FRIDAY AGAIN - THE WEEKS JUST MOVE SO FAST

Good Afternoon and welcome to my Friday afternoon - the morning has just flown by and I have no idea where it has gone or what I have achieved.  The sky is cloud filled and the temperature is warm, but it is still a very pleasant summer day.   February can often be our hottest month so days like today are very welcome.

I have had a few quiet days and tidied up a filing cabinet (still more to do) but I have been through the lovely stationery I collect along the way and found that I have enough Christmas stationery to last quite a few years.  I did find some nice paper with little koalas on it and I know exactly what I plan to use that for.

Friday is here already and January already gone - it has been a good  ~ no ~ a great week for me with lots of interesting and exciting things happening for me.

My impending involvement with Transplant Australia is already grabbing my attention and keeping my head buzzing - but several other nice things have happened for me this week too.,  I have received mail both electronic and real mail.   Electronically I received these lovely photographs of my "Transplant Nephew" Tayden who is growing like a mushroom and looking so well.  He is eight months old and doing all the right things. 

Real mail arrived this morning when the postman knocked on my door with a parcel from my cousin in Melbourne and it was a real treasure trove - just lots of little bits and pieces.  Three Christmas tree decorations - (beautifully beaded), a little sewing kit which I shall keep in the glove box of my car, a book mark with the words  "The time you enjoy wasting is not wasted time." and lastly a packed of tea bags so we can have a cup of tea "together"   It was delightful.

This morning I collected from the Post Office a package which contained the newly released book "The True Spirit of Cyclone Yasi" and is a compilation of a nation's reaction and response to the dreadful cyclone of 2011.   A poem I wrote at the time is included in this and I am pleased and proud to be one of the 46 contributors to this book.

The Cover of the book

My profile in the book.

So not only am I published but I am "cover girl" too  - and it is the culmination of many dreams, believing in myself and keeping hope in my heart.

It is delightful to share my joys with you and for me to share your joys too and I do - please know that I celebrate every little milestone and triumph with you and stand with you when because of your hopes and dreams there is sometimes doubt in your heart.   "Keep your eye upon the hedgerow and not upon the thorn."  

Many of you have walked this journey with me over many years and over the time when everything went on hold because I was hardly well enough to keep going and writing was something that just had to be put aside and I am thankful for your continued support.  To those of you who have come later to my writing - blessings to you for your love and support.

The sun is shining in my world both in my heart and literally and I hope that in some form you can have sunshine in your day - literally is lovely - but open your heart to let in the sunshine of music, poetry, friendship, love and life in and cherish all the joy it brings.

For those waiting for something special - I am here to listen and support you.  I have several friends who are in end stage liver disease and desperately need a transplant and for you I pray for calm and peace as you wait until your gift arrives.  To my friends who have, like I have, already had a transplant - cherish the gift that now lives in you and keep your donor spirit alive.  Do the right thing, advocate for organ and tissue donation, and hold in trust your gift.

I am grateful to be well enough to perhaps do a movie with the "Golden Girls" at the weekend - sounds like fun to me.

Thank you for visiting the Musings of My Heart this Friday - love and hugs from a thankful heart.

Linda. 

SATURDAY AND SWIFTLY FLY THE YEARS

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XTwbQlJKY5E&feature=related

Sunrise Sunset - from Fiddler on the Roof.

"Is this the little girl I carried?

Is this the little boy at play?

I don't remember growing older

When - did - they?

When did she get to be a beauty?

When did he grow to be so tall?

Wasn't it yesterday when they - were - small? 

Sunrise, sunset, Sunrise, sunset

Swiftly flow the days

Seedlings turn overnight to sunflowers

Blossoming even as we gaze

Sunrise, sunset, Sunrise, sunset

Swiftly fly the years

One season following another

Laden with happiness and tears"

Good Morning and welcome to Adelaide and a strange spring morning - heavy cloud and heavy rain and five minutes later the sun is beaming brightly - the weather held off very well for our birthday bash for Rebecca and all went beautifully.   She loved her gifts and the food was great.  Lots of it and lovely salads and cake.   We were able to sit outside and enjoy fragrant candles until a huge rat ran across the top of the fence and sent me scuttling inside.  I was quickly followed by the whole group and the outside part of the evening was abandoned.


As always it was lovely to hear them all together and see their smiles and care for each other - my little girl was very spoiled with beautiful gifts, nice wine and a family who love her very much.


Conversation was good and it was interesting to hear them discuss their travel plans - Rebecca and Nick off to Europe in April for 'FLORIADE' in Holland and then on to England and Naomi and Alexis off to U.S.A. also in April with plans to visit New York, Washington, Boston and L.A.   All plans are in the infant stage so it will be great to watch them flourish and bloom into realities.  They will all be away at approximately the same time - so that means for me only one period of worry not two.  


I wish them all well and look forward to photographs, souvenirs and traveler's tales upon their return.
They will all be away for Easter and also for Naomi's birthday, but life is busy for all of them in the meantime.  Alexis flies to Tasmania today and Naomi is working.


Yesterday, through her work Naomi hosted a "Yarn while you Yarn" session of the Women Leaders of some of our Indigenous Australian people and thoroughly enjoyed learning from these wonderful women.  They talked of life, their traditions and culture and Naomi certainly felt the love.   They wove bracelets and shared indigenous foods.


Alexis brought home two "house guests" for the weekend (two insects - relative to her job at the Museum) and of course as she is off to Tasmania - Naomi is the care giver for these little creatures until she gets home.


Their interests are diverse and very beautiful - they seem to find a common ground and enjoy each other's company - and I take delight in being with them all.  There was laughter and music and at times we got very loud. :)


The phrase at the beginning of this post is so true - and am blessed to have given birth to two daughters.


Among the gifts Rebecca received was this selection of earrings I had made for her.

She will enjoy road side service with the RAA because of her gift membership and her Gardening Australia magazine will arrive monthly.  Other gardening gifts included watering can, gardening gloves and the Scarlet Runner bean seeds she asked for.  Beautiful pearl earrings in a lovely trinket box and special kitchen things in a lovely rust colour. I also took the opportunity of her to give her a green glass dressing table set which had belonged to my grandmother - something that has gone down the line to the eldest daughter and she loved it.


I have become 'Transplant Aunt" to this beautiful little boy who will need at some stage a liver transplant because of Billiary Artesia - introducing Tayden.

I hope I can be a support and encouragement to his Mother because the days will be difficult for her.


Back now - later than I planned - I have just had a phone call from a friend advising of the death of her husband yesterday - Geoff died in hospital in the early hours of yesterday morning.  Gwen and I chatted a while about the times we spent and the days now gone.  Vale Geoffrey Lawrence.


In the midst of happy times there are always sad times and days of sunshine and shadows - and into each life some rain must fall.


Thank you for visiting and reading "The Musings from My Heart" - a heart filled with mixed emotions today, but a heart filled with acceptance too, that these are the things that happen on our journey.


Love and hugs,
Linda.