moving through your life.  Is it just chance, of little or no consequence?  Or does that unexpected smile lift your spirit, that casual hello give you pause, that kind look encourage you?  What role do you play in other people's lives?  Do you take a moment to share a smile with the tired cashier?  Do you pause to let an old lady cross the street?  Do you turn back despite your rush, just to give to husband another hug? Every encounter has the potential to change somebody's life, somebody's day, even if just for that moment.  A moment that can lead to an opportunity to testify, to enrich another life.
Six women together for a day.  A blessing indeed.  I feel enriched to have shared my day with them.  Six butterflies fluttering through the canvas of my life.

Caged?

This year is moving past at a terrifying speed!  To quote my husband: "Last year this time it was only March!!"  Yet, despite the days rushing past, I have felt trapped in limbo, a bit like this butterfly trapped in the cage, neither here nor there, feeling dissatisfied, as if something was amiss despite having everything to rejoice about. 
I have not been able to put words to this feeling, until this week, when a few of us got together and started talking about where we were heading with our art.  My very talented artist friend said that she realized that she was not an artist; she was not good enough to be one.  I was astounded, how could she say something like that when she often have people wanting to buy her paintings, getting commissions and having people ask her to do exhibits.  It was clear that she was listening to the voice of her inner critic, as well as to the opinion of others, instead of listening to the voice of the Lord.  She was trapped in self-doubt.
Suddenly it dawned on me that the feeling I had was a feeling of being trapped myself.  Trapped, not by circumstance, not by physical conditions or limitations, but trapped by my own thoughts, doubts and ideas imposed on me by others.
I realized that it has been 5 months since my last blog entry, and 8 months that this feeling has grown and taken on a shape all of its own.  Why?  What happened?  All it took was one wordless comment.  A reaction to the unspeakable words that I dared utter:"I have come to realize that the Lord has given me the talent to write."  That one look said it all: What?!  How dare you think that God can give you such a talent?  Who are you!  How dare you be so conceited?!  I felt so ashamed for saying those words out loud, because indeed, who was I to claim that the Lord would endow me with something like that.  I felt like running away, unsaying those words, hiding away.  And hiding away was exactly what I did, I stopped writing, I found all sorts of excuses why I am not writing - I am too busy, I am not feeling well, it's too cold in the study, etc, etc, etc!!  Yet the real reason I hid even from myself.  I was too scared, too afraid to be revealed as a fraud, frightened to be found inadequate. 
However, this was bigger than self-doubt, it was worse than my own fear, it was to doubt God, it was unbelief in God’s grace, distrust in His plan for my life.  I had more faith in somebody else’s opinion of me than in God’s opinion of me, the Creator of all, even little old me.  I chose to listen to the voice (the look) of a mortal person rather than trusting God’s message, His inspiration.  After all, I know that it is not me, who is so great or so talented, but it is the Lord who gives me the words to write, He inscribes them on my heart, I am just the vehicle He uses to put the words to paper, the brushstrokes on the canvas.  And THAT is something I may not allow anybody to take away from me. 
Who is to blame for me not writing?  That one person whose look said it all?  My parents for maybe not encouraging me?  No, it is I who is to blame.  It is so easy to give up, to accept a lie, for then all I have to do is nothing.  Doing nothing means that no-one can criticize me, nobody can comment on my writing, pull it apart, laugh at it.  But the other side of the coin is also true, nobody can be touched by it, receive a message, hear my testimony, experience a lifting of the spirit. 
For many decades I have struggled to get to this point, to even consider that the Lord had given me a talent as I thought myself too worthless, but finally I started crawling out of my self imposed cage and spreading my wings. I dare not hide away again; it is time to leave the safety of the cage behind once and for all!

Do you feel trapped by self-doubt, others’ opinions of you, past experiences?  Then I invite you to throw the shackles off, dust off your wings and come fly with me!  You are meant to live and to live life fully in all the glory that the Lord has bestowed on you!!  After all, there is nobody like YOU!

Please feel free to comment, I would love to hear what it is that you have also wanted to to , but have been afraid of trying.
Be blessed,
Charri

Can you hear it....?

We are surrounded by noise.  We are woken up by it in the early morning hours when our alarms go off and our bedside radio's go on automatically.  Dogs bark, children shout, parents run through the day's programme, motorists blast their horns, teenagers bob to the rhythm of the music blaring from the car radio or on their i-pods, whistles blow, computers hum, telephones ring.  You get the idea. 

Our days are filled with continuous sound.  When we return home, we immediately switch the radio or television on to fill the house with background noise.  We fear the silence.  Silence is so foreign to our existence today that it makes us feel ill at ease. We have no appreciation for silence in our lives. 

We equate silence with something that is lacking, absent from our lives.  Silence means we are alone, deprived of company.  We feel threatened by it.  We immediately need to fill the silence with sound, with noise.

Wherever people get together, they immediately begin to fill the silence in with words, with mundane chatter or ear-deafening music.  Conversations are carried on above the sound of the television playing in the background.  Strangers fear the silence that threatens to develop between questions and comments.  Even churches are continuously filled with music even during times of silent prayer, lest the silence would find a way into my thoughts.

We view our verbal abilities as a testimony of our education, we use it to convince, to rule, to impress.  Boastful people make sure that everyone else is quiet so that they can have everybody's full attention.  Very often our verbal communication is merely empty chatter, and a continuous repetition of what others have already said.  When we are quiet, silently looking on, people tend to view us with a certain amount of suspicion.  They do not understand silence, and feel insecure in its presence.  Mostly people would try to entice the quiet person into having a conversation, and if that fails, would then proceed to ignore the person as if the quiet, introspective person ceases to be of any importance.

We are so busy complying with the world's addiction to noise and sound that we have forgotten the importance of silence.  Only in the silence can we begin to truly hear again, to listen.  Our spirit, our soul is crying out to be heard.  God is trying to reach us, communicate with us.  As long as we keep up the sound pollution, we cannot begin to listen, to understand.  Silence is not just empty time, devoid of something.  Silence has presence, it is filled with an energy of its own.  Silence has substance.  Only when we are silent can we hear the spirit's guiding voice.

In the quiet our senses start to become more acute.  When we are not so busy thinking up new words to utter we start hearing better.  The tremble of insecurity in my child's voice, the silent scream of depression, the way fear is disguised in an angry voice.  We also begin to see better, to notice the hidden sadness behind a brave smile.

Maybe it is time to schedule silence into our busy lives.  To consciously spend time away from all external sound, to even switch of our internal dialogue, and just be quiet.  To breathe deep, being completely conscious.  To listen.

I ask you this week to make a concerted effort to spend 10 minutes everyday to just be quiet, to listen with your heart, to hear the voice of the Spirit......

If you flutter by here, share with me your thoughts on silence.  Just click on the words "no comments" or "1 comment " and follow the link.  I would love to hear from you.

Let Your Words Take Flight!!!!

I love words, the way they sound, the way they feel on my tongue, the way a simple word can take my thoughts on a fantasy flight.  I love the rhythm and melody of poetry.  Poetry is like a painting done with one's soul.  Poetry give our thoughts wings. So it is just natural that on my blog there should be a place for poetry.  Every month I will share some poetry with anybody who happens to flutter by, and I will also post a poetry prompt/ challenge for you to take part in and I will give awards to 3 of the participants.   You can enter as many poems as you want, but only one of them will be eligible for the award. The rules are simple: any poetry submitted here for the challenge must be your own, and it must comply with the prompt given.   You have to also comment on at least two other entries.  Remember only positive feedback and constructive critique please. Any poetry you want to share with us that belongs to somebody else must be clearly marked as to who the original author is.
I will also give short discussions about poetry forms, rhyme or interesting titbits.

Do take part, there is a poem within each of us!!  Have fun!!!!

To take part or comment, simply scroll right down to the bottom and click on the words "no comment/ 1 comment" , then write your poem in the white comment box that will appear and click on "publish".

8 March 2013

The poetry challenge for March is "Friendship". 
Any type of poetry, free verse or rhyme. 
Minimum 6 lines, max 20 lines.
You can submit your poem all through March, but the closing date is 31 March 2013. 

I am looking forward to your poems!!

To read my poetry click on the All Poetry link on this page.

Mixed Media Challenge

Mixed Media Challenge

Mixed Media Painting "Jar of Hearts" by Charri F. 2012

I love all forms of Art, but the art I absolutely adore is Mixed Media Art!  Therefor I decided to add a monthly challenge about it here on my Blog.  Every 1st Wednesday of the Month I will post a challenge for the new month.  If you flutter by please feel free to take part and share your take on the challenge with me simply by befriending me via my FB page and then post your entry om my FB page.  Here is a link to my FB page: http://www.facebook.com/charri.hart

To comment, simply scroll right down to the bottom and write your comment in the white comment box and click on "publish".

6 March 2013

Thank you so much to those who took part in February's challenge.  I appreciate the lovely photo's I received on my cell, but would like to ask you to not be shy and to please enter them on my FB page once you have befriended me there.
The Mixed Media Challenge for March  is "Friendship" and it must please be submitted on or before the 31st of March 2013. 
Rules are easy: any media (2 or more different types), any size, but keep pixels down low as for most other blogs.
Post your Challenge entry on my FB page : http://www.facebook.com/charri.hart

The Treasure of Friendship

Friendship.  The need for this is woven into our DNA.  After the creation, God saw that it was not good for man to be alone.  Relationships are a God given gift.  Even the most reticent of us have a longing for the companionship of another human being.

Very early in childhood children instinctively start reaching out to other children.  Just last week I watched in amazement how the face of an eight months old baby lit up as a little two year old girl walked into the room.  His eyes followed her everywhere and when she came close he tried to reach out to her.  Although very young children do not really start interacting actively with each other during play until they are a bit older, they enjoy the company of other children. 

All through our lives we come into contact with people and with some of these we forge friendships.  Some of these friendships are very short lived, but some are for life.  Others are "seasonal", lasting only through a phase or a similar situation which threw or drew us together.

However long the lifespan of a friendship is, they all have something in common, we learn from them and grow through them, even the worst of friendships have an enriching effect on us, as we are taught valuable lessons through them about life, people and ourselves.

Every friendship has something about them to celebrate, even if it is just to rejoice that you are now free from that friendship!!!  The sad thing is that we very often start to take friendships for granted, we forget to treasure them, and value them.  Each friendship is very unique, with their own unique challenges and joys.  Every friend we make reveals something new about ourselves.  Anais Nin said this about friendship: "Each friend represents a world in us, a world possibly not born until they arrive, and it is only by this meeting that a new world is born."  So true and worth pondering about.  I have had many wonderful friends in my lifetime and each one of them was so incredibly special, and everyone I have presently in my life I value and treasure.  They have helped form me, they've taught/ still teaching me, they've broadened my horizons, loved me, listened to me, comforted me and made me laugh.

My most valued friendships I have are those within my family.  The saying goes that friends are the family we choose for ourselves, but if they weren't family I would have chosen them as my friends.  Nothing can ever take the place of my family, their friendship is indeed far above all the riches of the world.

Each one of my friends is a flower in my bouquet.  There is the bright yellow daisy - my lifetime childhood friend, the delicate purple beauty of the violet - the one who has known me before I even knew myself, and named me, the cosmos , the rose, the fairy bluebell, the carnation, the forget-me-not's, the sturdy geraniums, lilies, poppies, tulips, honeysuckle and lavender.  The iris, marigold and pansies.  Each one adding their unique fragrance and beauty to my life.  Thank you, dear friends, for your gift of friendship!!!

If you flutter by here, please share your thoughts on friendship with the readers here, and pay tribute to them.  I would love to hear from you.

Tuesday Art-Tickles

Drawing and photo by http://valwebb.wordpress.com/2012/12/01/draw-paint-monarch-butterflies/

Art-Tickles is for those of you who enjoy art and the process of it.  I love all aspects of art, and often experiment with new ideas or try something new and challenging.   Every first Tuesday of the month I will post a challenge and I'll share with you the art I made for the challenge.  Feel free to share your art with me too on the web/blogsite where your art can be viewed, or post your entries on my FB page :  http://www.facebook.com/charri.hart  .If you are not a 'friend' yet on my FB page you will first need to send me a friend request before you will be able to post.  I am looking forward to your entries. I would love to hear from you.

To take part or comment, simply scroll right down to the bottom and write your comment in the white comment box and click on "publish".

5 March 2013

This month's challenge is "Like Van Gogh".  Any medium may be used, the only requirement is that you do it in the style of Vincent van Gogh.  Entries are to be posted between now and the 31st of March 2013.  Post your entries on my FB page :  http://www.facebook.com/charri.hart  .If you are not a 'friend' yet on my FB page you will first need to send me a friend request before you will be able to post.  I am looking forward to your entries.
Here is my first entry for this month,  Oil on canvas.

Vincent Willem van Gogh was one of the most important painters of the modern era. His influence is still seen centuries later as his painting techniques are repeated on the canvases of today's most successful young artists. Van Gogh's stormy life and sad death are the inspiration for many books, song lyrics and movies.

At 25 van Gogh served two years as a preacher in the coal mining community of Borinage, Belgium. His brother, Theodorus van Gogh, was a protestant preacher. The people of Borinage were very poor and Vincent tried to minister to their spiritual needs , but was not very successful. His first noteworthy painting, "The Potato Eaters," depicts the difficult life in Borinage.

Van Gogh wrote over 800 letters during his life as he suffered from a compulsive writing disorder known as hypergraphia, and is associated with temporal lobe epilepsy, that he is said to have suffered from.

Vincent Willem van Gogh was given the same name of his stillborn brother, and was born exactly one year later.



Set Free!!

“I saw the angel in the marble and carved until I set him free.”
― Michelangelo Buonarroti

Michelangelo is the world's most famous sculptor, he was an absolute master craftsman and artist.  He painstakingly would turn an ordinary piece of marble into a statue of exquisite beauty.  Where others would merely see a pretty piece of stone or marble, he would see a figure, lovers or angels, then he would carve and chisel until it was released for all to marvel at.  God, the ultimate sculptor, blessed him with an incredible talent.

The same way as Michelangelo would chisel at a piece of marble, the Lord is also busy with each one of us.  Sometimes I look at myself and wonder what it is that the Lord could possibly love about me?  I am so full of rubbish, sin and uselessness, what on earth could be my purpose? We look at others sometimes with these same questions.  We look at others and judge them, shaking our heads at the seemingly wasted life of a murderer, a tramp, a prostitute and cannot see any purpose to their lives, yet the Lord looks at them and sees something beautiful.  However, He looks at them, at me and you and see something wonderful, so he gets out his chisel and starts carving, hammering and polishing until his image of me is set free.

We are all in the process of being shaped and moulded by the Master Craftsman, and he will not stop until we are completed to His design and purpose.  Sometimes this process is not easy for us, we might experience pain and anguish, we might fight against it and get injured in the process, yet in the end the work is completed and we have been renewed into a masterpiece to the glory of God.  No two pieces of marble is exactly the same, and each piece get lovingly shaped into something totally unique and created for a specific purpose.  It becomes easier to bare the rough and tumble of life when we think of it as the chiseling and carving taking place to shape me into what the Lord has planned for me.  His plan is never to hurt me, or destroy me, but for me to prosper according to his Master plan, He is busy setting me free from my prison in the stone.

If you flutter by here, please feel free to leave your comment here, I would love to hear from you.

Celebrate it!

Last week I received a call from my daughter at school, very excited!  The teacher had read her essay in class.  I understood her excitement, I was equally happy.  We have always told her that she writes beautifully, but she wanted recognition for it from school.  It made me realise how important it is for all of us to receive recognition for what we do.  Even when we deny its importance, most of us will go to great lenghts to achieve it.
I myself have been a victim of my own need for recognition for many years, but my fear of not getting it have kept me from venturing anywhere with my God given talents, until I came to another realization.  More about this a bit later.
From the minute we are born we are conditioned to receive recognition.  Parents and grandparents ooh and ahhh over every little achievement little Johnny accomplishes.  "He's given his first smile, he's said his first word, his eating solids now, he's sitting by himself, he's crawling", etc., etc."  Nothing wrong with that at all, but it sets the stage for little Johnny looking for, and needing recognition.  Later on we start thinking that we are only successful if enough people ooh and ahhh over us.  We start to measure our self-worth by how many people know about my achievements, how many talk about them, how many "likes" or "tweets" we get in these technological times.  It becomes our new believe system about ourselves.
Today I want to tell you that if this is what you believe, you are wrong.  You are not a writer because millions buy your books, a musician because you have sold-out concerts, a good doctor because you appear on Oprah.  Afterall, Vincent van Gogh, to me one of the world's most brilliant artists, sold only one painting during his lifetime! You are first of all what God says about you, and secondly what you believe about yourself.
For many years, actually most of my life, I have believed very little about myself, I have believed the words important people in my life have said about me, and have burried my (God given) "talents", with the result that I had a gaping hole in my soul.  Then somebody came along and opened that treasure chest, and everything changed.  I came to realise that those "talents ", were more than a word in quote marks.  They were talents, but I also for the first time understood I had no reason to be ashamed of them as they were not mine, but the Lord’s.  He deemed it good to entrust me with them.  Suddenly it all changed.  I had to ask the Lord to forgive me for having been ashamed of them for so many years, hiding them, neclegting them.
If we are waiting for the world to give us recognition, or to invite us to share our talents, we will have a long wait ahead of us, yet the Lord wants us to us our talents, big, small, ordinary or extraordinary to glorify Him in everything.
The end of last year I shared with somebody that I am writing, because I have come to realise that it is a talent which the Lord have given me.  When she heard this she gave me such a dirty look and sneered.  I felt so hurt and ashamed that I almost packed it all in again, in fact I did, but then I realised, that it did not matter what she said, it only matters what the Lord says.  Thus, my friends, I encourage you, whatever it is you are doing, writing, making music, art, sport, academics or whatever, do it with all your heart, because you have been wonderfully made and your talents are needed in God's bigger plan.  Celebrate it! Maybe it is that simple poem, that tiny little painting that leads the way to the Lord, even if it is just for one person.  Not all of us will be great, but we can do little things in a great way!

If you flutterby here, please feel free to leave a comment here, I would love to hear from you.

Time for Tea

When I think of tea, I automatically think of my sister.  Tea time is not merely the consumption of a beverage, it is an event.  It is the delicate removal of the finest china from the tea cupboard, laying the tea table and brewing the perfect pot of strong, yet delicate tea, and serving it just right, cups pre-heated and the milk poured first.  What accompanies the tea is only slightly less importance for the simple reason that even the most ordinary fare becomes a delicacy when accompanied by my sister's tea. 

However, the most special thing about tea time at my sister's is the feeling of camaraderie, of togetherness, of belonging.  It is like coming home.

Tea time is a time of sharing, laughter, the baring of souls, a time of giving advice, receiving the same and reminiscing.  Tea time is a time of reconnecting.  Often tea time can stretch over several hours.  Sometimes we start teatime off still in our pyjamas, but it is always served in a delicate teapot perfectly prepared.  I love these times, and although I am more of a coffee drinker (the instant type) , I miss my sister's tea for nothing.  It is a tradition.

Today people equate the word "tradition" with "old-fashioned".  Many people sneer at the word "tradition", yet traditions are like the thread that keep the different blocks of a quilt together. They are passed on from one generation to the next, from one family to the next.  When people gather for special events or occassions, they provide common ground and tie people together that might not have seen each other for years.  It gives a sense of unity to families.  It strengthens the bond between the generations.  It gives every individual a sense of belonging to something greater than themselves.

Whatever your tradition is, it is precious, and worth celebrating.  Traditions are what makes families unique.  They are the building blocks of future generations.

What traditions do you have that are special to you and your family?  I hope you would share them here with us.  Be proud of them and tell the world.  Please feel free to comment here, I am looking forward to hearing from you.

Teapot painted by Charri F.

A Bunch of Grapes

I often wonder how it is that a butterfly knows exactly which flower has the sweetest nectar?  All insects seem to know that instinctively.  They always find the choicest, sweetest fruit.
I love fruit, especially grapes, and the fruit sellers make them seem even more delicious with promises of  "sweeter than honey".  Exactly such salesman talk enticed my husband to arrive home with a whole box of delicious grapes, and although not exactly sweeter than honey, they were mostly quite nice.  However, every now and then I would bite into a particularly sour one that would make my toenails curl up and clench my jaw muscles in a tetanus like grip. 
This made me think about life and what Forest Gump's mother told him, "Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you are going to get". To me life is like a bunch of grapes.  Most days are sweet and juicy, full of lovely fresh goodness.  Unfortunately some days are sour, testing our perseverance, trying our patience.  Some days leave us with a bitter taste in the mouth.  Some days make us want to declare that we never want to eat grapes ever again. 
Yet it is that sweet tasting grape that let us reach for the next one, and the next.  It is exactly that sour one that makes us appreciate the sweet grapes all the more.  It keeps life interesting and exciting.  It keeps us grateful.  Every single grape, sweet or sour, is needed to make that special bottle of wine.  Every experience, every success or disappointment, every encounter shapes us into the people we are, giving every one of us our unique character.  It colours or lives, teaches us and leads us onto different paths.
My wish for you today is that you will savour every moment of every day, every flavour that comes your way.  May the Lord's blessings be yours this week.

Feel free to leave a comment, I would love to hear from you.

The Gift

Every Friday morning a few of us get together to paint, draw, chat and doodle.  All week long we rush around, taxi children, do chores, but come Friday it is our time, it is the start of our week-end.  For those few hours we create and recharge our batteries.  No critics are allowed, no negative talk and no self-sabotage!  What we all marvel at is the fact that although sometimes one of us might not feel in the mood, or might feel tired or depressed, by the end of our session, we all feel energized and on top of the world.  In fact, we find it extremely difficult to stop what we are doing, the creative sluices are wide open.

Being creative is one of the best forms of therapy, it brings healing and peace beyond our understanding.  I think the reason for that is that through the creative process we draw closer to God's heart, because He is the great Creator, our creativity is not from ourselves, but from the Lord.  He bestows the gift of creativity on each and everyone of his children, with no favouritism, but somehow we allow the world and its critics to steal that gift away from us.  We fall for the lies we are being told by the world - you are not talented enough, you are not creative, your talent is of little use, etc etc. 
It is amazing to watch little children drawing, painting or doing anything creative.  They do it with such absolute conviction and confidence.  Not for a second do they question that blob of red paint they've put on the paper, it IS a dog, a cat, a cow.  Of course the sky is green, the river purple and a giraffe has three legs.  They do not doubt their artistic ability or criticise their own efforts, and they are equally enthusiastic about their playmates' artwork.  Unfortunately, too soon the words and ideas of the world creep in and plant the ugly seeds of criticism and self-doubt, and that flamboyant young artist becomes an adult that 'cannot even draw a stick figure'!
Pablo Picasso said that all children are artists, the problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up.  It is definitely time for everyone to close the doors to the opinion of the world and reconnect with that artist hiding inside.  Life is a canvas - so come on, throw all the paint you have at it!!!  Do it today!
Have a look at Friday's page, it's a great way to entice that artist out of his/her hiding place.

If you flutter by here, please feel free to leave a comment, or to share your thoughts on creativity with us.  Just click on the words "no comment" or "1 Comment" and follow the prompts.  I would LOVE to hear from you.

On Gossamer Wings

"...once you have tasted flight you will walk the earth with your eyes turned skywards, for there you have been, and there you will always long to return...."

-Leonardo Da Vinci

I am a dreamer.  I often catch myself watching the butterflies in summer, flying effortlessly wherever they will, and as I watch they steal my thoughts and take my imagination along on their flight.  My family will often find me like that and with a jolt I will return to the here and now.  More often than not this was the very thing which got me into trouble at school.  Physically I was in the classroom, but my thoughts were miles away soaring on gossamer wings.....

Dreams are beautiful, wonderful, and despite what some people believe, very necessary.  Many extraordinary things have been discovered and invented by dreamers.  However, dreams are like Faith.  Faith is a glorious word, and by itself it is wonderful.  Faith is a gift, but Faith truly begins to mean something when we actively start doing what we confess to believe.  The same with dreams, they only begin to mean something when we start following our dreams. 

Yet, very few of us really, truly have the courage to follow our dreams.  Most of us can't even say our dreams out loud, some amongst us might get as far as writing them down, but only a small percentage will actually grab hold of them and make them real.  Why would that be?  Fear.  A little four letter word.  It should be classified as a swear word it is that ugly a word.  Fear of failure.  Fear that we will be ridiculed.  Fear that others, who are equally afraid to follow their dreams, will point and laugh.  Fear that we may actually succeed and have to face up to the responsibility.

Whatever the reason for our fears, they are dream-stealers.  They condemn us to a flightless life.  They leave behind the bitter taste of "if only".  The best antidote for fear is Faith.  Faith in God, who is the giver of dreams, but also faith in yourself.  If you can dream it, you CAN do it.  It does not matter what the world says about your dreams, what THEIR expectations are of you or your dreams.  It has nothing to do with the world, it has everything to do with you!

Yes, I am a dreamer, and for many years my own fears have kept my dreams in check, but today, right now I AM living my dream, and having the greatest fun while doing it.  It does not matter any longer what the world is saying or even whether the world is taking notice of me and my dreams.  I am soaring on gossamer wings and calling to you to follow me..... 

If you flutter by here, please feel free to share your dreams with me, I would love to dream them with you and encourage you along your way.  Just click on the words "no comment" or "1 comment" and follow the prompts.

What is Happening to your Dream?

This morning I realized, with a bit of a jolt, that the first month of the brand new 2013 is busy waving goodbye!  28 days, 4 weeks, have come and gone.  It is time to take stock of this first month.  Most of us have had certain goals and ideals for this new year.  Normally we wait for the end of the year before we consider what it is that we have or have not achieved.  That is too late, so let us do it NOW while (God be willing) we have eleven more months to achieve our goals.

What are your dreams, your hopes for this year?  What are your goals?  Have you started to set them in motion yet, or are you still in the Put-It-Off-Till-Tomorrow zone?  Are you still fresh and excited about this year or have your dreams already started to go stale with thoughts of "This is just another year of dreams that turn to nothing, because Life is just demanding too much of me"?  Then I have news for you - It is not Life that is demanding too much of you, it is you demanding too little from Life.  You are busy settling for the mediocre, you are settling for less than your dreams are worth.

 Yes, I can already hear you protesting, saying that I have no idea how difficult your life is, what struggles you are facing, and you will be right, I don't know.  What I do know, however, is that only you can make a difference in your own life, only you can make that decision to pursue your dreams with your whole heart no matter what.  I am merely the voice that nags you to make that decision, to remind you of the goals you have set!! 

Having dreams and setting ourselves goals give meaning to our everyday existence.  Achieving them gives us a sense of success.  It does not matter how big or small your dreams are, but it is important to daily work at making them a reality.  To dream is good, but to do them is better.  Taking action makes dreams into reality.  So, come on, take that first step today, don't put it off any longer.   It is time to soar with the butterflies.....

If you flutter by here, please share with us the steps you've taken to make your dream a reality this year.  To comment simply click on the words "no comment" or "1 comment" and follow the prompts.  I am looking forward to hearing from you.

Peace Please

Yesterday I received an sms on my phone in which we were asked to join in a day of prayer for peace, and to wear white to show our support for peace.  Personally I think it is a wonderful idea, but at the same time I am very skeptical of such days.  We have hundreds of days like that - AIDS day, Women's Day, Anti-Abuse Day etc.  I understand the concept of such days, but the problem is that 9 out of 10 times, that is exactly where it stays.  One day a year that we become ultra aware of the problem, we focus our energies on celebrating the day, make pledges, but the very next day it fades away again, and only occasionally I'll find myself fleetingly (and guiltily) thinking about the plight of the thousands of AIDS orphans, the countries at war, the local unrests and my neighbour across the street's black swollen eye.
I am not saying we must not have such days, but I am saying that maybe we must not rely on such days to bring about the change we are hoping for, we must each one take the burden on ourselves to make the change happen.  Peace is not something only for super powers to negotiate, it is not the signing of peace treaties or hippies to chant about.  No, Peace is very personal.  It starts with me.  Talking about peace is beautiful, it falls comfortably on the ear, but it is time to stop talking about it, and time to actively start living peace.
From the earliest times people have been in search of peace, chasing after happiness, hoping that by finding it their lives would be changed.  Yet despite peace treaties and the hoisting of white flags, peace stays ever elusive.  The simple answer is that peace will never be found elsewhere, but in the human heart itself.  Before we can negotiate world peace we have to first of all be at peace with ourselves and at peace with our Maker.  When I am at peace within, then it is easy to pass it on to those around me.  Inner peace cannot be contained, it becomes like a fountain bubbling out through my words, my actions and even my smile.
My whole life will become a testimony of the peace I have within my heart.  A person at peace with himself and God will also live in peace with others.  Such a person will spread peace wherever he goes, and become an instrument of peace.
Am I such a person?  Do I silence those who incite others to aggression, or do I keep quiet, or even talk along?  Is my idea of peace to keep quiet when I hear others instigating dissent?  To live a life of peace does not mean sitting back and not doing anything. To live peace is to actively DO peace, to be an instrument of peace.  To quote St Francis of Assisi : "Lord, make me an instrument of your peace:  Where there is hatred let me sow love."

If you flutter by here, please share your thoughts on peace with us.  To comment, just click on the words "no comment" or "1 Comment" and follow the prompts, I would love to hear from you.

A Beautiful Day

Today was a beautiful day, not too hot for January, and as we travelled we marvelled at the green fields, the flocks of lambs playing happily in the light breeze.  Unfortunately there was not a single cosmos flower to be seen next to the road.  Their season is past.   How you loved their pink, purple and white blooms dancing all along the road wherever we travelled. 
As we travelled along today, I turned my eyes up at the blue skies, the same colour as your eyes, and the fluffy clouds gathering on the horizon.  How I wish I could just once more look in your eyes, the way they crinkled at the corners.  How I wish I could just once more put my hand in yours and know you love me.
But I have your legacy written in my heart and your words of wisdom still echo in my memories.  Everyday I share these with my daughters, passing them on and hoping they'll one day pass them on too.
If I had but one word to describe you, what would it be?  Kind, gentle, loving, giving?  Selfless, generous, loyal?  One word could never do it, you were all of these and so much more.  You taught me to pray, to believe when faith seemed impossible.  You showed me how to love my children, treasure my husband, cope with unfairness and to be silent when words would only hurt.  You taught me to start each day with a smile and to wake my children with the sound of laughter.  Your life testified of putting others before your own needs. 
So many years have passed since I saw you last, yet I miss you still.  I often find myself telling you about your grandchildren, and think of how proud you would have been of each one of them.  I wish I could have been the daughter then that I am today, maybe you would have smiled more often when you heard my name.  Strange how having my own children has taught me to understand the depth of your love for me.  Now it is so easy to see that every word was said to teach, guide and protect me. Your selflessness puts me to shame everyday, your example is a tough act to follow.

Yes, today was a beautiful day.  It was your birthday. I hope you had a nice day in heaven, I hope you danced with butterflies in your hair, I hope you know how much we love you, and that our every thought of you would paint some cosmos in the sky.....

Happy Birthday, Mamma.

If you flutter by here and want to share some thoughts about your mom, please feel free to do so by clicking on "no comment" or "1 comment" and follow the prompts.

This Moment

I remember a favourite childhood game of mine was playing "Make Believe" .  My friends and I would dream up all sorts of scenarios in which we would all take turns to be the star.  From owning shiny fiery red sports cars to elaborate fairy palaces to wearing long silver gowns dipped in liquid diamonds.  The more fanciful the ideas, the more excited we would become and we would feel euphoric with happiness.  There was nothing we could not become.  Of course this earned me the reputation of a dreamer.

Today I am still that dreamer, and I am a great advocate to follow your dreams and to live them, but last night, after spending some time with a friend of mine over the telephone, I started looking at it from a different point of view.  I realised that we have to be careful that our dreams do not take over our lives, our existence to such an extent that we forget to live in the here and now.

The reason I say this is that Lucy, my friend of many years, has yet to find happiness.  She's been poor, she's been rich, she's currently financially comfortable, she's been single, married, single again and very popular with the male species, her son is a qualified doctor and her daughter a successful designer.  From the outside she lives everybody's dream life, yet Lucy is always dreaming of something more.  She always begins a sentence with "If only".  "If only" I can get that promotion, "if only"  I could meet somebody as financially well-off as myself, "if only" I can buy that car...... ended of with "then I would also be happy".

Needless to say, all these things have at some time or another come true for her, but the happiness has never followed.

Why?  It is a question I have often pondered.

The answer lies in this simple truth.  Lucy has never learnt to appreciate one of life's greatest gifts, the gift of now.  This very moment is what I have.  When I appreciate this moment, then I can also count the blessings I have in this moment.  There is no need to drive a bigger car, have more money in the bank if I am able to value what I have right now.  Happiness is here right now.  Happiness can never be found in having the things you want, happiness is when you want the things you already possess right now, right in this perfect and beautiful moment.  Start right now and count your blessings and see the abundance you already have in your life.

By all means dream, and dream big, but never forget to also be absolutely aware of what is around you now, embrace and appreciate it.  Do not let this moment just pass into the lost moments of time. Treasure it.

If you flutter by here and would like to share what it is that make you happy right now, please feel free to do so.  Just click on the words "no comment" or "1 comment" and follow the prompts.  I am looking forward to hearing from you.

Be Brave, Little Dreamer....

I have a dream.

I know you have a dream too.
Dreams to humans are as sunlight is to plants.  It is woven into our DNA.  It is the way our spirit reaches out to something more, something better, something higher than ourselves.  Yet few, very few, of us ever realise our dreams, live our dreams.  Our dreams get stifled and wither away to mere long forgotten fleeting thoughts.  Just as plants cannot grow in darkness and cannot thrive in the shadows of the trees, dreams cannot see the light of day when they are over shadowed by fear, doubt or negativity.  The acid rain of unbelief dissolves the fragile wings of our dreams and cripple them mercilessly.  Our dreams become ghosts with names like "I-Wish-Had", "If-Only" and "It-Was-Not-Meant-To-Be".

Doubt, Negativity, Unbelief, Self-Sabotage, Fear are all Dream-Killers, and we are their accomplices.  We enable these thoughts to destroy our dreams, to relegate them to File 13.  We allow our internal dialogue to accuse our dreams , find them guilty without a fair trial and sentence them to a life in limbo.  Many years later we find the Cold Case of our dreams on the shelf and we wonder why we ever let go of them, and we are left with the bitter taste of regret in our hearts.

Let us no longer be Dream-Killers.  Today is the day of your dream, whatever it may be, however small it might be, or huge.  Today is the day to give voice to it.  Write your dream in BIG BOLD letters on a brand new blank page.  There is nothing that stands between you and your dream except for that which you allow to stand between you and your dream.  Look at your dream. Imagine what it will feel like to live your dream.  Feel it, taste it.  Write everything about your dream down.  What it is you would need to make your dream come true.  What is the first step you would need to take to make your dream come true?  Write it down, be honest.  Look at your dream from all sides.  Is this truly your dream?  It is never any use to try to live someone else's dream for your life, it has to be authentically yours.  Remember it is YOUR dream, you need nobody's permission to dream it, no-ones stamp of approval or endorsement.  Don't be embarrassed by your dream, or think it is too small or insignificant, or too outrageous or impossible.  Don't compromise your dream.

Now that you have been brave enough to write your dream down - in BOLD letters, I want you to make yourself some flash cards.  Put these all over the house, in your car, at the office to constantly remind yourself about your dream and the steps you have to take to realize it.  Come on now, don't be shy, don't give in to fear.  Yes, I know, it is daunting to have it out there in the open, but be BRAVE!

Next it is time to take the first step.  No! Don't say you'll do it tomorrow!  NOW is the time, the time to stop dreaming and to start DOING.  Only ACTION can turn your dream into a reality.  Don't put it off for another day, for tomorrow, we don't own tomorrow, we have just this moment.  What is it you have to do right now to start your dream journey?  Is it putting out that newly lit cigarette?  Saying no to the piece of cake sitting on your desk and waiting for you to take the first bite?  Signing the registration papers for the course you've been dreaming about taking for so long?  Cutting up your credit card?  Signing up at the gym? Whatever it is, do it NOW!

Remember, you can be whatever you dream.  You have no limits, God created you to be all you want to be.  You are not who you think you are, you are everything God knows you can be.  Make this the year that you will not only dream, but the year that you will live your dream!!  Be like the butterfly that leaves the coccoon , reach out with tender wings and fly.  Be brave, little dreamer....

If you flutter by here and would like to share your dream with us, please feel free to do so.  Just click on the words "no comment" or "1 comment" and follow the prompts.  I am looking forward to hearing from you.

The First Day

Early this morning I stood at her bed and watched her sleep, the curls on her pillow dancing around her head like dozens of butterflies, baby-like innocence still visible in the sleepy contours of her face.  Soon I'll have to wake her, but I put the moment off a little while longer, knowing that when I do, she'll be waking up to the first day of her last year at school.  My baby girl is now in grade 12!!  It seems impossible.  Where have the years disappeared to?  Minutes and hours, days and seasons, all have slipped back into Father Time's treasure chest.
As I watched her sleeping, time fell away and I recalled that first day of school 12 years ago.  The excitement was running high!  When I got to her room that morning to wake her up she was already awake, slipping on her crisp new, tiny little uniform on an even tinier body.  She flashed me a big toothy grin.  Her blond hair, usually an untame-able mass of curls, hanging loose over her shoulders.  The new ribbons were lying neatly folded next to her brush, waiting for me to tie them up in two ponytails.  How my heart fluttered at that sight, and how my heart flutters still!
I left her to sleep a while longer, and went to the kitchen to prepare her a breakfast of eggs and yogurt.  When I got to her room with the tray she was awake.  Excitement was again in the air, but a more contained and grown-up excitement. Oh, my girl!!  Do you know the love I have in my heart for you?  Do you feel my prayers following you wherever you go?  May this be a special year for you, my little butterfly.  May the winds ever be gentle beneath your wings and may you only find life's sweetest nectar.  You are dearly loved.

If you flutter by here, please feel free to comment.  Maybe these thoughts stir up your own memories of your children's first day at school, or maybe this year is that first day for your child, then please share them here with us.  Just click on the words "no comment" or "1 comment" and follow the prompts.  I look forward to hearing from you.