Finding hope through hard times.

It is so difficult to often find hope when going through difficult times. Someone blessed us with food and said do not tell anyone. So I am not mentioning their name. They were so humble so genuine. The coroner officer who is dealing with my brothers death has been so sweet. Then there are certain friends that simply say do what is right. It is never easy to keep running a race when you feel that you are against all odds. What is humbling is to see people who are running the race in hard times helping others out and not expecting a single thing from it. In truth it is a lesson to learn. It is those people that are the hero's of today's times. Not the ones who simply offer help with a motive.

It is a lesson to learn and one to think about how often do we want the praise.

It is a lovely Autumn day I encourage you to think how you could bless one person this week and you not want the praise.

Don't forget England changes their clocks back tonight.

Happy Autumn.

Please have a cup of tea with me today.

Cake crumbs of kindness.

Have you ever gone into a store a tasted the samples that are out. I sure love those samples at a store called Whole foods the cheese is Magnifque yes not magnificent but Magnifique. Not just are the samples in this store Magnifique but the staff are amazing they treat you like you are the only person in the store. The customers even have picked up this trait. Not so in every store.
Yesterday we were in Lowes food the samples were out at the cake stand and yummy as always we each had some I even had some in my hand, my younger daughter went back for more the whole container fell to the floor. Her face fell like a frightened mouse about to be pounced on. I quickly came to her aid, I told her it is no big deal things happen. No one else came, a man who was with his child actually stood in our way making us feel like we were beggars on a street corner people looked and starred and did nothing. The Lady who sold the cakes said things happen and offered my daughter a cookie. My daughter felt embarrassed and hid her head into my tummy.
Anyone could of dropped that cake box anyone all of us our moments away from been that beggar on the street. It is like I wrote I believe at the beginning of the year or end of last year I saw in Walmart a man eating grapes I would of condemn him and the store probably a year before. But who am I.
I as a Christian should be the first to help and the first to pray and the first to walk a mile in another persons shoes. I have not always at all.
Ask me if I would of reacted to my daughter like that three years ago NO I would of been upset embarrassed. A lesson to learn is crumbs of kindness cost nothing but touch a heart for a long time.
Please have a cup of tea with me today.

Memories forever.

These our the last few pictures that I have of my brother and his family they were taken in July 2008. My brother and sister have never been very good at emailing photo's. My brother was doing up his very old house. He was very clever at reading up about things and then working out how to do them. He would of probably been a an amazing engineer.

His wife loved going on picnics.

Tonight I am taking some photos of them all to grief share I encourage anyone who is going through any grief maybe separation, moving or a death of a loved one to get involved in a group. My dear friend tried to reach out to Scott from America.

You never know how someones words may touch another persons life.

Memories are held in a photo but in our hearts forever. Do not grief alone.

I hold dear to the memories i have of many things.

May God bless you always.

Please have a cup of tea with me today.

Pink Daisy of Hope

This month is cancer awareness month. Before my sister in law Rita died of cancer I wrote a story about planting pink daisies for cancer patients. I never got to read my story to her. A group in Raleigh called Pretty in Pink loved it as yet it has not been published. We all can make a difference I am big into leaving something on this earth that can help others. My story was to help cancer patients. Your story maybe helping a elderly person across the road. Whatever it is we can all make a difference.
This tatty teddy with it's pink flower reminds me that although my sister in law died we can all spread hope and make those friends, relatives that we may lose to tragedy still count.
The other day I saw in my garden some daisies I felt so it was from Heaven. I have never seen little daisies here before. It was as if my brother had planted them for me
I encourage you what ever cause you believe in, to fight for it.
Make a difference and allow as I would like to say the Pink daisy of Hope to live.
Please have a cup of tea with me today.

Hope through an amazing song.

Yesterday I was very discouraged, I went with a friend to a fall festival, I felt very alone. I cut some of the grass had no energy, my teeth ached.
My discouragement was very high from the week that I had just had.
Usually I cannot get the christian radio station very well. However as I drove home I heard this amazing song.
http://www.stereotruth.net/2009/09/kutless-what-faith-can-do/
It is by Kutless called What faith can do.
I wished my brother had heard it. It so encouraged me.
It is such a true amazing song.
I felt the song was written just for me.
Enjoy the song i hope it encourages you.
Please have a cup of tea with me today.

Holland and Such memories.

As i looked at many blogs this morning I came across some from Holland years ago I went to Holland. As I looked it bought back happy memories and a sense to want to go back there and visit.
My brother and I use to ride our bikes everywhere down the country lanes of Aylmerton.
As I reflect on the week and all it's happening I am reminded that life is just a vapor a moment in a capsule of time. Often words are said that never should be said. How a simple sorry can change your own heart. Or simply looking back and remembering happier times. I hope one day I will get to ride a bike in Holland and one day walk along Cromer beach. Or even revisit the tea rooms my mum once owned The Owl's tea room in Holt I loved it there learning all the different breads I remember my mum bought me a red skirt for me how I felt like a Queen. I loved walking into churches and my dad would do brass rubbings or walking down fields and picking black berries such wonderful memories. They are who I was and who I Cherish.
I hope your day brings you sunshine.
Please have a cup of tea with me today.

Forever close to my heart.

As the days tick on by since my brother died I realize how little I understood how he really felt and how I wished I knew what I do now then. A friend drew a picture of my brother, sister and I it was taken from a picture of us seventeen plus years ago. I love my sisters child like smile and m brothers cheeky smile how we all look a like and how we were for that moment in time all together again. Little did we know then that it would be the last time we would all be together.
Life is interesting if we could all go back and know what we did today how many of us would say sorry quicker or listen more or simply think before we spoke. I know I would. My friend blessed me with this picture. I guess in all this since my brother died I have learnt to listen more to show compassion when a person loses someone.
So where ever you are today and whatever you are going through I pray that you can one day help someone else. I wish you all good days ahead.
I will hold onto the forever good memories of Scott never forget Sept 4th 2010 and hold this picture forever close to my heart.
Please have a cup of tea with me today.

You'll remember me.

You'll remember me is a few words from a song by Eva Cassidy, Fields of Barley, that was played at my brothers funeral. In truth I will remember my brother every time a see a cheeky boy in a school uniform, when I see a toy train set when I see a dad play cricket with his son, when I hear someone say that is my little sister. When I hear his name when I see Laura Ashley stores or hear We three kings and when I see silent movies I will remember you Scott. It is not in one simple thing that we remember a person but in many songs they bring back memories and places where we were with those people. As I stand in church and gaze at the ceiling I hope you see how much I love you Scott. I wonder often when all is said and done what will people remember me by. I hope I leave good and some how leave something that my children will laugh at my mum did this and my mum laughed at that i hope they say. I run in the rain laugh at times I stop the car in the driveway and with the music blaring we run around it and get into the car we often sing as loud as we can be those are what i hope that they remember me. Silly stories made at bed times and cups of tea and hot chocolates bought to school.
The song by Eva Cassidy is very moving the song I love is by Rod Stewart forever young. Whatever song you love. Remember you will be remembered however low you may feel people will remember you and you are amazingly special.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M6n-_LuIzac
Here is the link to an amazing song.
Love you always Scott and so many amazing people.
You are one of those don't let anyone tell you other wise. You are amazing.
Please have a cup of tea with me today.

Stupid silly dreamers. Not so.

Someone said to me to get into a job that paid a good wage and on the side to follow my stupid dreams. When i got of the phone I thought of all the people who followed their stupid dreams Oprah Winfrey, Beatrix Potter, J.K.Rowling, My own Pastor, Pastor Davey, Pretty in Pink Organization in Raleigh, The Hopkins hospital in Virginia, the main organizations that have raised money to help others perhaps you can even add your name to that list. Many great people many great hero's. Oprah Winfrey has stood to make a difference not for her own glory but to help others and make a difference even Bill Yates and his wife have ploughed money into helping others. President Carter who has labored building homes. It is in those stupid silly dreams that those people have given hope to others. I wrote a story to help cancer patients one day my stupid silly dreams will touch someones heart and make a difference. One day my hope is that my story will give someone hope. I make up stories for my children over the past three years it has provided us with hope laughter and encouragement. You tell me if that was stupid.
Stupid and silly is only to those who dare not dream and see how they can or need to make a difference I may sit here in a difficult time in my life but one day I will get out of the ashes and help with my silly dreams.
Don't let anyone steal your silly dreams.
My brother wanted to be a pilot my hope is that today he is flying high in Heaven.
Fly high and believe big you never know who might be watching and where you might soar to.
Please have a cup of tea with me today.

What to learn from a dark Chilean mine.

As my life is filled with uncertainties like so many face today and I still sit hoping that my dear brother will call. I am reminded that God can do miracles. The Chilean miners caught the world they wrote in their papers how it was a miracle yet the rest of the world wrote how it was an amazing act of technology. There is no question that the only thing amazing was that God was with these men. Little rays of sunshine often show us in life that God is still on the move.
I will always have questions about my brother and I so wish I could hug him.
I do know that seeing those miners appear brought a tear to my heart and a knowledge that God can move mountains.
We just always have to look up. How amazing and how true it is often our lives are like the dark coal mines the very lows but eventually if we look up long enough we do see the light.
My cup rises to those men may they use it to glorify a true and living God.
Please have a cup of tea with me today.

Fields of Gold

My brother Scott and his wife Rita both had Fields of gold by Eva Cassidy played at their funerals. I was listening to this song on Saturday it is on you tube. The version that I listened to had these words at the beginning of the song.
If tears could build a stairway and memories were a lane we would walk right up to Heaven and bring you back again.
No farewell words were spoken, No time to say goodbye. You were gone before we knew it and only God knows why.
I was in tears the pictures showed fields of corn I believe. At the back of my brothers house were corn fields. Eva died of cancer not the same cancer as Rita but still it touched my heart.
I wonder how many of us who know someone that we have loved would not walk right up to Heaven but would run. I sure would I would run if it was a steep hillside and I hate heights if I could but bring my brother back.
Life is a interesting road and if only we could have the knowledge that we so often learn after things happen I wonder how different life would be.
Where ever you are my advice is show some love give a hug, you never know how much that means.
I will always love my brother and I would run up a steep staircase to bring him back again.
Please have a cup of tea with me today.