My parents arrived safely this morning. It was good to see them. Thankfully the Wellington weather was good today hopefully giving my parents a taste of what the week may be like. They looked really happy to see my girls.
Today my nurse met me at church to do my check-ups and exchange the infuser. Funny that the message at church this morning was about praying. My sister and I talked about how prayer is an important part of our daily lives and connects us to our Father each day. Something that always needs improvement. Over the years that Dan and I have led the youth a common question would come about how one should pray. Jesus gives us a good example of what a prayer should consist of. Basically I think a prayer can be looked at in four parts: Acknowledgement, Forgiveness, Our Needs and Thanks. Often when we think of prayers, we think of formality, something that is said for the sake of saying it, can be without emotion. I've learnt to pray in a way that feels comfortable to me. My prayers are like an open conversation with someone. I like to talk to God about anything and everything that is happening in my life. First I acknowledge that He is an Almighty God and that He makes all things possible in my life. I ask Him to forgive me for the things that I have done wrong. I ask Him for help on specific things in my life. I pray for people in my life. I pray that there are opportunities for me to talk to people about Him. I pray that I am an example of a good person. Lastly I give thanks for everything in my life and for the path that he has laid out before that I am yet to walk down. Our girls are now praying on their own before they sleep, when they wake in the morning and before each meal. We have taught them a standard prayer but we encourage them to say what is in their hearts. So there has been many a morning/night where blankets are prayed for, lip gloss is prayed for, and the socks on their feet is prayed for. As funny and cute as these prayers sound what is most important is that these are spoken from the heart. That is something that God really wants to hear from us in our prayer. Though He knows everything that we think and feel it is by confessing with your mouth that makes your needs real to Him and to yourself. It is the action that follows the thought that it just as important.
This week will be a challenge for me, or perhaps more of an opportunity to rid of old behaviours when I am with my parents. I love my parents dearly for all that they have done for me and my brothers. I've lived away from my family for so long that I have developed a set of skills, a new mindset, new behaviours that only those that surround me at the moment can understand. So by taking my skills/new mindset/new behaviours and using them to communicate with my family can be hard. With my brothers it is easier because they, of course are New Zealand born. So I take on the opportunity to really talk with my parents about my life, their life but mostly to try and communicate to them my appreciation that they did the best they could to raise me and my brothers. Have you ever told your mum or dad that you love them? that you are grateful for what they have done for you and your siblings even though you do not quite understand?
Dan and I went to a combined church service with other AOG churches in the Wellington region. We enjoyed the service and caught up with many of our friends. We later took the opportunity to spend some quality time together and went out for dinner. (My girls stayed with my parents). It was really nice, and something I think we needed for some time. We reminisced about when we were dating. On the way home I asked Dan how he now feels about my illness. He promptly told me that I could do with more rest and use my time efficiently during the day to study. Well that just put a damper on our date night :) and here I was expecting something along the lines of a lovey-dovey response. After some quick fire exchange we agreed that I will be aiming to go to bed at 10pm each night and Dan will work on his list also. I always try to make an effort to ask Dan how he is feeling because I know that most of the time he tends to keep it to himself because he doesn't want to burden me or perhaps its because he says that I tend to ask him and then interrupt him and talk about something I've done or am feeling. I'm sure it's not the latter :)
I enjoyed my time with Dan tonight. We arrived home to find my parents watching telly, with the lounge heater on full blow and snuggled up with a couple of duvets. My girls had gone to be only half an hour before we arrived. It will be interesting to see whether they will wake up on time for school.
Well it's very late. I am absolutely amazed at the rate this blog is being read by people. 100 hits overnight is amazing! I'm typing away in bed and Dan interrupts me saying that my typing is really loud (everyone is asleep). I replied that I am typing with PURPOSE! :)....and that purpose is to share with you the goodness that God is doing in my life in particular during this time that I am ill.
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