Today I did something I said I would never do again. (One day I will stop saying 'never'). I took Thomas to exercise class again this morning. The last time I took him, he barked and whined and disrupted the class. But today, probably three months after that first episode, I took him again.
He was an angel. He chewed his bone and licked all the peanut butter off the kong and then dozed. I was so proud of him.
I was also proud of myself for having the courage to try again. The leader of our group said, "Everyone deserves another chance." She was right.
I learnt today to never write someone off, not people and not dogs. Sometimes they just need a bit more time to mature. Sometimes they just need some encouragement and someone to trust them.
Leopards can't change their spots but we humans are not leopards and we can change.
I know that I have changed and I'm glad I did. I am not the same person now that I was when I was thirty. I've heard people say "He is not the same man that I married," as if that is grounds for divorce. But no one stays the same. We are all changing day by day, slowly but surely. We only have to look at photos to see how much we have changed over the years. We do not only change on the outside but we change on the inside as well.
I would like to think that we all change for the better, but sadly that is not the case. When I was a lot younger than I am now, I used to think that wisdom and grace and love became more evident in our lives as we grew older. I was wrong. I met a critical, sour old man who just became more critical and sour as the years progressed. How sad.
So I conclude that how we change is up to the choices we make in life. The choices we make today influence our lives in the future. If we choose to forgive, to love, to live a peaceful non judgemental lifestyle, it may not all happen at once, but we need to try, try again until these things we choose for ourselves become habit patterns of our lifestyle.
I keep working on my attitude and I keep working and hoping for the best with Thomas. As much as I am teaching him, he is teaching me.
Wednesday, 29 January 2014
Tuesday, 28 January 2014
Depending on the Tide
I was sitting with a friend on the ferry today as it glided effortlessly along on the Brisbane River. We were discussing the fact that sometimes people are loaded on and off through the bow entrance and sometimes through the stern.
The young ticket officer overheard our conversation and explained the reason why.
"It all depends on the tide," she said.
Looking at the river one can hardly see the tide and yet we can feel it's effects. Tides can be very powerful and cause people to drown, boats to be grounded and sand to be washed off beaches, causing houses built on beach sand to collapse.
Knowing what the tide is doing is essential for safety. It is also knowable. There are charts to guide us and warn us of danger. Ferry Captains, Surf Lifesavers, Coast guards and anyone who sails rivers and oceans would be wise to consult these charts and then take the necessary action. It is foolishness and could even be disastrous to ignore these guidelines and safety measures.
All this information got me thinking about other guidelines and instructions that are all around us for our own safety. For example 'Stay behind the yellow barrier lines' on railway stations. 'Wrong way' signs on highways to stop us from entering a highway from the wrong direction. Road rules in general are made to protect us from harming ourselves or others.
Pilots have to be aware of the strength and direction of the wind. Another thing we cannot see, but we can feel it's effect.
There are also common sense rules that we learnt from parents and teachers. 'Look left, look right and look left again, before crossing a road.' (This is the other way around in right hand drive countries.) 'Walk, don't run through the corridors at school. You may hurt yourself and others if you don't obey.'
'Do to others what you want them to do to you,' I heard a mother once say to her son as she pulled him off the play ground.
Which leads me to the best guide book which I love to read. Yes, you guessed it, the Bible. There I read that there are powerful unseen forces that are constantly trying to confuse us, hurt us and fill us with doubt and fear. But I also read that God is more powerful than the evil forces. He loves us unconditionally and forgives us when we confess and acknowledge our sin to Him. He also forgets our sin completely. Yes, our God is a God who forgets.
We need to be aware and on our guard but we need not fear if we follow the guidelines we have been given.
The young ticket officer overheard our conversation and explained the reason why.
"It all depends on the tide," she said.
Looking at the river one can hardly see the tide and yet we can feel it's effects. Tides can be very powerful and cause people to drown, boats to be grounded and sand to be washed off beaches, causing houses built on beach sand to collapse.
Knowing what the tide is doing is essential for safety. It is also knowable. There are charts to guide us and warn us of danger. Ferry Captains, Surf Lifesavers, Coast guards and anyone who sails rivers and oceans would be wise to consult these charts and then take the necessary action. It is foolishness and could even be disastrous to ignore these guidelines and safety measures.
All this information got me thinking about other guidelines and instructions that are all around us for our own safety. For example 'Stay behind the yellow barrier lines' on railway stations. 'Wrong way' signs on highways to stop us from entering a highway from the wrong direction. Road rules in general are made to protect us from harming ourselves or others.
Pilots have to be aware of the strength and direction of the wind. Another thing we cannot see, but we can feel it's effect.
There are also common sense rules that we learnt from parents and teachers. 'Look left, look right and look left again, before crossing a road.' (This is the other way around in right hand drive countries.) 'Walk, don't run through the corridors at school. You may hurt yourself and others if you don't obey.'
'Do to others what you want them to do to you,' I heard a mother once say to her son as she pulled him off the play ground.
Which leads me to the best guide book which I love to read. Yes, you guessed it, the Bible. There I read that there are powerful unseen forces that are constantly trying to confuse us, hurt us and fill us with doubt and fear. But I also read that God is more powerful than the evil forces. He loves us unconditionally and forgives us when we confess and acknowledge our sin to Him. He also forgets our sin completely. Yes, our God is a God who forgets.
We need to be aware and on our guard but we need not fear if we follow the guidelines we have been given.
Sunday, 26 January 2014
Routine
Is routine a good thing or a bad thing? It is probably both. We all have a routine of some kind or another. Some routines are in cycles. Monday to Friday in bed by ten and up at six. Ablutions and breakfast, maybe some exercise, and off to work or school. The weekends take on their own routine. Stay up late and wake up late. Maybe skip ablutions but never skip breakfast. Slow morning reading papers and watching television. Some people turn breakfast into brunch.
Sundays have their own routine. For many it's a time to shop, to go to the beach or once again just relax at home catching up with friends or family. For us it's off to Church after a walk and breakfast.
Routines change as family commitments change. Babies and small children thrive on routine. It makes them feel secure. When we were raising our children they knew they had to be home by five in the afternoon. The evening routine started then. It was dinner, bath, playtime, reading time and bedtime. There were hardly any tantrums because they knew this was what was expected.
For some obscure and weird reason that I'm yet to fathom out, we are still at home by five o'clock and start the evening routine of feeding dogs, cooking dinner and watching television even though our boys left home twenty years ago.
Children are not the only ones who thrive on routine, dogs do too. Our guide dog puppies in training love the stimulation of new places and people. But they do their best work in familiar places and they always know when it is meal time. Keeping to a routine helps us to know when they need toilet breaks. So routine when puppy training is essential.
But too much routine becomes dull and boring and that's why I said routine can be a bad thing. We all need some variety in our lives. It's good to go on a picnic or take a train ride into the City just for fun. Explore a part of world that you have never been to before. I love to pretend I am a tourist in my own town and take a ride on the hop on hop off bus.
Sometimes we don't want to break out of our routine because of fear. What if I hate the food at the new restaurant? Isn't it better to go back to the restaurant I always eat at where I know the food is good? That is boring! If the food is not good, don't go back.
I know people who go to the same place every year for their holiday. They love it. They meet the same people they met last year and the year before. I would not like that at all. I guess we are all different. I once heard someone say that we are all either settlers or pioneers We need both types of people. If everyone was an adventurous pioneer, we would all be forever on the move and there would be no settled stability.
There is a time for routine and a time to break away from routine and have some fun.
Sundays have their own routine. For many it's a time to shop, to go to the beach or once again just relax at home catching up with friends or family. For us it's off to Church after a walk and breakfast.
Routines change as family commitments change. Babies and small children thrive on routine. It makes them feel secure. When we were raising our children they knew they had to be home by five in the afternoon. The evening routine started then. It was dinner, bath, playtime, reading time and bedtime. There were hardly any tantrums because they knew this was what was expected.
For some obscure and weird reason that I'm yet to fathom out, we are still at home by five o'clock and start the evening routine of feeding dogs, cooking dinner and watching television even though our boys left home twenty years ago.
Children are not the only ones who thrive on routine, dogs do too. Our guide dog puppies in training love the stimulation of new places and people. But they do their best work in familiar places and they always know when it is meal time. Keeping to a routine helps us to know when they need toilet breaks. So routine when puppy training is essential.
But too much routine becomes dull and boring and that's why I said routine can be a bad thing. We all need some variety in our lives. It's good to go on a picnic or take a train ride into the City just for fun. Explore a part of world that you have never been to before. I love to pretend I am a tourist in my own town and take a ride on the hop on hop off bus.
Sometimes we don't want to break out of our routine because of fear. What if I hate the food at the new restaurant? Isn't it better to go back to the restaurant I always eat at where I know the food is good? That is boring! If the food is not good, don't go back.
I know people who go to the same place every year for their holiday. They love it. They meet the same people they met last year and the year before. I would not like that at all. I guess we are all different. I once heard someone say that we are all either settlers or pioneers We need both types of people. If everyone was an adventurous pioneer, we would all be forever on the move and there would be no settled stability.
There is a time for routine and a time to break away from routine and have some fun.
Saturday, 25 January 2014
Australia Day
Sunday 26th January. Australia Day. So what does Australia Day mean to me? My overriding emotion is one of gratitude. Living here in Australia for the last twenty eight years has been a blessed experience. God promised us that He would be with us when we emigrated all those years ago.
We sold our home, caravan and boat. Many of our possessions we gave away and a few sentimental things as well as things we thought we would need we took with us when we left.
We left our eldest son Kenneth behind. We also left a very good Church, where we had learned so much and we also left extended family and very precious friends.
Although it was very painful to leave Kenneth behind we knew emigrating was what we needed to do. Kenneth was nearly eighteen and he felt that he needed to stay in South Africa. He had to find his own way in life and things turned out just fine for him. God was with him as well as with us.
So here we are living the dream. Spiritually,emotionally, financially blessed. We have lived a full life here. We have lived in many different towns. We have attended many different Churches. We have both had different experiences in the workforce. We've made friends, learned many lessons and grown as people.
We have enjoyed travelling in Australia as well as overseas. What a wonderful world we live in. We only have to walk across the road to be surrounded by huge trees with native birds and a creek rambling through the natural bushland.
It is quite overwhelming as I think about our many blessings. Our children and our children's children are all healthy and growing in God's abundant grace. Why is our family so blessed? I have no idea. My heart goes out to others who are struggling with ill health and struggling financially. It makes me sad and it makes me feel somewhat guilty.
Only God knows the reasons for these things. Enough to say that I am grateful to Him and give Him all the glory and honour.
A blank page
So I have taken up the challenge to blog every day. Sometimes I have nothing to say. I sit in front of this blank page and stare at it. Maybe if I wrote this blog later in the day I might have more to write about.
What have I achieved today? Well, once again I walked my dog Thomas to three quarters of an hour. And by the way he is improving on his walks. He focuses on me instead of the dog he would rather focus on. Then I walked for another three quarters of an hour with Gayle. I enjoyed it all immensely and even in the heat of Summer. I feel better for the exercise.
Then after breakfast we took little Jesse and Thomas to Bunnings. Jesse enjoyed the walk and was not at all fazed by the strong smells coming from the fertilizers. Thomas, on the other hand, was crazy. I had to use my gruff voice and a lot of collar correction to get him to focus on me instead of the scents that were invading his nostrils.
While we were at Bunnings we made a decision about a new barbeque. I can't wait. I plan to have barbeque something every night!
We needed a coffee after all that decision making. The dogs are very relaxed in the Coffee Club. I would not be surprised if they use a photo of us with our dogs to advertise the relaxing atmosphere at the Coffee Club. We go there so often. We found another Coffee Club in the City last Friday. Now we know where four are. Here where we live there are three to choose from. Sometimes we go to our local coffee shop as well.
Our shopping was not over at this point. I remembered seeing sheets sets on sale at Spotlight. We need new ones for our guest room. Thomas and I did the walk, which was good for Thomas and me of course and found that they still had the sheets on sale. I bought a lovely soft shade of green. It was time to head home.
The dogs are asleep at my feet. Howard and I are both working on our computers. The air conditioner is on and I no longer have a blank page in front of me. I do, however, have a blank afternoon ahead of me. Will it more writing, or maybe practicing my instruments or more dog training
What have I achieved today? Well, once again I walked my dog Thomas to three quarters of an hour. And by the way he is improving on his walks. He focuses on me instead of the dog he would rather focus on. Then I walked for another three quarters of an hour with Gayle. I enjoyed it all immensely and even in the heat of Summer. I feel better for the exercise.
Then after breakfast we took little Jesse and Thomas to Bunnings. Jesse enjoyed the walk and was not at all fazed by the strong smells coming from the fertilizers. Thomas, on the other hand, was crazy. I had to use my gruff voice and a lot of collar correction to get him to focus on me instead of the scents that were invading his nostrils.
While we were at Bunnings we made a decision about a new barbeque. I can't wait. I plan to have barbeque something every night!
We needed a coffee after all that decision making. The dogs are very relaxed in the Coffee Club. I would not be surprised if they use a photo of us with our dogs to advertise the relaxing atmosphere at the Coffee Club. We go there so often. We found another Coffee Club in the City last Friday. Now we know where four are. Here where we live there are three to choose from. Sometimes we go to our local coffee shop as well.
Our shopping was not over at this point. I remembered seeing sheets sets on sale at Spotlight. We need new ones for our guest room. Thomas and I did the walk, which was good for Thomas and me of course and found that they still had the sheets on sale. I bought a lovely soft shade of green. It was time to head home.
The dogs are asleep at my feet. Howard and I are both working on our computers. The air conditioner is on and I no longer have a blank page in front of me. I do, however, have a blank afternoon ahead of me. Will it more writing, or maybe practicing my instruments or more dog training
Darkness
The family room was dark even though the sun was up. We hang dark curtains over the normal curtains when we have a small puppy. Hopefully it fools them into sleeping a little longer and not waking at the crack of dawn.
I can hardly reach to take them down and as Howard is away for two days, I was tempted to leave them up. But I just could not live in a darkened room. So I stood on tip toes to take them down and let the sun shine in.
I thought about my friend who is blind. He tells me he often washes the dishes at 1am. He does not put the light on. It would be a waste of time and anyway it would wake the family.
I also thought about my friends who walk in spiritual darkness. How do they cope with every day living? I have loved God and believed in heaven and hell since I was a child and it's hard for me to imagine what life is like without that faith in God.
The biggest challenge in life is forgiveness. To love people, especially nice people who agree with us is relatively easy. We can even manage to love unlovely people. But what is our reaction to people who hurt us? It does not seem natural to forgive people who disappoint us, or are unkind to us. The natural response is to retaliate.
It's natural, and normal and a human way to respond but that is why we need God. Unforgiveness, hatred and revenge are all destructive ways. The problem is it does not only hurt even destroy the other person but it also hurts the person who refuses to forgive. We need the supernatural ability that only God can give us to truly forgive and feel the freedom that forgiveness brings.
I am told that people with mental illnesses can often find relief and healing through forgiveness. Hatred and bitterness is like a cancer to our spirits. Sometimes the person needing our forgiveness is ourselves. It is possible to hate ourselves. If we don't love ourselves in a healthy way, we will find it difficult to love others.
It all starts with forgiveness. Receiving forgiveness from God for all the wrong things we have done and also forgiveness for the good and kind things that we were meant to do that we did not do.
We also need to forgive people who have wronged us.
Forgiveness brings freedom and healing not only for us but for those around us.
I can hardly reach to take them down and as Howard is away for two days, I was tempted to leave them up. But I just could not live in a darkened room. So I stood on tip toes to take them down and let the sun shine in.
I thought about my friend who is blind. He tells me he often washes the dishes at 1am. He does not put the light on. It would be a waste of time and anyway it would wake the family.
I also thought about my friends who walk in spiritual darkness. How do they cope with every day living? I have loved God and believed in heaven and hell since I was a child and it's hard for me to imagine what life is like without that faith in God.
The biggest challenge in life is forgiveness. To love people, especially nice people who agree with us is relatively easy. We can even manage to love unlovely people. But what is our reaction to people who hurt us? It does not seem natural to forgive people who disappoint us, or are unkind to us. The natural response is to retaliate.
It's natural, and normal and a human way to respond but that is why we need God. Unforgiveness, hatred and revenge are all destructive ways. The problem is it does not only hurt even destroy the other person but it also hurts the person who refuses to forgive. We need the supernatural ability that only God can give us to truly forgive and feel the freedom that forgiveness brings.
I am told that people with mental illnesses can often find relief and healing through forgiveness. Hatred and bitterness is like a cancer to our spirits. Sometimes the person needing our forgiveness is ourselves. It is possible to hate ourselves. If we don't love ourselves in a healthy way, we will find it difficult to love others.
It all starts with forgiveness. Receiving forgiveness from God for all the wrong things we have done and also forgiveness for the good and kind things that we were meant to do that we did not do.
We also need to forgive people who have wronged us.
Forgiveness brings freedom and healing not only for us but for those around us.
Friday, 24 January 2014
Fear
Fear is so debilitating. It stops us from reaching our potential. It stops us from fulfilling our dreams. It makes us mistrust ourselves and others around us. It brings negative thoughts and destructive behaviours into every situation and relationship. Fear makes us suspicious of other's actions and motives.
The opposite of fear is faith. Faith brings out the best in us. It motivates us to take a chance. We will more likely take a risk and trust ourselves and the people around us.
I know how I would rather live. Even if people I trust let me down or I make an error of judgement, at least I had a go. One of my sayings is, "You have to have a dream if you want your dreams to come true".
It is also no good having dreams if you don't follow your dreams with action. We are often the answer to our own prayers. I am not saying that we are somehow God. No, what I mean is, we pray for something or someone and then we realise that we can actually help that situation.
My choice is to live by faith. Faith in God, who loves me and gave His Son to die for my sins. I choose to believe the best in people around me and forgive them when they fail as I hope and pray that they will forgive me when I fail.
The opposite of fear is faith. Faith brings out the best in us. It motivates us to take a chance. We will more likely take a risk and trust ourselves and the people around us.
I know how I would rather live. Even if people I trust let me down or I make an error of judgement, at least I had a go. One of my sayings is, "You have to have a dream if you want your dreams to come true".
It is also no good having dreams if you don't follow your dreams with action. We are often the answer to our own prayers. I am not saying that we are somehow God. No, what I mean is, we pray for something or someone and then we realise that we can actually help that situation.
My choice is to live by faith. Faith in God, who loves me and gave His Son to die for my sins. I choose to believe the best in people around me and forgive them when they fail as I hope and pray that they will forgive me when I fail.
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