 how to look after a newborn as well our mental trauma from medical complications and the utter sadness of losing my mum.
To say the first year and a half of Mason's life was like living in a goldfish bowl is an understatement. Our lives were planned out with military precision, I had planners everywhere with who was picking him up from nursery and dropping him off, to what time a friend or family member was able to watch Mason. It was no life, we hardly saw each other and relied on begging, borrowing and stealing time and favours to help with looking after Mason. Darren and I want to personally thank again those few people we could rely on for having Mason xx We love you forever!!!
This crazy existence couldn't continue....
One day I was having a sports massage in the most beautiful old building (as tattooing your lovely faces everyday can take its toll on my neck and shoulders...oh and I love a nice pamper) and heard loads of noise above me so of course nosey me wanted to know what was going on....so I went upstairs uninvited (oops) and as soon as I saw the space I felt an instant calm, an instant OMG this is my zen space, this is me!...This is a bloody building site!!! Well thats what Darren said when I sneaked him in for a quick peek!!!
Safe to say it took a year to compete and there are still things that need finishing off now, but the salon is our happy place. Darren quit retail whilst the work was being done to look after Mason and our lives suddenly got easier. Yes you can worry about finances, yes you can worry about the future but nothing really bothered me anymore as I knew this was the right decision for our family.
I worked even harder and saved like to mad to afford the renovation and all the things I would need for a new salon (no-one told me how expensive towels were going to be!!!!!) Fast forward a few months and our clients are experiencing for themselves the zen like feeling I first felt when I entered the dust filled building site.
Darren is really enjoying his Elemis facials and I am loving tattooing in my very own space. I still travel and hold clinic days other salons around the country and love the work life balance we now have.
For those of you that might be stressed, mentally and physically tired please make time for yourself, we have ONE life and it is so important to look after yourself, otherwise you will burn out. I know it is easier said than done and I'm the worst at looking after myself as we are always putting others first.
So turning 40 I promised myself and my mum I would start to look after myself and smile again.
You can do anything, be anything and achieve anything is my new motto.
Thank you for reading my little story have an amazing summer, go lay in the grass and listen to the birds even if it is for 2 minutes, I promise you'll feel better, or take a glass of vino and sit in the garden.
* **Know your group before you start.** Not everyone enjoys the same thing. Getting on the same page about how you are going to play and what you are going to play prevents a lot of disagreements and infighting at the time of play. If you think someone doesn't fit, respectfully refuse them for that group. Have a session 0. Regularly evaluate if everyone is having fun.
* **Everyone should have fun.** That means the players have fun, but you, the DM, should also have fun. This is A GAME!
* **Communication is key.** If something happens at the table, or if anyone is not having fun, talk about it. Don't just complain, ask for solutions and bring a proposal. Come to an agreement. Move on.Spiritually, Jesus is superior to everything and everyone. All that he did in the Gospels revealed that salient fact–whether he was healing the sick, walking on water, or teaching the Sermon on the Mount, he had total command. An authority soaked all that he did, just like water saturates a sponge.
The Greek word to “teach” (didaskō) in the NT; it means “give instruction, impart doctrine, to explain.” Jesus’ teaching was a marvel, he explained God’s kingdom to us crisply, succinctly and precisely. All we need to understand was freely given to us in the red letters. Everything necessary to us was taught with confidence and freedom.
Since Jesus perfectly combined the two words, both teaching and authority, he was able to dictate to us everything we need, everything we must have, in straightforward terms. This can’t be stressed enough, the scripture we read–when ignited with the Holy Spirit, seems to be the only thing that can change the human heart.
The preceding verses in this passage reveal the setting for this statement.
Jesus stays out of Jerusalem because of the murderous hatred of Pharisees.
There was a deep concern by his family who doubted Jesus’ timing and direction.
The origin of his teaching was questioned. He was speaking with the authority of the Messiah. Jesus completely understood the true source of his teaching.
There was the general consensus of the people. Many were finally arriving at a decision in favor about him. Many would reject him.
We have never seen anyone of his impressive caliber, and we can only imagine the impact he was having on everyone he met. Under the Spirit’s direction, his disciples would retain all that Jesus did and taught. (The author of this passage was the Apostle John, and when you read his letters to us, we see that his memories were quite vivid).
His authority soaked all that he did, just like water saturates a sponge.
So what do we do now? What kind of “lordship” does he have over us? First of all, we learn (slowly) that we MUST teach ourselves to submit to our lord, constantly. He carries the authority we need, the authority human beings require. The Holy Spirit knows exactly how to pierce our pride and independence. Our teacher, comforter (and coach) understands us perfectly.
Red Bluff
My friend Chandler and I took advantage of the beautiful weather this "winter" and explored one of Mississippi's hidden treasures: Red Bluff. Standing at the edge of this canyon makes you forget you are in Mississippi. The gorge is over 150 feet deep, half a mile wide and almost a mile long - you have to hike down into it to really explore. We hauled our camera gear down and had a blast exploring all the cracks and crevices. If you ever find yourself in Mississippi, visiting this place is a must!
This is a story of a young man of 14 years and his sister. His Name Is Danny and his sister’s name is Lizbeth. I first met these two when Danny was eight and his sister was six. They were two of my first students in the small English school we had started in downtown Salasaka.
Now six years later Lizbeth is in the colegio (Jr. High school), and still comes for English lessons three times a week in our library. Last week, Lizbeth came for a lesson and when we had finished, she sheepishly brought out three tickets that she was supposed to sell by Friday. The tickets were for a concert that was being sponsored by her school. I did not want to buy the tickets as the last thing I wanted to do on Saturday night was to sit in the cold for a couple of hours listening to music that was way out of my comfort zone. She pleaded as 12 year olds can do and to sweeten the pot she said she would bring me the biggest bag of capolis that I could imagine. I bought the tickets and gave them to some volunteers who thought it was the great.
On Wednesday of this week Lizbeth stopped by the library, to tell me she was off to pick capolis. Ten minutes later she returned and told me her mother wanted me to see me. We walked the short distance to where I found her mother sitting on the ground, under a giant capoli tree with Danny laying in her arms. With a sad smile on her face, she told me that Danny was high in the capoli tree picking berries for her and me when the branch broke and he fell, (about 30 feet), and almost landed on the cow. If it had not been for the fact that the cultivated soil was soft, I am sure he would have been killed.
When I asked how long ago it had happened she told me about a half hour and was just waiting for Lizbeth to arrive. I told her we had to get him to a hospital quickly because he was shaking and she said she had no money…I left and found my neighbor who had a truck and in fifteen minutes Danny was in the emergency room at the hospital in Pelileo. I gave her $40 and told her when she needed more to let me know.
Today I saw his mother on the street and she told me he has a neck brace and had broken some bones close to his neck. The doctors told her that since he is only 14, he should heal rapidly. I asked her if she needed any help and she smiled and said no…I said how about the bills? She said he needed to set some more x-rays next week to be sure the bones are healing in place….I looked at her and told her not to worry. And she smiled. This story could have had a very different ending.
Danny is Fabiola’s nephew. All of the past volunteers who have been here, I am sure remember Fabiola.
Because of this experience, I have decided to start a small fund which can be used when a family has no money set aside for emergencies