Love in Action Journey

Time flies! It's been way too long since my last post. Life just gets too busy sometimes. Sorry for the quiet this end. I've been busy seeing the girlies through their last few weeks of school. Oh my goodness ... I can't wait for the December holidays to begin!!! It amazes me how much is required of our little ones in school these days. Shew. Anyway ... thanking God that it has been a good year for my little girls. When I stand back and see where my girls were last year this time and how God has walked them through this year and all the healing that has taken place in their little hearts, I stand in awe. My Leelee has negotiated her first grade with determination and perseverance and my little bear has found her confidence to shine in grade 5. Makes this mommy smile big and proud (in the best possible way of course - hee hee).  So yesterday we had our 28 week scan of our little man. The caesar is booked for the 25th of January so on Friday it is 10 weeks till I get to sn...

After the last emotional few days, I realised that I still need to continue to write about my journey through grief and loss. I am still healing. Working through my own pain I am very much aware of the loss that many others around me are negotiating too. While not everybody has to negotiate child / infant loss ... every single person has their own losses, disappointments and heartaches to work through. This last week has shown me once again that most of us don't know how to negotiate loss. It is unchartered waters for us ... a path that only God can graciously guide us through. While we can draw from others experiences through loss, we all go through it in our own way. We don't really know what will trigger our pain. I know for me that I will go through long periods of feeling 'fine' and then something said or done or a memory can trigger me back to the pain. In our family, Brett, the kids and I have all gone through it in different ways or in different stages. I'm...

Dear Zac, I had to find a quiet moment at the beginning of this day to come and sit outside and overlook your beautiful rose garden to write you this important letter. Today is your 1st birthday! Faithful Jesus knows mommy well and has given us the most beautiful sunny day for me to soak up His warmth right to my very heart ... and true to His loving kindness, your roses are starting to bloom!  As I take in how your garden has begun to grow and flourish over this last year, I can't help but imagine how you have grown and changed in the last Heavenly year of your life. I have no doubt that you are absolutely gorgeous and that Heaven is positively rejoicing over you today. I can just picture all our family that has gone before us doting over you. Hopefully they are serving you some angel-cake for breakfast ;0) Here at home we are choosing joy. We are choosing to make this a day of remembering you with all the love in our hearts. The tears shed come from hearts that ...

Pre-warning: I'm a little emotional today, so no pressure to read through all my ramblings. It's just my way of processing and working through my heart.  Lately my emotions are raw. The tears seem to be willing to brim at the smallest of moments. The flash backs are vivid and keep catching me off guard. My mind wants to go back and take stock. I want to remember the details. I realise that my heart is preparing me for his 1 year anniversary. I see it in my girls too. They want to talk about Cape Town. They want to remember him and talk about him. We are missing him.We can feel the hole in our family. Amazing how such a little guy has left such a big impact in our lives. He always will.  As I plan my Leelee's party for this weekend, I can't help but imagine what kind of 1st birthday party I would have been planning for our sweet boy. He would be turning 1 this weekend. I keep seeing myself back in Cape Town in the days before his birth. So much hope and anticipati...

For all of those who have face booked or sms'd me to find out if everything came together in time with the bathroom and guest room makeover, thank you! So sorry to have kept you waiting with pics. MIRACULOUSLY the basics were done in time for when our guests arrived on Friday lunch time. It was a tight squeeze, but thankfully we also have gracious friends who laughed with us at what we had pulled off in 4 days! There are still final touches being done, so hopefully by next week I will have some pics to post.  Much love xxx Janine

My precious darling girl turned 8 years old yesterday. What a joy and treasure this sweet girl is in our lives! She radiates love and joy and just shines like a ray of sunshine! I loved watching her face as she walked into the lounge to a table full of pressies in her honour. It was quite a big moment for Brett and I giving her her first real "big girl" bicycle! Both of us so vividly remember getting our first real bikes from our parents growing up. Looking at this big bike reminded me just how quickly she is growing up!  Daddy and Leelee share a precious moment as he reads her our card. I love the bond they share.   Pressie time!  "Thanks Lala for my pretty top! I've been wearing it everyday!" "And my sparkly dress!!!" She is saving it for her party on Friday ;0)   Big sis gives her a lovely pressie ... And patiently reads all her precious cards from her Granny & Pops & Lala who are overseas.   This mommy ...

Have you ever had one of those days where there are SO MANY pressing reasons to become anxious or stressed? I slipped into that stress cycle early this morning. We have precious friends arriving tomorrow lunchtime for the weekend with their family, and this is what the outside room where they are sleeping looks like ... The open plan bedroom / kitchen / living area is still in the process of getting it's cupboards and carpet! The bathroom is still in the process of being tiled and having the plumbing all sorted out! Oh ... did I mention that all this has to be done BY TOMORROW LUNCHTIME?! Yikes indeed!!! Everything was running perfectly on time, until the tilers decided to rock up 6 hours late yesterday and leave 2 hours later. I am STILL waiting for them to arrive this morning. Almost 2 hours late and counting! The plumbers can't install the toilet and sink until the tilers finish ... and the plumbers are here waiting! Get my current state of mind! The temptation to...