Skip to main content

Tuesday thoughts and a reflection for Wednesday.

Sometimes it’s hard to find words to put life into. Not necessarily because life is exceptionally good or bad, because it’s just life. And even if the day-to-day brings many reflections and processes with it, typing them out in a manner that is understandable beyond the author isn’t always as easy as thinking them.

 I love writing, and yet months have passed since updating this blog. A blog I write mostly as a reminder to myself of what my journey these years has looked like; because like most people I am prone to forgetting once something new fills up the space in my immediate memory.

I am sat at my kitchen table. A half-written page of my journal lies next to me, and a vase of wilted tulips stand in front of me. On my wall I have a small selection of photos of loved ones and those I have met on some of my journeys. Faces that bring a smile to my heart.

It’s Tuesday evening and as good a time as any for a short reflection...

Today I was busy wrapping gifts to bring to our women’s evening in the local prison tomorrow. It not being the most demanding task mentally, it gave me ample time to think. I thought about church on Sunday, where I listened to a teenage girl share a bit of what her walk the past year has been about: a journey of “seeing the one”. A journey of being faithful and intentionally seeing and encouraging each one she meets. She shared with such joy and life of how something as small as smiling or wishing someone a good day can make a huge difference. And how it’s available for all of us. It was such a powerful reminder, and something I take with me. I don’t have to try to see the multitudes or masses, but simply be present and available to the person in front of me.

And I thought about what to share at the women’s evening to encourage them in what they are going through. And I remembered a situation in Brazil some years ago. We were organising a women’s lunch, and as we were handing out invitations in the brothels, one of them women said that my hair was so beautiful. I turned to her and said the simple phrase: “You are beautiful!”. Later that day we held the lunch, and many of the women came. It was a beautiful time of really honouring and bringing value and love to them. Towards the end of the lunch, as we were finishing up, I saw the woman I had met earlier, and she called me over. As I came up to her she called out to her friend, and pointing at me exclaimed: “This is the woman who called me beautiful!” It was such a strong reminder of the power of words, and of how a simple phrase, spoken in a matter of seconds, can make a difference that lasts a life-time... if the person chooses to receive it.

And so that is what I want to share with the women tomorrow. That our words can build life, and that it doesn’t take a lot of them to impact someone else’s life But also, that kind words given to us by others can change our lives, and make a difference in our hearts... if we choose to receive them and believe them.

So there you go... a few simple thoughts on a Tuesday evening. A reminder about seeing the one and speaking life- which if lived out can make a huge difference to us and those who cross our path.

Popular posts from this blog

Packing...again.

I just folded the last load of laundry and I’m almost packed. Off to the airport at 5am tomorrow morning, heading off to Amsterdam. I’m excited, a bit nervous, and wondering what it’ll be like. It’s been a good week at home with lots of quality time with family, especially the little nieces and nephew. I’m glad I’ll see them in April again. Well, not much to write and packing to be done and a bit of sleep would probably be a good idea too. Next time I write it’ll be from Amsterdam....
Read more

Single-tasking September: The art of single-tasking.

To change habits and ways of life, the motivation for change has to be strong, and the benefits outweigh the effort it takes to make the change.  For so long it’s seemed like the ability to multitask has been regarded as a great skill, but is it really a good thing? Recovering from burn-out, one of the effects I noticed was that it was harder to concentrate, and especially tricky trying to focus on many things at once. I’d try to multitask, only to realise that all tasks suffered from lack of capacity to complete any one of them. The challenge is that the habit of always doing many things at once goes deep, and when I tried to focus on just one thing, I found that it was actually really difficult.  As I did a little google search on the matter, I found it seems like multitasking isn’t as healthy as once thought, and that it doesn’t help productivity. Some even referred to it as “switch tasking”, in the sense that the brain isn’t doing many things at once, but shifting rapidly...
Read more

Snapshots of life...

Life. What is life anyway? And what does it mean to live life to the full? A little reflection there. One thing I do know is that I am alive and that the days seem to pass by quicker then I would like them to. The month of July has literally flown by... I can’t believe this weekend it’ll already be August. Where did July go? It’s been an eventful month. Last week was my birthday and I felt very loved and valued. Going for a Brazilian BBQ with some friends in a week or so and I am very excited!! I really hope it’s authentic and good, or I think I will most certainly be a tad disappointed. I also got given a car, almost on the day of my birthday. A good friend of mine got given another car and so she gave me her old one. It took a week and a bit for the garage to fix it up and pass it in the inspection, and getting it licensed in my name and getting insurance wasn’t totally straightforward, but I now have it. And it feels so freeing and lovely when I’m driving my own car!!! It’s a golden...
Read more