I have a confession to make. Sometimes, in the middle of the night, I am awake and hear strange noises.  The noises make me fearful, and I wonder if what I am hearing is real or am I in a strange dreamlike state when things aren’t real but I feel it could be real.

Last night I had such an experience. Around midnight, I could hear noises like someone was hammering 🔨 on my roof. In the quiet eeriness of the night, I was scared by that. I soon realised it must just have been noises carrying in the distance because if there was someone on the roof, Lily would’ve been the good little watchdog she is and would have been making a racket.   The fact that Lily was silent was very reassuring.

This morning, I spoke about this experience to my good friend 🧡 Adrian,  who reminded me that fear is the biggest trigger for my mental health issues and that he too occasionally hears strange noises at night. This was exactly the conversation I needed at that moment, and I know not to let what happened play on my mind because it becomes a downward spiral.  The fact that I am writing about such an experience in my blog shows the positive experience it was to talk to Adrian, and I am feeling strong and empowered,  not fearful. I have insight into my triggers, and I am not going to become scared by such things as simple sounds that we all hear at times. We should not be impacted negatively by things going bump in the night. It is all part of being human.

I’ve had more than one angelic influence in my life, such as Susanna, Michael, and my dad.

Today I want to write ✍️ a tribute to Barbara.  Barbara has been a friend since the year 2000. We met both studying wekfare studies at Kangan Batman Tafe. I noticed Barbara from day one, and we both became friends very fast. Barbara was probably my great supporter amongst the students. She thought I was brave to declare my mental health issues and my desire to help people in similar circumstances.  She made it very clear to me that I need not feel shame about my issues and was insistent that I not be made to feel apologetic for such. She is warm, compassionate, and extremely emotionally intelligent, and her influence on my life has led me to become more emotionally intelligent myself.

She is probably the greatest supporter of my writing ✍️ skills,  apart from Dr Ballekere. Barbara and I regularly have deep, meaningful conversations, and we can agree to disagree on certain things.  She has helped mould the woman I am today and is a good sounding board for my plans for my future. She has nursed me through more than one broken heart 💔 and is the least judgemental person you can meet. She likes to have her say, but she is also a deep listener and is very kind. I appreciate her place in my life more than I can express. She introduced me to angelic therapy and angel Oracle cards that have become part of my everyday life. She is a resilient lady of great faith 🙏🏽 and I am so glad she is my friend 🧡 

Today I am writing ✍️ a post about Jane Barnes, the wife of an Australian rock music legend, Jimmy Barnes.  To say Jane is a wonderful wife and mother is quite an understatement.  To say she has assisted in Jimmy becoming the wonderful redeemed good man he is today is also an understatement.  Their relationship has weathered many storms and controversies,  not the least being Jimmy’s womanising,  drinking drug taking ways. Without Jane in Jimmy’s life, he would have died a long time ago. His excesses would have claimed him.

It has only been in the last twenty years that I have grown to love Jimmy Barnes.  The redeemed happy, good-hearted family man he has become is infectious.  I have always loved old Cold Chisel 🎵 songs.  For a while, as a teenager, I didn’t like Jimmy Barnes because one cheap gossip paper had the headline”Jimmy Barnes, my thousands of women.”  I may have been young, but I was wise enough to know that if he had literally had thousands of women,  that wouldn’t leave much time for anything else. Thank God his marriage has survived his infidelities.  Jane is obviously one wonderful woman who is not going to let such controversies ruin her marriage. I think she is amazing because my own marriage was one where my husband unfaithfulness destroyed our marriage,  but to my own defence , my ex-husband was nothing like Jimmy.

Some friends of mine also like Jimmy and Jane Barnes and think Jane should be canonised to become The Patron Saint Of Rock Stars Wives. She is lovely and absolutely a wonderful wife and mother with many talents of her own. She actually deserves the recognition she humbly doesn’t seek and I would love to meet her and Jimmy to witness the relationship of two soul mates.  May their union continue to be blessed.

I had a frightening experience this morning 🌄.  My lovely little dog Lily was a victim of a dog attack in the dog park. Thank God she wasn’t seriously hurt,  but it left me trembling. She was attacked by an dog , whose owner was walking 🚶‍♀️ two dogs at once and didn’t really have control of them.  In fact she had dropped the leash of the one who attacked Lily and Lily being very friendly went to appraoach it. At the first instant it went towards Lily it growled and Lily growled back, thinking it was playing with her.  It then jumped on Lily and Lily still thought it was playing until the dog wrapped it jaws around Lily’s neck. I was trying to pull Lily away from the other dog and the dogs owner was trying to pull it off Lily whilst still holding the lead of her second dog. There must have been angelic intervention for Lily because both the other owner and myself managed to get the dog away from Lily without Lily being seriously hurt.  She was lucky it didn’t break her skin, as the others dogs teeth would hsve been in the leather collar that Lily wears.

It was one scary encounter, but I sensed angelic intervention,  God wasn’t going to let real harm happen to one of his angels. Lily isn’t traumatised by what happened. She walked happily on for the rest of the walk. I don’t think she is aware of the danger she had been in. Needless to say, she has been one very spoiled little dog today. I am so grateful 🙏🏽 to God that my little darling angel 😇 wasn’t hurt.

As I write this am only too aware that the 27th of this month is three years to the day of Susannas passing.   Susanna was more than just a friend  she was an angel a lightworker and we were sisters in every way that mattered.  I rejoice that she lived.

Susanna used to joke that we were sisters.  She had the best sense of humour in the world 🌎 and could make light of her battle with cancer, just like I make light of my mental health issues . We could have one another laugh so much we would cry tears of funniness.

To this day, I joke that I have Italian DNA.  I must if Susanna is a sister, right?  Not everyone shares my sense of humour,  but my many true friends do and know that always my sense of humour is always at my own expense and I am never sarcastic because sarcasm is the lowest form of wit.  I freely laugh at myself . As the anniversary of Susanna’s passing approaches, I will honour her memory and share good times, and pass along smiles between loved ones. Susanna wouldn’t want it any other way.