THOUGHTFUL THURSDAY...

THOUGHTFUL THURSDAY...

Tomorrow I am off to the specialist for a wonderful day of prodding and poking and I am pretty sure there will be some needle pricking too..

If you are so inclined, please pray that my condition and specifically my lungs show improvement.

Thank you

"Certain thoughts are prayers.  There are moments when, whatever be the attitude of the body, the soul is on its knees." Victor Hugo

THOUGHTFUL THURSDAY...

THOUGHTFUL THURSDAY...

THOUGHTFUL THURSDAY...

I am going through some stuff and this my screensaver to remind me that I will get through...

THOUGHTFUL THURSDAY...

THOUGHTFUL THURSDAY...

THURSDAY WORDS...

HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY...

“The New Colossus” by Emma Lazarus

Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,

With conquering limbs astride from land to land;

Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand

A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame

Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name Mother of Exiles.

From her beacon-hand

Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command

The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.

“"Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!"” cries she

With silent lips. “Give me your tired, your poor,

Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,

The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.

Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,

I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”

THOUGHTFUL THURSDAY...

THOUGHTFUL THURSDAY...

THOUGHTFUL THURSDAY...

Because this is what I am struggling with....

THOUGHTFUL THURSDAY...

THOUGHTFUL THURSDAY...

I know I have been posting very sporadically recently but I tell you what this work thing keeps on getting in the way and then there is all the planning for Egypt.

To bring you all up to date: On Saturday morning a friend of mine went to the postal service hub in Johannesburg and with a lot of bribes was able to get his hands on Megan's passport and travel documents.  I then went to the embassy on Monday to hand in our visa applications.  Now, I am not new to visa applications and have had some weird experiences but this took the cake.

They don't let you into the embassy.  You stand on the street corner like a common prostitute and when it is finally your turn you speak to a women through a mail slot in the wall.  It is all very bizarre!!  They don't go through the documents with you to check that you have completed the forms correctly or that you have added all the supporting documents required.  You hand her your documents and passport through the mail slot and she throws a piece of paper at you with a reference number, time and date on it.  This paper is then what you must hand back (through the mail slot) when you arrive on the date and time stipulated to collect your documents.  Of course you won't know if there was a problem with the application until you arrive back at the said time.

So on Monday at 15:30 we will know whether we will be getting on a plane on Saturday.

Have a wonderful Thursday everyone. 

THOUGHTFUL THURSDAY...

So the postal strike continues to hold Megan's travel documents "hostage".  This is becoming a very serious situation.  If I have to cancel the trip I loose all the money I have paid and I have paid the trip in full.  If we have to postpone then it can cost me up to half the original cost of the trip which I just cant cover and if someone else was to go with me then there would be costs not to mention the heartache for Meg.  

We tried to obtain a new passport for her but since she has now turned 16 she needs a full passport and that requires a South African Identity document.  The first step in obtaining the ID book is finger print verification and this can take up to two weeks and then they will only start processing the application for the ID and then only the passport....wait time about 5 weeks.  We don't have that kind of time.

And if all this is not bad enough I have been experiencing a little back pain over the last couple of weeks, then over the weekend my left thigh was numb and then started to tingle.  Since then it has happened several times so I went to see a physiotherapist yesterday.  Turns out that my pelvic bone has shifted.  Although, they tried different manipulation and treatment methods they could not get the bone to slip back.  Apparently I carry all my stress in my lower back and my muscles are in such spasms that I now need to go on meds, do a whole bunch of strange exercises and sleep on my back (very very painful and I don't sleep on my back but on my tummy).  Hopefully but the time I see the physio on Monday they will be able to slip the bone back into the correct position.

Honestly, I feel like I am under siege and I am really struggling to keep the faith and remain positive.

If you have a moment spare a prayer for me please.  Here is your Thursday thought:

THOUGHTFUL THURSDAY...

THOUGHTFUL THURSDAY...

With 19 days to Christmas and just 25 days to the New Year, it is not a bad time to sit back pause and reflect...

An Angel says, 'Never borrow from the future. If you worry about what may happen tomorrow and it doesn't happen, you have worried in vain. Even if it does happen, you have to worry twice.'

1. Pray

2. Go to bed on time.

3. Get up on time so you can start the day unrushed.

4. Say No to projects that won't fit into your time schedule, or that 

will compromise your mental health.

5. Delegate tasks to capable others.

6. Simplify and unclutter your life.

7. Less is more. (Although one is often not enough, two are often too many.)

8. Allow extra time to do things and to get to places.

9. Pace yourself. Spread out big changes and difficult projects over time; don't lump the hard things all together.

10. Take one day at a time.

11. Separate worries from concerns . If a situation is a concern, find out what God would have you do and let go of the anxiety . If you can't do anything about a situation, forget it.

12. Live within your budget; don't use credit cards for ordinary purchases.

13. Have backups; an extra car key in your wallet, an extra house key buried in the garden, extra stamps, etc.

14. K.M.S. (Keep Mouth Shut). This single piece of advice can prevent an enormous amount of trouble.

15. Do something for the Kid in You everyday.

16. Carry a Bible with you to read while waiting in line.

17. Get enough rest.

18. Eat right.

19 Get organized so everything has its place.

20. Listen to a tape while driving that can help improve your quality of life.

21. Write down thoughts and inspirations.

22. Every day, find time to be alone.

23. Having problems? Talk to God on the spot. Try to nip small problems in the bud. Don't wait until it's time to go to bed to try and pray..

24. Make friends with Godly people.

25. Keep a folder of favorite scriptures on hand.

26. Remember that the shortest bridge between despair and hope is often a good 'Thank you Jesus .'

27. Laugh.

28. Laugh some more!

29 Take your work seriously, but not yourself at all.

30. Develop a forgiving attitude (most people are doing the best they can).

31. Be kind to unkind people (they probably need it the most).

32. Sit on your ego.

33 Talk less; listen more.

34. Slow down.

35. Remind yourself that you are not the general manager of the universe.

36 Every night before bed, think of one thing you're grateful for that you've never been grateful for before. 

THOUGHTFUL THURSDAY...

Day twenty nine:  I am so thankful that I have been able to spoil my mom and her sisters in a small way over the past couple of days.  It really is the small things like a chocolate with coffee while laughing, taking them all out to lunch and seeing their eyes pop out of their heads at the portion sizes and sitting at their feet with a glass of wine and listening to them tell tales from their childhood....these are the moments that count.

My mom and three of her sisters

Just one of the portions of  food...this was pork chops!!

Remember: life is not measured by the number of breaths you take but by the moments that take your breath away!!  And with that your Thoughtful Thursday quote...

THANKSGIVING ON THOUGHTFUL THURSDAY...

Day Twenty Two:  Today being Thanksgiving in America, I am thankful that we are given the opportunity to give thanks for all our blessing not just on a special holiday but everyday.

To all my American loved ones (both family and friends) Happy Thanksgiving. May today be a day filled with love and blessings....and turkey stuffing with cranberry sauce and pumpkin pie!!

THOUGHTFUL THURSDAY...

Day Fifteen:  I am thankful for words and people who string them together and grow them to become thoughts, quotes and words of wisdom. More often than not their words express what I cannot...

PS...Today I am also grateful that it is PAYDAY!!!!!! For some reason this was an extra loooooooooooooooong month!!!