GRATEFUL OR NOT

How many times have we thought about what we don't have rather than what we do have? Perhaps, you may think why should I be grateful when my life sucks or when things do not go my way? Consider that the Jews in concentration camps under Hitler who survived, who were not killed outright. Were they grateful that they were not killed, suffered, beaten bruised, yet survived.

We live in a country truly rich in its offerings and let's face it, we are free. We have so many liberties we can easily overlook and take for granted. Perhaps it is time to take stock in how fortunate we are to live in the land of the free.

We have food on our table, whether it is welfare, friends, our church, we have resources which will keep our children from starving. What if we lived in a hostile land where there are no options?

 Although some may be without medical-aid, yet there are hospitals. I hear you those conditions are appalling, but we have them. Unlike some countries where you are just left to die, perhaps even alone!

We have so much to be grateful for. Count your blessing

Picture resource: triloquist.net: 

Yes I am grateful for this . uist.nettriloquist.net

 

MIRACLE'S ARE STILL ALIVE!

This Saturday pass I had a visit from my cousin who has just had a baby. Maybe you are asking yourself what is so special about her. Well four years ago in her second year at college, she contracted meningitis which turned into lupus that eventually caused her to go blind.

She has had a difficult tuff couple of years, but not all has been gloom. Her love of her life decided that this was his soulmate and he married her.

Medicine became a part of her daily routine that she could not do without. Last year December she took stock of her medicine, did research and decided that healthy living could give her a second chance in life.

 So a new chapter his life began. She fell pregnant, but the doctors were not happy with the pregnancy.

She had a miraculous nine months, no nausea; she had no side-effects during this entire period. Finally she gave birth to a healthy girl baby. This baby is such a joy and gave me such renewed gratitude for life.

Can I mourn of what I don’t have, when I have so much .  

Picture resource: Keith Edwards

Roslyn far left with her husband Llewelyn and baby Skylar

YOU HAVE TODAY !

Decide to be happy today, to live with what
is yours - you’re family, your business, your job.

If you can't have what you like, maybe you can like what you have.

Just for today be kind, cheerful, agreeable,
responsive, caring, and understanding.
Be your best, dress your best, talk softly, look
for the bright side of things.

Praise people for
what they do and don't criticize them for what they cannot do.

I f someone does something stupid, forgive
and forget.

After all, it's just for one day.

W ho knows, THE DAY MAY HAVE WONDERFUL REWARDS

 

Picture Resource: houston.aiga.com

DIARY ENTRY

As I was walking home tonight, I was confronted with myself, my issues and things that I struggle with. With some of these issues facing me, I thought can I change?

I am so tired of trying; I think that I have come to the end of me. My self-efforts have left me like a wave, back and forth. So where to from here I ask myself? Is this introspection a good thing?

 

I am not sure, but I have been introduced to a new understanding of what Grace is. I am navigating my way, hoping to find the WAY.

 

Searching to find purpose can be a tiring process and yes difficult.

 So here I am ...

 

I have to give to this world and I want to make that deposit.

 

Picture resource: upandrunning.bplans.com

 

HoW PeOpLe ChAnGe - WATCHING THE SPACE

From an embryo to a baby to a toddler, people change. People change all the time, like a little boy who dreams of flying around the world, to actually flying a round the world while having a successful career. When people grow up their way of thinking change, like when they are little they think that the opposite sex is so irritating, but when they grow up they want to have the opposite sex around then all the time. When loved ones die, people change, they might have more responsibility or change their way of life.

As people grow up, they goals and dreams change, like wanting to be a ballerina, to wanting to be a doctor. Instead of wearing little pink dresses their whole life, people’s way of dressing change. A person’s style usually changes their personality too, like from being a little boy who loves to play outside, to a computer nerd who loves music and dresses like a dweeb, or from an A grade student to a punk-rock-hippie who spreads peace and love in the world.

A wild stripper might change when she gets pregnant. She will stay at home and love her baby, raising him right. An innocent little boy who dreamed of becoming a famous basketball player can give up on trying and become a drug dealer by day and a pimp by night. Peoples moods change everyday, they might be happy one moment and sad the next, because of circumstances.

When people become deaf or blind, it changes them forever, it might not change their personality but ut does change them. Serious diseases change people, like if you have cancer and have to go for chemo, you lose your hair. You never know how something so small like hair can change you, only when you lose it, will you discover how much it meant. Religion, what they value and what they believe in change, like from being a child who believes in whatever authority tells them to do, to one day having different values.

\When a woman or girl becomes pregnant their bodies change completely. From being skinny all their live to having thirty-kilos of weight added on. When people get married they change, because they have to compromise and change some of their ways. They can’t go out every weekend anymore, and they can’t live like they want to anymore. There are still many more reasons to mention why people change than what I’ve mentioned, but the reality is that as people we are constantly changing.

Change can however be either good or bad.

Written by Stephanie Edwards, truly inspirational

Picture resource: topnews.in

MOMENTS ARE CREATED

This weekend past, I co-ordinated a wedding with a twist. It was very special as the couple has no mothers. I felt that it had to be special.

 

We started a few months ago with the planning and time was a precious commodity. It was truly a wedding to remember. The ceremony was held at the Naval Museum in Simon's Town. What an atmosphere, to be surrounded by history and art.

 

The ceremony was inspirational and to the point, lasting only 45 minutes including the vows. I almost forgot in to mention that the bride arrived at the church before the groom. She had to wait in the car, while he was on his way. 

 

 

 

Tea was served in the museum, guests mingled and went on guided tours while havinga bite and then deciding where they wanted to create "their" moment with the couple. I thought this was unique as each family, friend or colleague decided where to take their picture.

 

We went down to Boulders, while guests were told about penguins and its heritage that we need to leave. In the moments pictures were taken.

 We then headed off to Simon's Town Station to take a train trip to Muizenberg where we would take pictures with surf boards.

 

 

The day was brought together by Barron’s Estate. The ambiance in that place gave off such an aroma of love. Guests enjoyed the food, speeches were touching and the bride sang to her husband, “I am your lady"

 

 

Social media has not stopped with praise of the experience guests had.

 

I am so glad I was part of creating these moments.

 

Picture Resource: Keith Edwards

BUCKET LIST

>I would like to travel more, starting with Norway next year 2013

 

 

 

 

 Picture resource: opera.com

 

>Read more books, actually complete it to the end.









Picture resource: sharonball.wordpress.com

>I have written my first song, I have to complete the lyrics, watch out for this.

 

 

 

 

 Picture resource:josh4all.com

>Write a book or a few.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Picture resource: faithoncampus.com

 

>Become a television presenter

 

 

 Picture resource:123f.com

>Design my own clothing label.  My first jeans will be completed soon.

 

 

 

 

Picture resource: no.wikipedia.com no.wikipedia.orgno.wikipedia.org

>Start my own business in events management business.

 

 

 

 

 

Picture resource: 4seasonsent.com takemefishing.co

 >Learning to fish

 

 

 

Picture resource: takemefishing.co 

>Shark cage diving

 

 

 

Picture resource: riversidecottagefranschoek.co.za 

>Sky diving

 

 

 

Picture resource:dirtyboots.com

>River rafting down the Zambezi River

 

 

 

 

 Picture resource :Mumbaittravellers.com

Well I will have to return to this again.

GO ON AND LAUGH!!!!

A lawyer married a woman who had previously divorced ten husbands.

On their wedding night, she told her new husband, "Please be gentle, I'm still a virgin."

"What?" said the puzzled groom.

"How can that be if you've been married ten times?"

"Well, Husband #1 was a sales representative: he kept telling me how great it was going to be.

Husband #2 was in software services: he was never really sure how it was supposed to function, but he said he'd look into it and get back to me.

Husband #3 was from field services: he said everything checked out diagnostically but he just couldn't get the system up.

Husband #4 was in telemarketing: even though he knew he had the order, he didn't know when he would be able to deliver.

Husband #5 was an engineer: he understood the basic process but wanted three years to research, implement, and design a new state-of-the-art method.

Husband #6 was from finance and administration: he thought he knew how, but he wasn't sure whether it was his job or not.

Husband #7 was in marketing: although he had a nice product, he was never sure how to position it.

Husband #8 was a psychologist: all he ever did was talk about it.

Husband #9 was a gynecologist: all he did was look at it.

Husband #10 was a stamp collector: all he ever did was... God! I miss him! But now that I've married you, I'm really excited!"

Picture resource: multicultclassics.blogspot.com

WATCH THE SPACE - PART 2

Misfits

Misfits are weird individuals who would rather be hated for who they are than love d for who they are not. I am a misfit and know a lot about misfits and what they stand for. When I was younger I would try to BE someone else just to fit in and it didn’t work. As I get older, I realized that I just needed to be myself and people would like me because I was real. Misfits have their own way of dressing and don’t usually follow any trends. They usually have their own beliefs and prosecuted for it. They try not to judge a book by its cover. At school they are the popular people, the nerds, and the punk-rocks etc and then there are the misfits who feel like they don’t fit in with any of those groups. Yes, Misfits are different, but are not going to change just to fit in and they are really unbelievably friendly and wonderful people once you get to know them.

I think that I have a writter in the family. She wants to be "just her" and I love her so much. My prescious angel, Stephanie your father is proud of you.

Picture resource: funnyjunk.com

WATCH THIS SPACE

This was written by my daughter and I believe that she has a flair for this kind of thing. Definitely a winner here!

 

Family

My family consists of four weirdo’s, mommy (Samantha), daddy (Keith), brother (Nathaniel), and me (Stephanie). We are a very "dysfunctional" artistic family, who love to spend time with each other. We are very welcoming and friendly people I would like to think, because people are always attracted t o us for some or another reason. There is always so much noise, although we are only four people. We love to sing and dance stupidly. Sometimes we have disagreements, but we always sort it out. When we are away from each other for a certain number of days we miss each other very much. We love to have fun and go ballistic, and always find something to do together. We are Christian Misfits, and wouldn’t change anything about our family

 

Picture resource: Edwards Clan

WHY I HAVE CONVERSATIONS

I think that all humans long to be part of a community, a place where you can have conversations and engage. What is conversation? As a starter we can think of it as two or more people talking and listening. My wife always says that men find it hard to listen , maybe there are more women out there that agrees.

Conversations can take place face-to-face or at a distance. It can be done via the spoken word or via sign or symbol (the most obvious case here is the use of chat rooms on the internet). This may sound a bit obvious, but as soon as we begin to think about conversation we can see it is a sophisticated activity that we often take for granted. We can see from this that conversation is a complex activity.

Sometimes I find this quite difficult, even though I want to know and experience that what I have to contribute is significant.

Conversation is a social activity. Apart from talking to ourselves, or to animals, we engage in it with others. To do this we need to think about their feelings, thoughts and needs. In turn, they too must think of us. So this is where the difficult part lies.

It is so complex It that it embodies rules and etiquette. It requires participants to possess skills that are improved with practice. I have decided that if I am going to be part of conversations I would have to avail myself to learn this art.

Picture resource:facebook.com

GO ON AND LAUGH !!!!

Bob was in trouble. He forgot his wedding anniversary. His wife was really pissed.

She told him ,"Tomorrow morning, I expect to find a gift in the driveway that goes from 0 to 200 in 6 seconds AND IT BETTER BE THERE !!"

The next morning he got up early and left for work. When his wife woke up, she looked out the window and sure enough there was a box gift-wrapped in the middle of the driveway.

Confused, the wife put on her robe and ran out to the driveway, brought the box back in the house.

She opened it and found a brand new bathroom scale.

Bob has been missing since Friday.

Picture resource: dreamstimedreamstime.com

 _______________________________________________________________________

One day a hippie gets a ride on a public bus and sees a hot young nun. He sits down next to her and promptly asks if she would like to have sex, to which she immediately says no and walks off the bus. The bus driver leans over and says "Hey guy I know how to get that nun to have sex with you..."

Naturally the hippie asks, and the bus driver tells him that every night at midnight the nun goes to an old graveyard to pray for God to forgive her for her past, and that he should dress up like God and tell the nun she will be forgiven if she has sex with you.

The hippie gives his thanks and runs to the nearest costume shop.

Later that evening the hippie gets ready for his big night and drives down to the graveyard and sees the nun praying, on her knees. He says "Behold, I have heard your prayers and you shall be forgiven if you have sex with me!"

The nun agrees but asks if they can have anal sex in order to keep her virginity. The hippie agrees and once they are finished the hippie jumps back and pulls off his mask and says "Surprise, its me the Hippie!"

 The nun jumps up and pulls off her mask and says "Surprise, it’s me the bus driver!"

 

DO I REALLY HAVE TO ?

CHOICES are screaming at us each day. Some are difficult and to some degree lesser.  It’s easy to have a great attitude when things are going our way; everybody can do that. It’s when difficult challenges rise before us, and the attitude within us rises to overcome those problems, that attitude becomes the difference-maker.

Unfortunately, it’s more common for our attitude to fall short of rising to life’s challenges. I sometimes find myself being discouraged, fear grips my heart and I see myself as a failure. The latter as I see it our some of the things that influence our attitude.

Everyone gets discouraged. Sydney Harris said, “When I hear somebody sigh, ‘Life’s hard,’ I am always tempted to ask, ‘Compared to what?’ ”
Not everyone responds to discouragement in the same way.  According to research with regard to discouragement, there are two kinds of people in the world: splatters and bouncers.

Splatters hit rock bottom, fall apart and stick to the bottom like glue. Bouncers hit rock bottom, pull themselves back together and bounce back up. The question is: Are you going to give up or get up?

 It’s a choice.

 

Picture resource: Jabry.wordpress.com

MY BIG FAT BIG DREAM - PART 3

This is truly an amazing story and as I come to the final part of it, I pray for grace to be able to put action to my goal. Now they’ve done 212 triathlons, including four grueling 15-hour Ironmans in Hawaii. It must be a buzz kill to be a 25-year-old stud getting passed by an old guy towing a grown man in a dinghy, don’t you think?

Hey, Dick, why not see how you’d do on your own? "No way," he says. Dick does it purely for "the awesome feeling" he gets seeing Rick with a cantaloupe smile as they run, swim and ride together.

This year, at ages 65 and 43, Dick and Rick finished their 24th Boston Marathon, in 5,083rd place out of more than 20,000 starters. Their best time? Two hours, 40 minutes in 1992 , only 35 minutes off the world record, which, in case you don’t keep track of these things, happens to be held by a guy who was not pushing another man in a wheelchair at the time.

"No question about it," Rick types. "My dad is the Father of the Century."

And Dick got something else out of all this too. Two years ago he had a mild heart attack during a race. Doctors found that one of his arteries was 95% clogged. "If you hadn’t been in such great shape," one doctor told him, "you probably would’ve died 15 years ago."

So, in a way, Dick and Rick saved each other’s life.

Rick, who has his own apartment (he gets home care) and works in Boston, and Dick, retired from the military and living in Holland, Mass., always find ways to be together. They give speeches around the country and compete in some backbreaking race every weekend, including this Father’s Day pass.

 Rick said he bought his dad dinner, but the thing he really wants to give him is a gift he can never buy. "The thing I’d most like," Rick types, "is that my dad sit in the chair and I push him once."

What an amazing story that have changed my life.

Picture resource: teamhoyt.com                                         

BUCKET LIST

When I thought of this list, I came to realize that I am saying that life is not finite. This is a scary thought to think that we know we're not here forever. But we can make the most of life while we can. Whether there's a hidden adventure lurking in our psyche or a goal that's been rattling around in our brain, it may be time to tap into that desire.

This idea also challenged my thinking as my list was very selfish, me me me was screaming out all the time. So clearly it also called for some introspection. 

A bucket list, while much like a list of life goals, is imbued with a sense of urgency because it introduces the idea of limited time.

The list should consist of things you plan to attempt and want to reach for so that you leave behind the imprint you wanted to have.

It is said that constructing a bucket list could improve your satisfaction with your life. Research is clear, the happiest people wake up every day to short- and long-term goals that involve taking risks, connecting with others, and persistence.

Properly-set goals provide a roadmap for our lives and we end up being proactive instead of reactive. We are also more optimistic because we are always looking forward, not behind.

Some people have changed the world with their lists and you and I can do it too.

Traveling to places, some amazing journeys are created this way. Our bucket list does not need to focus just on us, though important.

Don't wait for the place, opportunity, or structure; create your own one.

Watch the space for mine. 

Picture resource: Marc Ramirez. Seattle Times staff reporter

BUCKET LIST OPTIONS

If you had to create a bucket list, what would you add to it? Maybe Table Mountain, visiting the renowned Botanical Gardens of Kirstenbosch, experiencing the exquisite wines of the cape, seeing our majestic coastline; these are a few things I can think of. For many people growing up in the mother city, they don’t seem to realise the beauties she has to offer.

Well the City Sightseeing bus gives you the option to tick off from your list. All you have to do is hop on and off a bus, with an option of fourteen different stops on the Blue Bus and eighteen on the Red Bus. What about an evening trip to experience the Mother City’s night life on one of there famous topless buses.

They also offer a breath taking canal cruise from the Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC) to the V&A Waterfront for as little as R20.Having a chance to experience a tour on the City Sight Seeing Bus hands on, you immediately experience the warmth and friendliness of the staff from purchasing the ticket to hopping on the bus. First thing you notice boarding the bus, is the diverse array of nationalities from all over the world.

What to see from the Red Bus

From boarding the bus at stop 1 at the Two Ocean’s Aquarium, you receive your complimentary head set, where you have an option to listen to sixteen different languages of a recorded tour guide catering for all walks of life. As the bus departs from the aquarium, one can expect interesting historical facts of the Company Gardens and St. Georges Cathedral, hopping off and discovering South Africa’s fascinating Museum of natural history and mind blowing Planetarium.

Hopping back on, you can see the stunning Mount Nelson Hotel, voted to have best high tea in the world by the Sunday Times of the UK. As the bus passes the SA Jewish Museum and District Six Museum, take the opportunity to hop off and learn more about how the Jewish culture impacted South Africa’s history as well as seeing Cape Town’s oldest Methodist Church, now the District Six Museum well known for how life was for people of colour affected by the apartheid era.

As you depart district six, another group of people has joined to stop 10, the iconic Castle of Good Hope, well known as one of the few castles never to be attacked.

One of the most majestic experiences is South Africa’s new seventh wonder, Table Mountain, and then further on your eyes is set on the majestic coastline from Camp’s Bay to Mouille Point. The trip ends at the V&A Waterfront, a total working harbour.

For a full itinerary and specials contact: 021 511 6000 or visit www.citysightseeing.co.za

Picture resource:capetown-beach-vacations.com