As I’ve mentioned in a previous blog post I love opshopping and have a collection of teacups and saucers. I am only now realising just how many friends I have who also love to go opshopping and also collect teacups 🍵 and saucers and other china pieces. I’ve gathered that this is a common thread among my female friends, particularly the most feminine and ladylike of my friends.

I’ve also realised that the impact of the pandemic curtailed a lot of that throughout our extensive experience of multiple lockdowns here in Melbourne. After months of enduring lockdown , we are now returning back to our love of activities we enjoyed before the pandemic changed our lives forever. I for one, have a renewed enthusiasm for going out shopping at charity second hand shops and have realised how much I love doing that in the company of like minded friends.

Yesterday I caught up with my friend Zohreh, whom I haven’t seen since the pandemic first hit our shores. I was so happy to see her after all this time, and I realised how much I had missed her presence in my life. I was so happy to see her, happy and well and contented and safe, as I know she has experienced her own challenges during the past couple of years. Zohreh is from Iran and seeking permanent residency here in Australia. She has endured a lot in her journey and I know she has gone through a lot of challenges and heartache to get to where she is now. She is one of the most beautiful people I have ever met and she is one of the most Christian of ladies I have ever met. She was raised a Muslim and converted to Christianity when she first came to Melbourne. I met her through our mutual church, which is Brunswick Baptist Church, and probably the most diverse and accepting church I have ever been associated with.

Zohreh is just so beautiful and it was so lovely to see her, and see her settled and thriving in her life. She showed me her collection of teacups 🍵 and saucers that she has purchased at opshops. Our respective little dogs, also met for the first time yesterday and it was lovely for our beloved dogs 🐕 to meet. I realised how much I’ve missed seeing Zohreh, and feel sad that the pandemic kept us apart, and only now are we both picking up where we left off, with our friends from pre pandemic times.

I now will definitely make sure that I make the most out of my renewed friendship with Zohreh, whom is truly an angel, and a fellow opshop angel like my friends Kathryn and Lani. Gods law of attraction is that he brings like minded people into our lives and I can’t think of what I would enjoy more than roaming through opshops looking for a bargain, with Zohreh, Kathryn and Lani. It is all part of Gods plan and I for one am so looking forward to the future post pandemic

Sometimes life can feel like waiting for the sun to shine. I think waiting for warmer weather is something we all do after what seems like months of a cold wintry blast. This year has felt a little older and a little colder after the passing of Susanna. I now in more ways than one am looking forward to the warmer months. We have had a brief taste of warmer days here in Melbourne, but still have a couple of days of extremely wet and cold weather. I am so looking forward to the long warm sunny days. I feel that I am emerging from my grief over Susanna and now see the good in life again. To say that Susanna walked 🚶‍♂️ on sunshine is an understatement. She was the embodiment of warmth and sunshine. Only now do I again feel some warmth and feel that the earth 🌎 is now getting used to its grief and remembering the warmth of life as it was before her passing. Her legacy is the sunshine she gave and made her loved 😍 ones feel. I for one intend to bask in sunshine with those I love. Life is too precious to do otherwise. Enjoy the sunshine whilst we have it.

This week has been like an epiphany for me. I did something I haven’t done for awhile. I went shopping with my friend Kathryn, and no we did not go shopping at the mall or department stores. We went opshopping at both the Salvos and St Vinnies. For those of you not from Australia we went second hand shopping at charity shops, which you would call thrift shops or goodwill.

When I was married I used to be a volunteer at the local Salvos store and absolutely loved it. But I guess my life changed throughout lockdown, and boy in Melbourne did we endure a long lockdown. I had forgotten the simple pleasure 🙏 of browsing through a second hand store. Yes, in my early twenties I used to spend a lot of time, buying beautiful second hand 40s and 50s style dresses 👗. I used to buy things like beautiful antique lamps and pictures. I loved things from the past when things were made to last and of good quality. I fell in love with shops like the Chapel Street Bazaar. I was lucky that my Aunty and my cousin owned first the Footscray Bazaar and later Newport Temple Antiques. I collected tea cups and saucers and bought a couple of items of antique furniture. My joy was to roam these shops, just happy browsing and looking at the things for sale. It is of no surprise that I love Antiques Roadshow. Again enduring lockdown meant I couldn’t enjoy that simple pleasure.

I got some bargains with Kathryn and was pleasantly surprised that I live near two such wonderful opshops. I intend regularly now to go and browse there. Even if you don’t buy anything it is always interesting to see what gets donated, Now when I am looking for something inparticular I will look at the Salvos and St Vinnies first. I would rather buy something where my money goes to supporting the less fortunate, and it is just such fun looking.

If you need some retail therapy take a leaf out of Kathryn and my book and go opshopping for pleasure. It is pure fun.

As I write ✍️ this post today I am thinking of my life over the last several years and how change has been the only constant in my life. It is ten years to the day since I moved into my current address. At the time ⏲️ it was a courageous, traumatic time in my life. I was walking away from a terrible marriage and was stressed about what direction my life would take

It ended up being the best possible thing that could have happened. Within months I was secure and happy. That challenging time had taught me quite a lot and I learned what loving, supportive friends I had. I also found a good job and worked on paying off debt, and getting some savings behind me, improving my financial situation out of this world. I learned to make do, and live a very simple life. I still to this day, continue to make do and live a simple life.

Probably the greatest thing that has happened to me in that time, has been Lily, my little cavoodle, and a little ray of sunshine. She is peaceful, happy and contented. It rubs off on me.

The other amazing thing has been the quality of friendships in my life. I genuinely believe that goodwill generates goodwill, and I am blessed and grateful for the love freely given to me.

As for what comes next in my life, I know God has plans for me. I remain open to even more change and intend to focus a lot on my ✍️ writing. It is the thing I enjoy most and if I brighten someone’s day with my words, then my goal has been achieved .

Thank you and always remember we plan and God laughs. Enjoy life because who knows what lies just ahead.

Has there ever been a song that holds particular significance to you, a song that makes you think of loved ones, particularly loved ones that have passed away?

There is such a song 🎵 in my life. It is a very sweet song, by an Australian band called 1927 called “That’s when I think of you”. The lyrics in this song are beautiful, touching and conveyed with deep meaning. Although the song was released in the late 1980s, it was until later possibly the mid 2000s that this song really started to have deep meaning for me .

At first I would hear this song 🎵 when I was thinking about my Dad, and about Michael Fleming whom had both passed over. I would be thinking of Dad, and also about the role of a father figure, which Michael had been in my life. Often I would wake up in the very early hours of the morning, after having dreamt or thought of them. I would reach next to my bed, to switch on my alarm clock radio, and bam, that particular 🎵 song would come on. This became a trend in my life, and at first I thought it was a bit eerie. I am so used to it happening now, and am no longer surprised when it does. I think it is part of my spiritual connection 🙏 and a way of God letting me know, my passed over loved ones are still watching over me. I now add Susanna to the group of people, this song 🎵 makes me think of. Now when I think of her, and my other loved ones at different ⏲️ times of the day, I switch on the radio and again bam, that song comes on. It has the effect of making me feel very loved 😍 💕 ❤️ 💖 and at peace. It brings back pleasurable memories of those I love, and I genuinely believe it is my loved one’s communicating to me through 🎵 song.

I highly recommend that people listen to this song. It’s lyrics are beautiful and meaningful and I think it is no accident that I regularly hear that song. If I am feeling down, it can work it’s 🎩 magic on me and make my spirits soar with love. Thats when I think of you and I hope you feel it too.

To me the best time of day is when the day is young. I love ❤️ the early morning, heralding a new day and a new beginning. I feel most alive in the fresh morning. My favourite thing is to walk my dog, after breakfast and before my commitments for the day begin. Lily loves being walked, and the fresh cool morning air, brings all the smells of nature alive. She just loves these fresh smells and prances delightedly from side to side, smelling whatever it is that keeps her interested and fascinated. It is a time of bonding for dogs and their owners, and is a ritual that our dogs love and cherish. I feel the magnificence of Gods creation when I am out savouring the 🌄 morning, and treat each morning, as a new beginning, a chance to start afresh. I am a morning person. Life is at its best for me in the morning, and it’s at that time that I feel most inspired and at peace .

God bless us with each new day.

We were kindred spirits you and I Both feeling that we belonged to a different age. An age where chivalry was admired and respected A more graceful and gracious age. An age where people were not judged on superficial appearances. An age where femininity was admired and not considered a weakness An age where things were built to last. Antiques of now were actually new. Tea and coffee were served in delicate bone china and high tea was commonplace. Because of you I now share our interests with Kathryn. A fellow time ⏲️ traveller. Like you both Kathryn and I feel like we belong to a different time. Both Kathryn and myself feel you were our soul sister, with empathy, ❤️ love and compassion for all. Maybe we weren’t so old fashioned after all. Maybe we have a role in reminding our loved ones, that love is special and should be celebrated 🍾 and rejoiced. You certainly were a shining example of a life well lived. Your legacy lives on as Kathryn and myself honour you. We no longer feel like misfits, but part of a greater plan. To give and receive love and enjoy the simple 🙏 pleasures is part of the greater plan for us all. To bring the experience of a different age, back to the present., to bring back what is good about yesterday Use the wisdom learned along the way to make this life today, the best it can be for all the fellow travellers we meet along the way. You have been my greatest teacher and I love that you have made me see a different age.

You came back to me in a vision today Floating on a cloud, surrounded by white flowing robes. You were wearing a gold, sparkling halo, made for you alone. You were certainly an angel here on earth, so it is befitting that you would wear a halo up in heaven. Your true home. I miss the soft lilting tone of your voice, your smile and the beauty that comes with wisdom. I know I will see you again. For the moment I have precious memories of a life well spent and a love that lasts forever and a day. I look forward to seeing you in heaven and sense you will watch over me until my time comes. The Angel lady wearing her halo, a crown that is made for you alone, like true royalty personified.

As I was sending a good morning greeting to all my loved one’s yesterday it occurred to me that we must view each morning as a new beginning, a chance to start our lives afresh.

My dog Lily wakes up happy each morning and seems excited with each new day. Perhaps we need to take a leaf out of our canine companions book and try to be optimistic about what each day will bring. Lily is a happy contented 💕 little soul and she has a certain routine every 🌄 morning that obviously brings her 🙏 pleasure. I would like to recapture some of that innocent positivity and view each new day as a new adventure and the first day of the rest of my life.

I know I bring about a lot of positivity for my loved one’s 😍 with my daily good morning 🙏 greeting. A lot of my loved one’s respond in a way that shows me they appreciate the effort I make in showing my love and good thoughts to them on a daily basis. I do this to honour the spirit of Susanna, a true angel that only ever spread love ❤️ and goodwill to everyone in her life. If I can be even half as angelic and positive as Susanna I would be doing really well. My true friends who knew Susanna know that I am honouring her legacy, by spreading a little love every day. It makes me feel good to send out those little daily messages of goodwill, and I know my loved ones are inspired by me to feel good about the little gestures in life. Little gestures add up and ultimately combined make the world go around.

My message in this post is that I want to encourage my readers to find something to be positive about, in each new day and like our little canine companions view each day as a new adventure. Positivity and goodwill generate more of both and yes do make this humble little planet called earth go round.

This is a true story that Susanna witnessed and told to me that I have decided to tell , as it fits in with my previous stories about dogs and spirituality

One day when Susanna was at church she observed a family with a little 👦 boy, who appeared sad and his parents were encouraging him to speak to the priest, This little boy, whom seemed sensitive wanted to ask the priest, some very important questions..

The little boy earnestly asked the priest if dog’s have a soul. Without thinking why the little boy asked him, such a question, the priest replied that only mankind has a soul. The little boys face trembled as he heard this, and then the little boy asked if dog’s go to heaven? Again without empathy 💔 for the little boy, the priest replied that heaven is only for mankind. The little boy was crying by this stage and ran into his mother’s arms.

Susanna was outraged by what she had witnessed the priest say and felt empathy and compassion for the little boy. Susanna decided to approach the family, whom seemed unhappy, that their son’s earnest loving questions had been met with such an uncaring response. Susanna said to the little boy that if HE believed that their dog has a soul, then dog’s do have a soul. She then said to the little boy that if HE believed dog’s go to heaven, that HE would see his dog again when HE goes to heaven. Susanna said it is a matter of having faith and our own values 🙏 surrounding that faith

I know the priest was only giving a literally explanation based on bible interpretation, but surely he should have seen, the little boys very obvious grief and answered the little boy, with a more caring response. God would not have struck the priest down with lightning because he was telling him something that was not technically biblical, but seriously if as part of our faith, and part of our healing to believe that we will see our beloved pets again in heaven what’s the harm in that.?

Anyone whom has 😍 loved a dog believes they are affectionate little souls, whom earn the right to go to heaven What is the harm in believing that. I personally am looking forward to seeing all my beloved canine companions when I enter heaven. They are my loved one’s too and I can’t imagine a heaven without them.

God bless you Susanna for being angelic presence for that little boy. God bless you.