Wednesday, October 31, 2012
Look who's talking ....
Peter and I couldn't stop laughing last night when out of the blue Reuben chirped:
"I want a bunch of girls in a hot tub!"
We don't have the foggiest idea where that comes from but what scares me even more is the fact that he actually knows what a hot tub is. When asked he described it as a small swimming pool with hot water. When his dad wanted to know why he answered: "Because I like girls. But I must be the only boy with lots of girls!" He is only 4 - go figure!
Quote for the day....
"The one who is meant for you encourages you to be your best but still loves and accepts you at your worst."
#PSTweetOfTheDay @PigSpotter on Twitter
Tuesday, October 30, 2012
Quote for the day ...
"God specializes in miracles. The bigger the impossiblility, the greater the miracle!"
@angusbuchan on Twitter
Yesterday after deciding to use this quote I received the following story in an e-mail. It was just too much of a coincidence not to share:
This
is a story written by a doctor who worked in Africa.
One night I had worked hard to help a mother in the labor ward; but in spite of all we could do, she died, leaving us with a tiny, premature baby and a crying two-year-old daughter. We would have difficulty keeping the baby alive; as we had no incubator (we had no electricity to run an incubator).
We also had no special feeding facilities.
Although we lived on the equator, nights were often chilly with treacherous drafts. One student midwife went for the box we had for such babies and the cotton wool that the baby would be wrapped in.
Another went to stoke up the fire and fill a hot water bottle. She came back shortly in distress to tell me that in filling the bottle, it had burst (rubber perishes easily in tropical climates)..
'And it is our last hot water bottle!' she exclaimed. As in the West, it is no good crying over spilled milk, so in Central Africa it might be considered no good crying over burst water bottles. They do not grow on trees, and there are no drugstores down forest pathways.
'All right,' I said, 'put the baby as near the fire as you safely can, and sleep between the baby and the door to keep it free from drafts Your job is to keep the baby warm.'
The following noon, as I did most days, I went to have prayers with any of the orphanage children who chose to gather with me. I gave the youngsters various suggestions of things to pray about and told them about the tiny baby. I explained our problem about keeping the baby warm enough, mentioning the hot water bottle, and that the baby could so easily die if it got chills. I also told them of the two-year-old sister, crying because her mother had died.
During prayer time, one ten -year-old girl, Ruth, prayed with the usual blunt conciseness of our African children. 'Please, God' she prayed, 'Send us a hot water bottle today It'll be no good tomorrow, God, as the baby will be dead, so please send it this afternoon.'
While I gasped inwardly at the audacity of the prayer, she added, 'And while You are about it, would You please send a dolly for the little girl so she'll know You really love her?'
As often with children's prayers, I was put on the spot. Could I honestly say 'Amen?' I just did not believe that God could do this.
Oh, yes, I know that He can do everything; the Bible says so. But there are limits, aren't there? The only way God could answer this particular prayer would be by sending me a parcel from the homeland. I had been in Africa for almost four years at that time, and I had never, ever, received a parcel from home.
Anyway, if anyone did send me a parcel, who would put in a hot water bottle? I lived on the equator!
Halfway through the afternoon, while I was teaching in the nurses' training school, a message was sent that there was a car at my front door. By the time I reached home, the car had gone, but there on the verandah was a large 22-pound parcel. I felt tears pricking my eyes. I could not open the parcel alone, so I sent for the orphanage children.. Together we pulled off the string, carefully undoing each knot. We folded the paper, taking care not to tear it unduly Excitement was mounting. Some thirty or forty pairs of eyes were focused on the large cardboard box. From the top, I lifted out brightly-colored, knitted jerseys. Eyes sparkled as I gave them out. Then there were the knitted bandages for the leprosy patients, and the children looked a little bored.. Then came a box of mixed raisins and sultanas - that would make a batch of buns for the weekend.
Then, as I put my hand in again, I felt the.....could it really be? I grasped it and pulled it out. Yes, a brand new, rubber hot water bottle. I cried. I had not asked God to send it; I had not truly believed that He could.
Ruth was in the front row of the children. She rushed forward, crying out, 'If God has sent the bottle, He must have sent the dolly, too!'
Rummaging down to the bottom of the box, she pulled out the small, beautifully-dressed dolly. Her eyes shone! She had never doubted!
Looking up at me, she asked, 'Can I go over with you and give this dolly to that little girl, so she'll know that Jesus really loves her?'
'Of course,' I replied!
That parcel had been on the way for five whole months, packed up by my former Sunday school class, whose leader had heard and obeyed God's prompting to send a hot water bottle, even to the equator.
And one of the girls had put in a dolly for an African child - five months before, in answer to the believing prayer of a ten-year-old to bring it 'that afternoon.'
Monday, October 29, 2012
Quote of the day ....
"Stop thinking too much, it's alright not to know all the answers."
is an acronym for Zoology, Ontology (the branch of metaphysics that deals with the nature of being), Ontogeny (the development of an individual organism, usually from a simple form to a more complex form), and Botany.
Sunday, October 28, 2012
Lavender reflection
Thankfully the visit to Plantland seems to have jolted me out of my funk and I managed to take some amazing shots before the rain chased us home. I loved this little artificial rock pool and the way the lavender plants next to it reflected in the water.
Jos at Plantland
The same lady who painted Reuben's face also painted the bird from Jos's t-shirt on his arm. Very clever! (I suppose that is what you do when you feel you are getting to grown up to have your face painted!!)
Spiderman
This afternoon Peter and I went to Plantland to have some coffee and to give me a chance to find some inspiration for my 365 Day Photo Project. On their way back Ouma and the boys joined us. Reuben had had his face painted at Brightwater Commons and was a very cute little Spiderman. As usual he was very happy to pose and flirt with the camera.The woman who painted his face had done an awesome job and the detail was incredible. Look at the spider painted on his forehead!
Once we got home he insisted on donning his Spiderman suit (which by the way is becoming a bit tight) and posing for more photos. He was not a very cooperative subject running and jumping and climbing making it virtually impossible to focus my camera. Not very conducive to great shots. Still cute none the less. (The spider on his forehead got all smudged when he dressed up.)
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