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About Me

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Janine Claire Robinson
Port Elizabeth, South Africa
Welcome to my little writing corner. I count my many blessings to be a cherished wife and an ever-learning-loving-growing mother to 3 amazing children this side of Heaven and a precious little boy in Heaven. Together as a family we pastor a precious church community called Redeeming Hope Church. I've had the privilege of loving and following Jesus Christ since my earliest memories as a child. No matter what I've gone through in life, He has always been so present. At heart, I'm an encourager ... so this is a place where I get to wear my heart on my sleeve and share my journey of learning to live a life of love in action.

Discovering a true sense of "Belonging"

My little girlies are safely tucked into bed, fast asleep; hubby is relaxing in front of the tellie which means that it's finally a little bit of "me time" for a few minutes. To keep me company I have the sweetest little pup in the whole wide world lovingly cuddling on my lap. Just look at my little Cosmo. Everything about him makes me smile. He is my little shadow. He even has the same ice crunching passion as me :0) He runs to the freezer and waits to share a block of ice with me on these hot Summer days. I am so amazed at the bond he has with us after 3 short weeks. He knows he "belongs" in every way. 
I haven't been posting as much as I would like lately. As my last post suggested, it's been a bit of a whirl wind time. I am really having to learn how to manage my time wisely and what to say yes and no to. Sitting behind my computer to blog is always relaxing for me. 
With a cup of coffee and a freshly baked cookie (yes, just 1!) who wouldn't be ready to share their heart? :0) 
Today I have been thinking about the word "belong". Looking at my little puppy of 3 weeks, he already knows that he "belongs" in our family. He knows "whose" he is and that makes him feel accepted, celebrated and secure. On Sundays we meet for church in our home. As everybody arrived this Sunday, our little guy disappeared. We called and called and called but there was no sign of him. After searching in every room and around the garden, my handsomeness eventually found him hiding behind the shed. Having to "share" his family with so many people made him feel insecure.
Dealing with all the demands on my time and the busyness that seems to fill each day at the moment it got me wondering how my children or husband must feel when I am distracted from my first calling ... to be a wife and mother to my family ... to protect their sense of "belonging". This has really sobered me today. Even though I am constantly with and around them ... so often I am busy multi-tasking at the same time ;0) Anybody relate? It's got me thinking, in what ways can we as women make those around us feel secure in the fact that those close to us know that they belong and are celebrated. You don't have to be married or have children to practice this beautiful gift. Every single person has a desperate need to feel like they belong.
This week I want to explore this beautiful truth together. If you have any tips, ideas or thoughts to share PLEASE add your comment. I would love for us to learn from one another. "Love in Action" is all about the journey of expressing love in deed and not merely words. By finding ways to show people that they "belong" in our lives ... they will experience the true joy, peace and security that love brings. I can't wait to discover and "try out" new ways of showing that "belonging" to my loved ones!
All my love xxx
Janine 

Comments

Anonymous said…
Appreciate your discussing this nice post with a good matter, such fantastic talent that you have.
Dear Anonymous - thank you for your kind words. Please feel welcome to add your thoughts on the topic too. I would love to hear from you.
Oh, its so true! Motherhood seems to bring out the Martha in me. I so often want to be more of a Mary, to really just "be" with my family but with the fast paced agenda it can be easy to just go, go, go and do, do, do. I am thankful for homeschooling because it causes me to purposefully take a chunk of my day and spend it with my children with undivided attention. I thank God everyday for the blessing to be able to do so! Thank you for sharing your thoughts on this, it has given me pause to reflect.
Jennifer said…
Its so true. Motherhood brings out the Martha in me, always doing and going. I would love to be more of a Mary and just "be" with my children. I am thankful for homeschooling and the way that it causes me to set aside a chunk of my day specifically to be with my children and to give them my undivided attention. What a blessing it is to be able to homeschool and to "be" with my children. Thank you for your thoughts, it gave me pause and time for reflection.
Sorry that my last post went through twice! Please feel free to delete!
Niqui said…
Shew, my sis. This post has got me thinking too. I too can relate to the quantity time, not quality time that I have with my girls and Ian. I think that it is a shame that they get whats left of me, intead of the best of me.
Learning to say no to certain things is the key, I think.

If there is anything that I have learned this year (only a month down and it's been full) is that life is short. What do I chose to do with this precious time?

I read this little book, and one thing the lady asks is... "will this (whaterever your facing or dealing with) matter in the greater scheme of things. This has gotten me thinking as well.

I want to spend these precious moments, pouring all that I can into my family, making special memories and treasuring each member of my family. More so than sweating about the small stuff.

I suppose we all have that choice, hey!

Today I endevour to make wise choices and not let the time flit away.

Thanx for you blog, my precious sis! I love reading it, and love to be challenged as well.

Thanx for the wake up call (**,)

I love you
Niqs xx
Hey sis! I lOVE what you added in here! What indeed is most important in the greatest scheme of things. That narrows out some stuff I can lay aside. Thanks for the input.
Jennifer - I so admire you homeschooling!!! I think it takes a special mommy to do that.
Anonymous said…
That me time is so very important. Cosmo is adorable; he has obviously taken to you very well. I guess the reason he finds it so relaxing being with you is because you love him so much. They pick up on that immediately.

We women punish ourselves much too often for thinking we don't spend enough time with our families. I do it, too. But I know that my family is fine.

CJ xx
CJ, thank you so much for your thoughts and perspective. It's so refreshing!
Anonymous said…
I really like your post. We have a dog also who is completely part of our family.
Missy said…
Fantastic post. I've come to learn that love is a constant awareness that we keep in our mind. An awareness to look out for their needs, making sure we are encouraging, making them feel a sense of belonging, etc. Hard to do, but such a joy when given/experienced!

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