22 April 2011

You Gave your life in a Beautiful Exchange.

You were near
Though I was distant
Disillusioned, I was lost and insecure

Still mercy fought
For my attention
You were waiting at the door
Then I let You in

Trading your life
For my offenses
For my redemption, You carried all the blame

Breaking the curse
Of our condition
Perfection took our place

When only love could make a way
You gave Your life in a beautiful exchange

My burden erased
My life forgiven
There is nothing that could take this love away

My only desire
And sole ambition
Is to love You just the same

When only love could make a way
You gave Your life in a beautiful exchange
When only love could break these chains
You gave Your life in a beautiful exchange

Holy are You, God
Holy is Your name
With everything I've got
My heart will sing how I love You
--

19 April 2011

So I have pretty much pulled an all nighter tonight to finish up stuff for the auditors. Urgh why do I do this to myself!

But all is well and after I get a couple of hours sleep I will only have 18 more sleeps and we will be off to Zurich.

We went to the Italian Embassy today and paid for our visa which will be ready for collection on Friday.

I am so grateful to God for the warmth of His smile that I feel on my life right now.

13 April 2011

24 sleeps and I will be flying off to The Meditterean for ten days of R & R. I am so looking forward to just being with the love of my life and relaxing.

In almost 21 years of marriage we have never been away together without our beautiful children, but in the words of the World Cup 2010~ KENAKO~ IT IS TIME!!!!!!!

I love my children more than life itself but soon my nest will be empty and its my dear Andre that I am going to be left with to spend the rest of my days with I better make sure I cherish him and he me so that we can look forward to an awesome next 21 years.

12 April 2011

So yesterday I received the email confirmation of our flights. Oh my word Andre and I are beyond excited. We fly to Zurich and then get a connecting flight to Barcelona giving us a few hours in Switzerland. ...Can you see me grinning as I type this.

I sit here lost for words as I contemplate this little holiday ahead of us. The ten days is going to whizz by but we have had so much fun researching and thinking about it that it has almost felt like we are on holiday already. Flying back we again go from Rome to Zurich and then Zurich to OR Tambo.

Gosh blessings are such wonderful things, lots of you have said we deserve this. Honest its a reminder of my faith, actually I deserve nothing, I am sinful and deserved God's wrath, but Christ gave His life in my place, it is because of His grace that I live such a full and awsesome life. I did no work for this my dear sweet hubby reached his target at work and I get to go because I am his wife.

8 April 2011

These are the children in our close circle of friends, with whom we socialize with often. I love the holidays with the children we have so much fun togther and everyone is so relaxed. I never tire of hearing the laughter of children it refreshes the soul. Whenever we are all together there are usually at least 10 children altogether sometimes 13 and sometimes more if friends and cousins join in. A cake is not big enough anymore we need three. Dessert for adults usually rare unless we get in before the ravaging teens and pre teens. Its always noisy but I love that noise I never want it to be silent what fun we will have when grandchildren come along in about ten years from now.

How full and beautiful our lives are God I am truly grateful for making our quivers so full!

1 April 2011

And so we enter the fourth month of 2011. 36 Days friends and my better half and I head off to 10 days of blissful Mediteranean romping.

Pinch me pinch me pinch me!!!!!!!

I met a guy the other day who gave me details for factory shopping in Milan. SO if we have the time when we are in Portifino I will be making the trip to purchase some goodies. Its good to know that even in Italy one can purchase expensive goods at cost. Actually let me correct myself this is one place where I will make the time....Italian shoes Italian designs at cost....sigh 41 sleeps till I am in Portofino!!!!!! Portofino People....its going to be a feast for the eyes.

For those of us who are privileged to raise offspring I learnt something amazing this week at my Beth Moore group. We are looking at the story of Jacob and Esau. Isaac their father was old and dying and he called for his sons so he could transfer his blessing onto their lives. A lady in our group spoke about how in Jewish tradition it is like a normal everyday thing to speak blessing over your children, she challenged us to try it. When your kids leave for school tell them that you pray their day would be eventful that you send them on their way with your blessing. Pray over them and their lives as they sleep.

I remember when my kids were babies how I used to sing over them beautiful lallabyes proclaiming blessing praying for their future, their spouses one day. What path they will choose.... when Jesse is sick or scared he still calls me to sing these soothing songs which he remembers brought him comfort.

I challenge you who are reading this blog ~ lets go back to ancient ways and speak in hymns and psalms and speak blessing over our children, and our husbands as they venture off to work. Even those who do not have offspring speak life and blessing over people you meet.... I think we could change our lives and our world if we seasoned our words with salt!

Have a FANTASTIC FRIDAY and do not be dooped by April fools jokes!

31 March 2011

Meeting with friends you have known for over 20 years always refreshes the soul!!! How awesome it was to fetch my friend Robyn from Cape Town International this afternoon. Good friends are so much like red wine they get better with age.

Robyn and I have a history ..... in our early twenties we were young and wild and free and were not your average young girls ~ we were radicals and were kicked out of Warm baths a very "verkampte town" at the time because we were caught playing cards in the holiday flat we had rented for the weekend with 2 coloured guys(one who is now my husband)our friend Avril and our Indian friend Cecil. We were determined to go to the Wits law Soceity, we were going to take this all the way to the High Court. Determined to stand for what is just. However we were advised against this as it would first need to go to the Magistrate's court in Warmbaths and really at that time we would have stood zero chance of being heard. This however was our first real bonding experience and always makes us laugh but at the time we were outraged could not understand the mentality of the individuals who had abused our friends.

We have changed and grown through the years but essentailly the authenticity of our friendship remains the same.

Robyn is an amazing woman who loves drinking red wine and engaging in deep and valuable conversation. When Rob leaves you know you have been heard.