Category: raphaela

I Am Thankful.

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I am thankful on this gorgeous autumn day.

Bristem.
Bristem.
Firstly, for this little fellow. His name is Bristem and I found him at a fete for $3.00 on Saturday! Handmade in Nundle, he is the inventor of new games for the elderly to play in ‘Elador.’ He waits patiently for a friend to come by and see if he enjoyed his new card game. Wouldn’t it be lovely if folks that invented games for our lives had Bristem’s good intent and his friendly features? A girl can dream!

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I am also thankful for tie-dyed doilies. Where have you been all my life?!
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Also, tiny fairy doors, leading to magical portals of splendour. We all need to escape now and then! The news is filled with stories of truth being released from hidden corners; people finally granted the peace which being heard conspires. The survivors of Robert Hughes, and now Parramatta Girls Home… I hope they find a friend like Bristem, devising fun games to take them away from the memories. To have the colour come back to their lives, as bright as my new doily. To have a means of escape as handy as my little fairy door. Most of all, I hope they have a new beginning. I am thankful that they held on. I am thankful for their bravery and stoicism. I adore living in a world with these souls.

My Friend in her Nineties.

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We used to go down to Ashfield Uniting Church each Sunday, a trip that took an hour each way. It was worth the travel, to see our friends and be a part of a wonderful community. A dear little lady, Joan, joined the community, and had a vibrancy about her. Shortly after I discovered I was pregnant, she slipped me a card. It was addressed to “The lady with the long blonde hair, who brings her little dog to church.” Mitzi Winstopple- our miniature schnauzer-adored our Sundays and we made sure he was always a part of it. I opened the card, to read of her delight that I was having a baby. It touched my heart so. Eight years later, Joan is still in contact, and in her late nineties. She still lives independently and is a source of inspiration to me. Her recent letter, “Your daughter is a miracle baby-one that was born despite hardships. You would have enjoyed the Bill Crews Trust Film Festival that was on last month. Very provocative films-social themes to make you think and perhaps change your views.” How wonderful that a woman in her nineties embraces change and loves being challenged! Salt of the earth.

Another dear soul I think of often is Betty. She was in her eighties when we met, and everyone thought I was her granddaughter as we had the same features. She was so excited on hearing I had given birth, that she took two trains and a bus to come visit. She ended up in our town, wandering the streets. A dear couple took her home, fed her, then dropped her into a mutual friend’s store. This lady in turn, locked up her store, and drove Betty around. The joy when she picked my daughter up… It still fills me with overwhelming gratitude, that a dear elderly lady went to such lengths to celebrate my daughter arriving. Bless all the feisty, spirited older ladies. Now and always.

Betty.
Betty.

The perks of brazen gratitude, Part III

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The perks of brazen gratitude, Part III

raphaela99:

I love this for so many reasons. I love that the lady felt grateful for the buckets of love in her life.

Originally posted on pam grout:

“Let gratitude be the pillow upon which you kneel to say your nightly prayer.” ― Maya Angelou

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Being happy and feeling blessed is Step #1 when it comes to manifesting. As I said yesterday, that’s one chicken vs. egg dilemma that will never be in…

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The perks of brazen gratitude, Part III

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I love this for so many reasons. I love that the lady felt grateful for the buckets of love in her life.

psgrout's avatarPam Grout

“Let gratitude be the pillow upon which you kneel to say your nightly prayer.” ― Maya Angelou

IMG_2009

Being happy and feeling blessed is Step #1 when it comes to manifesting. As I said yesterday, that’s one chicken vs. egg dilemma that will never be in question.

Last week, when I was in Kenya, loving the heck out of my awesome career, I got this inspiring email from this amazing light named Madeline McCollom. I was so touched by her story that I asked if I could share. It demonstrates Step #1 in vivid technicolor. Enjoy!!

“In 2004 I gave birth to our second child, a son. Henry was born medically complicated (which I’d learned about at 5 mo. pregnant). He spent his first three years in and out of hospitals and surgeries.

“In a desperate attempt to gain health insurance to cover his expected medical costs, our family got poor…

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The South African Aids Crisis.

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The South African Aids Crisis.

A few years ago, I interviewed Dr Schwarz, an inspirational man.
From 1975-1984, Dr John Schwarz was the medical superintendent of a mission hospital in South Africa. The light radiating from those he tended,the hypnotic pull of burnt sienna sunsets and stars peering through a velvet cloak, saw Dr Schwarz and his family fall in love with the country. He eventually set up a medical practice on the…

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The South African Aids Crisis.

raphaela99Leave a comment

A few years ago, I interviewed Dr Schwarz, an inspirational man.
From 1975-1984, Dr John Schwarz was the medical superintendent of a mission hospital in South Africa. The light radiating from those he tended,the hypnotic pull of burnt sienna sunsets and stars peering through a velvet cloak, saw Dr Schwarz and his family fall in love with the country. He eventually set up a medical practice on the outskirts of Sydney, and made a trek back to South Africa. Dr Schwarz knew of the AIDS crises, but when he and his son’s toured medical centres, the situation made its way into the fibre of his being. The trio documented the indelible trail of grief and anguish they witnessed.
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“In 2002, three million people died and over five million more were diagnosed as being HIV positive. There are now 13 million orphans. Little boys become thieves to survive; little girls, prostitutes.”
When people saw the documentary, they were so moved that money was donated. Dr Schwarz formed the African Aids Foundation as a result of this goodwill. The funds go to God’s Golden Acre, situated in Cato Ridge. Heather Reynolds, a South African nurse, tends to the orphaned children, and assists families when children struggle to provide palliative care.
“Palliative care entails these children feeding, washing and taking care of all the daily requirements of their ailing parents. I went to a home where the kids were cooking their mother a solitary potato. The mother was taken to a mission hospital and given vitamins and proper care. She survived another six months. When she died, Heather Reynolds took her children in. Young adults and babies are those most affected, with young women suffering more than young men, as it is easier for them to contract the disease. The average age of sufferers is between 20-40 years of age. We may feel that this problem doesn’t concern us, but Africa is only an eleven hour flight from Australia. These people are no different to us. The parents and grandparents love their children, just as we love ours.”

At the time of my interview with Dr Schwarz, Heather Reynolds was able to care for around 90 children full-time. God’s Golden Acre assists 1000 children through regular visits, food parcels, clothing and medical care. They dream of expanding their refuges, their paediatric hospice and their skills training programmes. to support the work of the African AIDS Foundation, go to African AIDS Foundation on Facebook, or visit http://www.africanaidsfoundation.org.au

My Daughter.

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Eyes dabbed with cornflower ink,
Sprinkled with Herkimer diamonds.
Curls prepared from sandalwood shavings.
Cherubim cheeks and rosebud mouth.
A dear little girl sent from heaven.
We whisper in a language known only to a mother and child.
Your visage is my inspiration to cope, to work, to live.

Darling girl, who dreams of butterflies and fairies.
Beautiful girl, who plays until the sun grows tired.
Beloved of the heavens and earth.
The angels chorused when you were born,
“This child shall do extraordinary things!”
I can feel it.
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Your spirit radiates like a blazing sun,
It exudes the promise of joy everlasting.
I can’t wait to see the woman you become.
The charming, confident, assured young lady.

#fireSS The Stop Doing List.

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stop-sign-hi

I will stop:
1. The belief that anger is wrong. Righteous indignation feels very good indeed. When starting rehab after my spine was broken, I found feeling pretty ticked off gave me fuel. It has encouraged stoicism, and stubbornness which has helped me immensely. It is okay to be pissed off.

2.Beating myself up. How cruel we are. Wincing when we see a photo of ourselves, comparing our acheivements to others. I have come to the conclusion that other’s accruements have nothing to do with mine. They are two separate entities, so what does it matter what they have amassed, and when? I have my own travel itinerary.

3. Craving approval from outside myself. It has never been useful as a salve from self-doubt and inner longing. I have known people in the public eye, and they can be adored, asked for autographs, and generally told how excellent they are, but it means squat if one doesn’t approve of oneself.

4. Being disengaged. Appalling to be chastised by your child midway through her puppet show for paying more attention to your phone or laptop than her. Multitasking doesn’t work. Its true, that you can do many things all at once, but the attempt is half-arsed for all the endeavours you are undertaking.

5. Having no room for spontaneity. Seeing that calendar groaning from the weight of obligations… No time for reflection, having a cup of tea, a lovely surprise visitor. Not good at all.

6. Being all things to all people. Can’t be done.

7. My silly to-do lists on little scraps of paper, that I rebelliously refuse to read. A list of suggestions in a funky journal-wherein I state what would be delightful to accomplish within a month-is much less antagonistic.

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I can think of many others, but this shall do for now. I have a daughter to pay my full attention to. What are you willing and desperate to stop doing?