Still growing-30 next week

We write for five minutes flat on Fridays.

We here at The Gypsy Mama write bold and beautiful and free. Unscripted and unedited. We just write without worrying if it’s just right or not.

Won’t you join us?

1. Write for 5 minutes flat – no editing, no over thinking, no backtracking.
2. Link back here and invite others to join in.
3. Go a little overboard encouraging the writer who linked up before you.
OK, are you ready? Give your best five minutes on:

GROWING

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Hitting the big 3 next week...30.... How will that change things?
How have I grown so far? I really can't put a finger on what kind of emotion to feel. Happy. Overwhelmed. Excited. It's all there but still not quite there yet. Apart from physical changes in my life during childhood, adolescence, university, marriage, and having 2 boys, there has been maturity at different phases.

I clearly remember the leap in my spiritual maturity during my time at University at Manipal while I did my Masters. Grace Home contributed to my huge leap in Bible knowledge (previously founded on the Jesus movies). And a sense of those things that are important and what's real. I am someone who would get excited in anything new that I saw. If I saw some lovely quilts, I would dream of quilting and making quilts for my future kids. If I saw a malnourished orphaned child, I would dream big of rescuing children and providing for them. It's great to have excitement and dreams in life.A maturity to put these excitements in God's hands and wait on Him is what Grace Home taught me.

My current life in the Netherlands and being part of a church here, has contributed to my next step in maturity. Being a Bible study leader, Church council member, Church creche leader and other roles at various points of my almost 6 years here has added a few more furrows of learning on my brain and a clearer picture of my purpose here. (Many things still remain unclear, though). Most of all "a wait and think and then speak " policy has clearly been established , other than the occasional foul ups.

Me: Now Lord , what are your plans for me? What do you want me to learn?
God: Beloved, all will be revealed in My own time. Prepare yourself to have a teachable spirit.

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Five minute Fridays: Joy

Back on my Five minute Fridays after a week of New Wine and 3 weeks of India
Pure unedited writing begun by Gypsy Mama

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JOY
A constant reminder over the years whenever I grumble, feel overwhelmed with lack of something, empty or irritated when God silently breathing into my heart "Do you have my joy, child"? The joy of the Lord is my strength. A wonderful healthy happy family. JOY. healthy me. JOY. A job that I love doing a few days week enabling me to be part of the children's life more.JOY.a husband who has a job in this time and season. JOY. Two beautiful boys. JOY. Watching them play, laugh together and fight together. JOY. Provision in all things. JOY. Opportunity to know you and grow in you. JOY.JOY.JOY.

Nehemiah 8:10 – “the joy of the LORD is your strength.”

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Link up here to write you Five Minute Friday

Pinterest

Back from India and diving straight into family,home and work. I have been fascinated by "Pinterest" .Its an absolute discovery! You can have different boards and pin things that you like in them. Helps me to pin up the blogs that I like. Cute kids stuff that I see while surfing.
Saying no more. Take a look and be dazzled!

http://pinterest.com/manjusarajacob/

Making use of limited space to contain my entire life is a struggle.
Here is the kids book shelf that I rearranged and made it look a little more pleasant and sorted books into baskets. The top basket ones for Elijah's board books. And another basket for Christian books on the christian section in our library.

Five minute Friday: Full

I HAVE BEEN FOLLOWING LISA'S A.K.A THE GYPSY MAMA FIVE MINUTE FRIDAY
On Fridays around these parts we like to write. Not for comments or traffic or anyone else's agenda. But for pure love of the written word. For joy at the sound of syllables, sentences and paragraphs all strung together by the voice of the speaker.

We love to Just write without worrying if its just right or not. For five minutes flat. Here is how we do it:

1. Write for 5 minutes flat with no editing, tweaking, or self critiquing.
2. Link back here and invite others to join in(you can grab the button code in the right side bar of her website).
3. Go and tell the person who linked up before you what their words meant to you. Every writer longs to feel heard.

OK, are you ready ? Give me your best five minutes for the prompt:
Full.....

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As you can see my Five minute Friday is written on the Monday for this week. That's because my Friday ... as the topic says was "Full". Full as in busy and full of bad news.

I woke up checking my email in bed(i realize I shouldn't be doing this), to find that the mother of my friend was diagnosed with bone cancer. That was my first dip even before I could get out of bed. To not be there for them at this time and to not to know what they are going through just fills me with that kind of uneasy feeling.

The day I decided not to send Elijah to the daycare.. was the day he had to fall down these Dutch steep stairs. The thud.. or rather the many thuds I heard.. and I still hear in my head is one thud I cannot forget.There he was lying on the floor and blood every where. Long story short.. the poor boys front two teeth fell off. I found one completely out lying on the floor. Among the blood I couldn't find the other one. Went to the doctors. Got an all clear(The Dutch doctors are all about giving the all clear . all the time). Saturday Morning we saw a little bit of the teeth in the mouth and thought if it was broken or something like that.
Went to the emergency dentists and he said that the tooth had pushed into the gums. That must have been one blow for that tooth to get pushed inside. But there wasn't any need to take it out and it would be fine. So for the next 6 to 7 years of his life he will be walking around with the 1 mile gap in his mouth. He obviously recovered with 15 minutes and was upset that he couldn't bite into his apple. But mama is still reeling over that incident and hearing thuds in her sleep.

My "full" day isn't over yet.

Once things settled, I checked my email(again) to find out the father of my best friend who we knew very well and went for EfM classes(Education for Ministry) together for 2 years, opened their home for the young adults of Trinity Church Eindhoven to meet for cell, fathered in all the expat students, went back to Hong Kong and was doing missionary work among the Chinese factory workers... died of a sudden heart attack. He was perfectly healthy and always biked 45 mins to work.

FULL

I intended to write on how my life was FULL of blessings. And at the end I can say how full of protection and blessings my life and the life of my family has been.

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FIVE MINUTE FRIDAY:Loss

FIVE MINUTES TO WRITE ON A TOPIC CHOSEN BY LISA-JO OF GYPSY MAMA. UNEDITED WRITING FOR 5 MINUTES.
This is the first time i am trying this out after following a friends own Five minute Friday.Here it goes....
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Loss
How many of those opportunities in helping someone, saying s few words of encouragement, just being the listener, have i missed in the past week alone. A loss to me in doing what God wants me to do. But knowing that God does achieve that purpose through someone else in another time, does comfort me a little bit.
What do i do with this sense of loss in missing God's point. Do I wallow in it and say I cant do any of what you give me Lord, stating reasons such as kids, work ,home, family.
No.
I choose to pray harder for the Lord to show me these opportunities clearly, and give me the courage and strength to follow that call. This is the journey I signed up for. If missed today, you will help me gain it another day.
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Long time Ago

Long time since I have written...
But seems like only yesterday when my Benjamin was born. And now in a few weeks time he is getting ready for school. A few weeks after coming back from India, this big boy declared at the day care:" I am a big boy now and big boys only sleep at night." And there is stopped his afternoon nap. Another bog step for me to accept that he wasn't a baby anymore. Filled up the school forms, got the activity year calendar from school, hung it up in the kitchen.... that was enough to have tears streaming down. Where did those 4 years go?
Elijah turned one a few weeks ago. And started walking with just holding one hand. Points to his needs. Exactly what he wants.
Where did that last one year go?

I know. 4 years with Benjamin growing up and that personality shining through him. Just the way God made him. I remember every moment of those 4 years.
Elijah, the past one year, with you trying your best to keep up with Benjamin and your ability to eat lots of fruits put both Benjamin and I to shame at our poor fruit eating habit.(We do drink lots of fresh juice, though)

I am indeed a proud mother of two boys!

Back from Holiday in Greece

Back from a weeks holiday and refreshed and ready to start back at routines! Did I just say that? I sure do miss the laid back easy life I had the last one week. No cleaning no washing, absolutely nothing! I was overjoyed when I could drop towels on the floor. When there was trash lying on the floor I didn't have to pick it up. Didn't have to clean bathrooms! The hotels cleaning lady... that was the high point during my holiday! Even though I enjoy cooking, it can get rather boring when you have to think of what to cook for the kids and the husband every single day. The all inclusive all you can eat holiday was awesome. Eggs and bacons, sausages and pancakes for breakfast. heavy lunches and dinners. By the end of the week , I didn't feel like eating anymore.

Benjamin was at his best. By the 4th day he looked like a ball of chocolate ice cream. Literally eating them every day and wore the color on his face due to the sun. He was forever in the swimming pool... bobbing through it and showing off his special dive, twirling, free fall dives to a less than 1 meter swimming pool. Slept well, ate well and was always by our side when we were traveling through the city. I guess he is indeed growing up.

Elijah on the other hand was a handful. Feeding and carrying him around was tough. Can't blame him , he was having a runny nose and even a fever here and there. Poor thing was cranky most of the time. But I was amazed at how he was nibbling through a piece of orange, watermelon, cucumber and tomato. I have to remember to continue giving him that over here. Ben was also inspired, rather pressured into eating a piece of these when he saw Elijah eating it.

Our holiday wasn't exactly entirely relaxing but was relaxing to some extent. I got to finish 3 books during the past one week, which was a huge accomplishment for me , considering the fact that it was ages since I read a book with Elijah being born and work and you know life in general.

Bobby sighed a breath of relief when we were on the bus to the airport.."hmm.. the holiday is finally over.. I can now relax back at the office." being with the kids (and me)24 hours a day was a little too much for him to handle. a few hours in the evening after work id just enough for him I guess.. not that he doesn't love spending time with us. Meal times were stressful for him, had to keep an eye on Ben when he was in the pool, was carrying Elijah when i wasn't. Ain't much of a holiday like that , I guess. And to top it all, he was silently going through a mini version of the terrible flu I was inflicted with a few day before we left for Kos. So he is looking forward to a relaxed and peaceful week at the office come Monday.


Time to give the kids some lunch.And they are already squirming and tugging at my sleeve. Is there anything in the fridge? What can I give them? The thought continues.