Home is where the heart is

What do you love about where you live?

There are many reasons why I love living on the outskirts of Melbourne.  I love the history and the grandiose architecture of the old buildings in Melbourne,  Bendigo and Ballarat, etc, that speak of incredible wealth and the history since the gold rush of the 1850s onwards.  I love ❤️ the culture and the foodie and Cafe culture. I love going out for lunch,  afternoon tea, etc a with loved ones.  I love the beaches.  I love the high country. I love Williamstown and Barwon Heads and Queenscliff.  I love rummaging around opshops with friends.  I love visiting suburbs like Prahran and Camberwell for bargains. I love old theatres and places like the Hopetoun Tearooms.   Most of all, I love where I live spiritually, and I love being near those loved ones ❤️ 💕 who make up my life.  When I move soon, it will still be in the same area that I love and means so much to me.

There is no other like Russell

I know I have written about Russell before but he is just so special that I want to write more about him.

He is the most gentle, calm, and gracious soul, he is utterly selfless 🙏🏽 and serves his purpose by God very well.   My friend Colin says that unfortunately God only made one of Russell and that it would be nice if he made a few more. Susanna adored Russell and used to say that Russell wasn’t just an angel,  that indeed he was an archangel.  I wouldn’t be surprised if that is a fact,  because I believe God sends some angels to earth in human form to walk amongst us and spread God’s word and love. Russell is very introverted and would be humbled by my words as he is very unassuming but I feel occasionally inspired to write ✍️ about him, because he is a much-loved and appreciated friend 🧡 and will  be my friend for eternity. Even Lily loves ❤️ 😍 💖 Russell…… and Lily doesn’t like a lot of men.

If you build your legacy you will never die.

It is another rainy afternoon here in Melbourne and I am again watching the ABC on my television 📺.  The quote that is the title for this blog is a direct quote word for word from Gill Hicks. Gill Hicks is an Australian survivor of the terrorist attacks bombing of the London underground back in the mid-2000s. She lost both her legs in that attack and fought for her life, a life she now spends working for a foundation promoting peace. She is beautiful and remarkable and her story is a beautiful one of good overcoming impossible odds.

She makes me think of Susanna and how by writing ✍️ about her both in blogs and in the novel Angel Lady I keep Susanna’s memory alive. I will never forget Susanna and will continue to shout from the rooftop how wonderful she was, particularly in the way she chose to fight her battle with cancer. She was gracious and positive, grateful with a wonderful sense of humour. Gill Hicks reminds me of Susanna, she has the same grace and beauty. Stunningly beautiful from the inside. I intend to learn from these two beautiful role models and hope that when I am gone I will be remembered so graciously and like an angelic presence.  There is something to be said about leading a loving gracious 🙏🏽 life where you spread God’s love and mission and go about your business quietly bringing positive change to the world 🌎.   Gill Hicks’ legacy will live on long after she departs this earth.  I am definitely a follower of her message.

Step by step, baby steps

How do you plan your goals?

How I plan my goals is to take everything one baby step at a time. Chipping away, in baby steps, like a sculptor chipping away on a piece of clay or marble.  I set myself small goals to achieve and reward myself if I do, but don’t beat myself up if I don’t.  I make lists of things to do.  I am slowly decluttering my place,  ready to move I the not too distant future and have atarted to make lists about that.  The things I need to sell ot give away etc and the new thibgs I would like to buy for the new place. This is increasing as time moves on.

Ballroom and Rock ‘N’Roll Dancing, my one regret.

I try to live my life without regrets, but there is something I sincerely regret.

I my early 20s i was going to both ballroom and rock “n,”roll dance classes and loving it immersing my life in that subculture and lifestyle.  Unfortunately, i fell in love with the wrong man, who forbade me to attend these classes. Because I was young and inexperienced, I obeyed him. He turned out to be a horrible person, and I was naive.  He didn’t want me to dance with other men, mind you, he never once danced,  and was a womaniser to boot.

My one regret is that I gave up dancing 🕺.  I wish I had kept it up over the years because it kept me fit and flexible and improved my balance.   Had I known the impact I psych meds would have on my body I s would have seen how imperative that sort of movement was to maintain fitness and general well being

Oh well, we can have 20/20 vision in hindsight, and I have wonderful memories of how much joy you can get from dancing.  I still love ❤️ music and dancing 🕺.

Send Me An Angel

The reason I have titled this post Send Me An Angel is after the song by Australian band of the 80s Real Life.  I was just listening to this song 🎵 and reminiscing how it applies to my life. There are at least 3 angels in my life that God has provided me with.  Lily obviously,  and definitely Susanna,  Michael and my Dad.

Something happened when I was walking Lily today, that could have turned out very traumatic,  but I think because Lily is one of God’s cherished angels she was unharmed. God truly does work in mysterious ways 🙏🏽 and the song 🎵 Send Me An Angel has an interesting backstory.  The singer from Real Life wrote it about the time he was caught in a bushfire at Wye River during the Ash Wednesday bushfire here in Victoria back in 1983.  He was watching as the bushfire raged along the Great Ocean Road and was fearing for his life. He prayed 🙏🏽 for God to send him an angel and that was how the song 🎵 came to be.  When I am in need of a little angelic inspiration I listen 🎶 to it whilst petting Lily,  the little angel 😇 God sent me.