
Do you have a quote you live your life by or think of often?
I just came across this quote this morning π and think it would be a good one to live by and contemplate its meaning.

Do you have a quote you live your life by or think of often?
I just came across this quote this morning π and think it would be a good one to live by and contemplate its meaning.
I’ve had more than one angelic influence in my life, such as Susanna, Michael, and my dad.
Today I want to write βοΈ 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 βοΈ 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 π 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 ππ½ and I am so glad she is my friend π§‘
Today I am writing βοΈ 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 π΅ 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 π. 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 πΆββοΈ 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 ππ½ to God that my little darling angel π wasn’t hurt.
Write about a time when you didn’t take action but wish you had. What would you do differently?
The blog topic today has brought back many memories to me of a time when I was a lot youngr, very shy, and inexperienced when it came to boys.
I was 19 years old at the time and had gone to see the band Hunters and Collectors at the Old Greek Theatre in Richmond with my friend Tessa. We were both studying primary teaching at the time, and Tessa was a mature age student from New Zealand.
Throughout the concert I noticed a cute guy of about my age , and he noticed me too but because we were both shy and awkward we watched one another alot but never got further than making eyes to one another. This young man was at the concert with Steve Jacobs, a young Melbourne celebrity around my age.
I thought nothing more of this missed opportunity but happened to be watching breakfast television πΊ when the movie The Year My Voice Broke was being launched. My jaw dropped when I saw that cute young guy from the concert .it was Ben Mendelssohn, and that movie launched his career. Had I not been a shy awkward teenager how different my life could’ve been if I had been brave, instead of shy. I have long followed Ben’s career, and he is definitely a good actor renowned in his younger years for playing awkward young men. It is the only thing I lament about my past,that I was too shy to strike up a conversation. If I could go back to this time, the thing I would do differently is talk to him and take that chance. How different my life could’ve been.
What makes you nervous?
The last time I answered this question I focused on my professional life and public speaking.
As a woman, particularly a woman who lives on her own, there are a few things that make me feel vulnerable, and I live within certain boundaries to keep myself and Lily safe. Things like not giving out my phone number, address, or email address to anyone I don’t know. If someone just knocks on the door out of the blue, I don’t answer it. Lily is a good little watch dog and let’s me know if anyone is around. She is a good judge of character and doesn’t like a lot of men. She doesn’t like the energy that some men give off. I am nervous about some men because of some bad past experiences. When I have been unwell and in hospital, I have had some very unwell men throw light lighters at me and start to undress in front of me. I have always managed to keep myself safe, and that is why I set strict boundaries for myself as a vulnerable woman and am very careful about who I let in my life. To this end, I restrict my use of social media and am not on platforms like Facebook.
How do you unwind after a demanding day?
The first thing I need to express is that given I no longer work in mental health, I no longer regularly have demanding days. I like that as a writer, I can work at my own pace and don’t have to rush to meet deadlines or others’ expectations of me.
To unwind, I like nothing more to lie on the π couch with Lily on my lap, writing βοΈ, watching television πΊ or getting lost in a good book π. Lily is an essential part of this unwinding. Having her soft, warm, and cuddly presence is like a balm for my soul. She is the reason I value not rushing to be a part of the rat race for anymore. I’ve come to love my relaxed pace of life with her. It is bliss.
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 π 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.
My psychiatrist was the person who suggested I write a blog because he said that people would genuinely be interested in what I have to say. To this day, I thank him for giving me an outlet for my voice. It has been the best journey ever.
Moat of the time, my thoughts float in my head until an idea sticks out, and then I can coherently write βοΈ about it. Sometimes, it feels like I have a hundred thoughts at once that I would ultimately like to write βοΈ about. M
Normally, i can focus on just one, but sometimes my mind is foggy, and I can’t focus. Normally, I can make a mental note in my mind to thoroughly think through something at a later date to write about……. At present I am thinking of how beautiful and almost otherworldly the actor Sam Reid is, who played Dale Jennings in The Newsreader, and I am also thinking how much I admire Sandi Toksvig as a,woman……. but these are both fleeting thoughts that I will focus more on when I don’t have brain fog………. as a hundred thoughts bounce around my mind. I thank God that I have the blog ππ½ posts π« and my other writings as an outlet for my creativity. See you on the flipside when I feel inspired to write βοΈ.
Jot down the first thing that comes to your mind.
The first thing that comes to mind is the feeling of my faith ππ½ and love. It is Easter, so as a Christian, my thoughts are very much of Jesus and rejoicing in the fact that he lived and the impact ππ½ his life had on humanity.
I have just spoken to my lovely friend Russell, who is the most humble, faithful, and truly the most Christian gentleman you could meet. Russell has been like Jesus in my life ππ½ and in the lives of his friends. Susanna used to say that Russell was not just an angel, that he was, in fact, an archangel, and I totally agree with her. So on this morning π my first thoughts are of my faith and love β€οΈ.
Easter is a time to reflect and start afresh with renewed faith ππ½ and devotion to the Lord. I am truly grateful ππ½ that the Lord has brought wonderful people ππ½ like Russell into my life. Take care, and God bless π ππ½ you all.