Thoughts on changing weather!

¹Everything on earth has its own time and its own season.

Ecclesiastes 3:1 (Contemporary English Version)

There must surely be a collective sigh of relief as, after what seems like a particularly long winter, the daffodils and crocuses are finally peeping through, temperatures are up a bit and sometimes the sun shines!! It’s amazing how all this can lift one’s spirits and put a whole new perspective on life.

Spring is the favourite season of many people. It’s a time of growth, of hope and of excitement as the days get longer. It’s a time of celebration as we look to the resurrection of Jesus on Easter day. It’s tempting to wish it could always be spring.

Yet of course change is inevitable. Spring becomes summer, summer becomes autumn, and autumn becomes winter. Each season is important and brings with it newness of different kinds. As the earth grows and flourishes, rests and dies, so the cycle of life continues.

This is often mirrored in our lives. There are times when we are growing and changing, a springtime not just in physical ways but in emotional and spiritual ways too. Times, when we feel we are growing closer to God, where his word speaks loudly and clearly to us and where we are changed for good.

Summer speaks of joy and contentment, where we relish all we have, when things are calm and good and positive. Life is good. It often much easier to praise God in the summers of our lives.

Autumn perhaps makes us think of drawing on the resources we have. When life perhaps begins to be a bit harder we can stop and recall all that has gone on before, the times of growth and the times of joy. It’s a time to remember and recount the goodness of God. Many people love autumn; the changes of colour, the crispness in the air, the celebration of God’s provision and faithfulness as we celebrate Harvest.

The season of winter in our lives can be very bleak. Winter is perhaps those times of depression and anxiety, the times when we feel far from God and we wonder where he is. Life can be hard and harsh…. and yet spring is coming and a new time of hope and growth and the wonder of God is near again.

In every season of life God promises to be with us. The seasons may be long, they may be short, they may be good, they may be harsh, but nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ who holds all our times in his hands.

Love~

Rachel.

Despite my long gaps between writing entries on this blog, I have actually discovered that I like writing. This has come as a bit of a surprise to me. When I was at school my English teacher used to chastise me on a regular basis because I used to write the number of words I had written in the margin in order that I could stop the dreaded assignment the moment I had written the required number of words.

This does , of course, show immense laziness on my part that I couldn't be bothered to write any more than was absolutely necessary but also a complete lack of engagement with anything I was doing at school. It wasn't only English but maths ( I was just numerate enough to be able to count the words of my English essays), science, history....you get the picture.

So, to discover this enjoyment of writing is a bit like discovering a lovely birthday present some days after the birthday itself. I've also discovered that I'm not bad at writing. Don't get me wrong. I'm not for one moment suggesting that I am in any way in the running for some great literary prize but what joy to realise that I can string a sentence together and even make a paragraph!!!!

Funny how things work out really. I even enjoy studying now...not everything but stuff that interests me now that never did before. For example, I'm doing some stuff on a story from the gospel of Luke, the Prodigal Son, at the moment and I love it. It's that most amazing story, beautifully written, just the right length to keep you interested, 3 fascinating characters and the most unbelievable twist at the end. It is the perfect story. I've been looking at it for quite a while now and still I've not plumbed its depths. I never felt this way about Shakespeare or algebra and most certainly not about hockey!!!

So, I'm off to do more reading and writing and just for the record this blog is 345 words, or there~abouts!

Love,

Rachel.

To quote an oft-used phrase, where has this year gone? In fact, where has this decade gone? When I think back to how we all anticipated the year 2000 and now here we are at the beginning of another decade. It's been a decade of many changes, including becoming the wife of the Vicar that lives here. ( I was his wife before that but you know what I mean....)

This decade has certainly been what can only be described as the busiest decade of my life. Completing our family in 2001 with the twins adding to the other 2 has meant a decade of domesticity at which I do not excel really. Washing, cooking, shopping, cleaning, looking after sick kids, and making sure everyone always gets to where there supposed to be without being too horribly late kinda sums it all up really.

It all sounds incredibly dull to be honest and yet it has been the most satisfying decade of my life. These four beautiful, full on, loud, sociable, exasperating, anxiety-inducing, joy bringing bundles of life have turned my world upside down and brought me more fulfilment than i could ever have imagined.

It's just that I struggle with the practicalities if life sometimes...well, often. I don't understand why the socks never match up or why a hearty meal never seems to fill anyone up for longer than half an hour and why there is always something odd in the fruit bowl ( usually the latest Brownie or Scout badge that I still haven't sewn on) and why, despite years, of trying my children still do not go to bed at a suitable time.

I guess the last decade has taught me that life is never what you expect. Some things don't work out as well as one had hoped but other things are infinitely better than one could ever have believed possible.

I can only testify to the grace of God in my life over the last decade as he has given me strength to cope with changes, stresses, blessings and joys.

So, for this next decade, which isn't going to be any quieter, I shall resign myself to the fact that socks will never match, kids will always be hungry and badges won't be sewn on. I don't think I shall ever sort myself out in the remembering people's birthdays but maybe, with yet more of God's grace in my life I will be able to discern better what are the really important things in life and treasure the blessings and perceive God's hand in all things.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!!!!

Love,

Rachel.

Sunday with a difference.

Have just spent the best part of an hour trying to pimp-up (think that's the right phrase...heaven help me if it's not!!!!) my blog. Bearing in mind that I have no idea how many, if any, people read these ramblings of an increasingly demented and scatty vicar's wife it is hard to know if it is time well spent to be honest.

But today is somewhat different. It is Sunday and not a single Rectory dweller has been to church. Shock, horror. I can hear my staunch protestant paternal grandmother turning in her grave, her false teeth chattering in disgust!

The reason for this is that life at Rectory Towers is not all it could be. My lovely son has had an encounter with swine flu. He was very unwell and now his father, i.e. The Vicar that lives here, has also encountered this beast of an illness. Basically we are all in quarantine. No church, no Sunday club, no nothing.

So, what have we done instead? Well, the Vicar has slept. The lovely son has lounged on the sofa still a bit washed out. The girls, all 3, went out for a run before the rain starts and the Vicar's wife read a paper, pimped up her blog and did some spontaneous housework.

I am in a dilemma though. It was lovely waking up without an alarm. It was lovely having some time to do ....nothing.

However, it just doesn't feel right. I know it's easy to say that as I have been to church virtually every Sunday of my life it's bound not to feel right. But I honestly believe that it goes deeper than that. Meeting with other Christians on Sunday is about much more than just being all together in one place. It's about the body of Christ meeting together with Him, about the togetherness of joining in worship and gathering around the communion table; a bunch of broken, fallen people, in need of each other's encouragement to carry on living in the grace that God so freely bestows on us.

So while it all feels like a bit of a luxury lying in bed and seems like a treat to read the paper I think I'd rather do it on a Saturday. Or better still a Monday!!

Please pray for the Vicar who lives here. Not seen him so rough for years. And just to say there will be some churchy work today. I'm off to sing Christmas carols with 60 Beavers. Random.

With love,

Rachel.

More haste less speed.

Hi everyone,

It's confession time.I have been done for speeding...again. It was a total surprise to me. I am shocked. No way could it possibly have been my fault. I mean , I know I was driving and it was my foot on the gas pedal but honestly m'lud it was an honest mistake by a woman minding her own business and carrying on the usual day to day tasks that life throws at me.

It did get me thinking though, about other misdemeanour's that I have inadvertently committed in my life. Like the time I managed to throw away 6 library books in the recycling box.This may seem a small and insignificant thing but somehow I felt like a criminal of the worst kind... losing one's library books somehow making me feel like a murderer.I ended up having to pay £20 to make amends.

Or the time I sent my sweet children to school with maggots (live) in their lunch boxes. This is true and also humiliating.I bought some cereal bars that no-one liked so I threw them to the back of the cupboard, as you do, in the hopes that one day somebody might eat them at some point. Somehow they ended up in lunch boxes. The girls came home with the bars in a carrier bag with a huge note pinned to it, saying, "Live maggots. Out of date 6 months ago." I was truly mortified.Not one of my greatest mothering moments.

Or what about the time when I was given a cheque for a substantial amount of money from someone and I managed to tear it up and had to grovellingly ask for another one.

Or how about the time when I managed to pick up 2 of my children and leave one behind.

It does seem to me that all these occasions occur when I am rushing, and I always seem to be rushing, as proved by a speeding ticket. It's always easy to think that I can just do one more thing than time allows,to cram more in than is really possible. And when I do that I make mistakes. I drive too fast, I throw things away by accident, things get put into lunch boxes that shouldn't, or torn up or missed.

I don't suppose I'm the only one who does these things. But there must be a lesson in it that goes even beyond "More haste, less speed." The pace of life is just too fast and slowing down and living in the moment must be the way to go. How we do that is another matter entirely and is easier said than done.

In the meantime I'd better find a way of slowing down in the car...hmmm.

Love,

Rachel.

Birthday thoughts.

I have had a birthday. Interestingly it has come exactly a year after my last one and yet somehow I don't feel any older than I did at the last one!

It was a great day. The kids all snuggled up in bed with me and gave me presents and hugs and the Vicar that lives here made sure that it was a festival more than a birthday and he really spoiled me.

I suppose birthdays can really be a time for reflection on what has happened during the last 12 months. Have I achieved anything, am I a better person than I was, have the goals I set for myself been realised, did I even set any goals?

I do find as I get older that my goals are fewer, more easily summed up and are really based on my every day walk with Jesus.My over riding goal, or perhaps desire is a better word, is to reach the place where I can honestly say that Jesus is enough for me, that if I had nothing else he would be sufficient, that to know him completely is my completeness.

I have the most incredible blessings in my life. Amazing children, a faithful and loving husband and wonderful friendships. I live constantly with God's blessings all around me and I am so thankful. But more than his blessing I long to know him better, to hear his voice;to know the Blesser not just the blessings.

With love,

Rachel.

Stirring up a hornet's nest.....

Question:How many house group members does it take to tackle a hornet?????

Answer:Many, plus much screaming, shaking and telephoning from one side of a door to the other.

There are occasions in life when you see people as they really are, when truth will out as people revert to type. Take our house group. We meet weekly. We have become an incredibly close knit group who laugh together, pray together and study together. We are getting to know each other really well and Tuesday evenings are one of the highlights of my week.

Last time we met we had an incident. As we came to the end of our prayer time a low droning noise was heard. We thought the Luftwaffe were on their way in. Not so. The most enormous queen hornet you have ever seen had decided to check out our sitting room with a view to building a nest.

Now, our group is made up of people who hold responsible positions at work. They are people you can turn to in any kind of crisis....except the crisis of a nest-seeking hornet. The police woman left the room so quickly she left a trail of smoke, a former nurse was rooted to the spot and the vicar's wife took immediate action. I shouted loudly for the Vicar that lives here!!!

We shut the Vicar and the head teacher in the sitting room with a plank of wood and a bicycle lamp...obviously! After an hour...yes, an hour of much activity, during which time my brand new lamp shade came a cropper and several pounds were spent phoning each other for updates because we didn't want to open the door, one of my beautiful little girls came up with a cunning plan.

"Daddy," she said, "Why don't you catch it in my pink fishing net??" The child is a genius! Not thirty seconds later said hornet was gone and peace was restored. We put the kettle on, showered the Vicar that lives here and the headteacher with kisses for their bravery but poured praise and admiration on a small girl with more sense than the rest of us put together.

It came back twice, the old hornet. It obviously really liked our chimney but we felt unable to accommodate it. On it's third visit we made it very clear that it was never to return, and it hasn't. Does anyone know how to get hornet guts of the sitting room carpet? Perhaps I need the wisdom of an 8 year old genius again!!

Much love,

Rachel.